When our graduate program decided to implement a diversity course requirement I volunteered to develop a new course that would provide graduate students with a critical frame for thinking about systems of privilege and oppression. The overall objective of this course is to raise students’ awareness about the systems and structures in society that have both hindered and advantaged members of various social groups throughout history, with the goal of establishing a critical foundational understanding of these systemic patterns that will shape the way they approach their teaching, research, and scholarship as they progress in their careers. Students in the course are encouraged to locate themselves within these systems and consider the ways in which their own identities and lived experiences have shaped their opportunities and the way they perceive the social world.

There are three major goals of this course: (1) establish familiarity with how systems of oppression operate, (2) critically consider how to apply knowledge of these systems to scholarly work—by approaching teaching and research in an anti-biased way, (3) develop an independent project that contributes to anti-bias. The first two goals are largely addressed through weekly assignments and in-class discussions.

The semester is structured in such a way that we begin at the broadest level, examining over the first few weeks, how systemic biases operate at a societal-level. Next, we move on to examine the role that research has played in systemic oppression—considering the history of scientific racism and sexism—before honing in on biases in the field of psychology. We explore how hiring, climate, and other features of academic communities serve to reinforce the status quo, and the ways in which cultural biases in academia marginalize human populations and scholars outside of North America and Europe. We consider the concept of scientific “objectivity,” whether it is possible to achieve a view from nowhere, and whose perspectives are centered in so-called “objective” research.  Next, we move on to a discussion of ethics, and the ways in which marginalized people have not always gotten the ethical protections they deserve. In the latter portion of the semester we shift away from research considerations to discuss how biases taint the climate in academia, including microaggressions, mentorship considerations, and the ways that biases impact both instructors and students in college classrooms. Finally, the last weeks of the semester are structured around discussions of how to change the system and create an inclusive culture. 

The third major goal of this course was met with the Innovations in Diversity and Inclusion Project, which was an open-ended assignment that was expected to contribute to anti-bias in some way. Students have taken this project in a variety of directions, several of which have already been useful in achieving anti-biased ends. For instance, one student developed a detailed guide and rubric for critically evaluating diversity statements submitted by faculty job candidates, which was actually implemented by our department.

Students felt that it was challenging and time consuming, but all of them seemed to agree that it was not only important but that it had played an important role in shaping their orientation toward their academic career.