Earning Criteria

• My Role in Equity and Diversity Work: This foundational course introduces learners to the core concepts around equity, diversity, and social justice. Key topics include foundational terminology, understanding our own identities, exploring bias and oppression, and how to work to be an ally and advocate in this work.
• Navigating Challenging Conversations: This course addresses one of the most significant aspects of equity and diversity work: navigating challenging conversations. This course introduces skills in the following areas: noticing and naming our own triggers and activation, developing nuance in our understanding of our intentions, and developing empathy and active listening skills when we impact others.
• Addressing Implicit Bias and Microaggressions: It is essential to recognize and address the presence of implicit bias and microaggressions in our everyday lives. This course exposes learners to the concept of implicit bias and how it produces microaggressions that can impact the classroom, work, and social environments, as well as skills to interrupt and address microaggressions.
• Removing Barriers and Creating Access: Whether it's captioning, gender-neutral restrooms, rooms for silent prayer, curb cuts, or inclusive language, DEI work involves paying attention to how we design our classrooms, labs, offices, residence halls, work, curricula, and events to be as welcoming and inclusive as possible. In this course, learners engage critical concepts of collective access and are given opportunities to assess the inclusivity of their own spaces and policies.
• Ableism & Disability Justice: Ableism and discrimination towards people with disabilities and disabled communities play out on the individual, cultural, and institutional levels in the U.S. and worldwide. In this course, learners will be introduced to the foundational frames and the nuance involved in fighting ableism and working for disability justice.
• Challenging Classism: The impact of classism in our society leads to many barriers on our campus and in the broader community. Exploring classism is an essential part of understanding how wealth, status, and income are intertwined with social, cultural, and historical issues in the United States. Class and classism intersect with our identities and experiences, and challenging assumptions and biases about class is an essential step in creating positive change at the University.
• Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexuality: In discussions of “diversity,” not everyone recognizes that gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation are important points of cultural difference that merit recognition and voice. This course offers an opportunity for learners to be introduced to 2SLGBTQIA+ (Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual+) identities and identify strategies they can employ to create a more open and welcoming climate.
• Race, Racism, and White Supremacy: This course provides education about the concepts of race, racism, and white supremacy, historical and current facts, figures, and insight on resistance movements. This course also addresses the importance of talking about white privilege, white dominance, and white fragility as a way for white people to understand their own socialization and participation in systemic racism.
• Religious and Spiritual Identities: For many people, religion and spirituality are deeply personal and create values that offer a sense of purpose and community. This course will explore how religious, spiritual, and humanist identities interact with other social identities and the power and privilege within historical and modern contexts.
• Understanding and Addressing Gender-Based Oppression: The media makes it sound like gender equity has been achieved. What's the truth? In this interactive course, increase your knowledge of gender-based oppression and discuss how gender justice benefits everyone.