Diversity And Social Justice Course Experience

I learned some important things from this course that I will allow to stick with me no matter my profession. Diversity is something I will always have to deal with regardless if it is race, gender, or gender orientation. Importantly this course has allowed me to grow as an individual and has shown me that it is okay to learn about other races and their background. Not only has it allowed me to be acceptable of everyone in fact, it has allowed me to be less judgmental amongst others.

When resources are produced, consideration is taken to represent the diverse range of learners who access provision A variety of teaching methods are used following an assessment of different learning styles Assessment is fair and does not discriminate against any learner Language used by the tutor is non-discriminatory and appropriate Discussion and comments within the learning environment are managed to ensure learner language is appropriate and nondiscriminatory Materials and topics are presented in a way that are sensitive to equality and diversity Resources are adapted to ensure that learners can access information and to meet individual needs

Over time, society has become increasingly diverse and globally connected. In order to meet the needs of an interconnected society, the American Counseling Association (ACA) endorsed the creation of multicultural and social justice competencies (Ratts, Singh, Butler, Nassar-McMillan, & McCullough, 2016). The Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (MSJCC) were developed in order to showcase the importance of integrating MSJCC into all aspects of the counseling profession. Originally, these competencies were geared more toward majority professionals working with minority clients. However, it has become more clear that the range of diversity is endless and it is not uncommon for privileged clients to be counseled by minority counseled (Ratts, et al., 2016).

For the Social Justice Action Project, Britnee and I interviewed college students in the Northeast region who revealed their views on the Black Lives Matter Movement, racial injustice, and racial profiling. We had wanted to inform people of what the Black Lives Matter Movement stood for and tackle some of the myths and misconceptions of what the organization represented. In the process, the interviewees have expressed their feelings of how today’s society is blinded by irrational thinking and biased beliefs. This project have made us realize that people often blame the movement of being inconsiderate to all lives matter, relating the movement to the “armed and dangerous” Black Panthers, and the never-ending issues of police-to-black killings.

      1.1 Explain the models of practice that underpin equality, diversity and inclusion in own area of responsibility.

The course has had the largest impact on me outside of the classroom with the intentional

As an active member of the LGBTQIA+ community at DePaul and at home, I know quite a few trans* people, or at least more than most, and the one thing I am most concerned about is being a good ally. I’m embarrassed to say that only since arriving at DePaul I’ve begun to look more into how any of my words or actions may come across as hurtful or as microaggressions. I’ve had issues with my gender identity in the past, primarily because the concepts of masculinity and femininity are so antiquated and subjective, but I truly have no way of understanding the depth of oppression that people of the trans* community experience. The expression of my gender is fairly inconsistent and many people have labeled me androgynous and I have considered agender (someone whom identifies as being without gender) but I’m fairly comfortable (not perfectly) with my current identification. So everything from gender misidentification and discrimination due to the fact that I no longer repress myself by dressing and presenting myself in an overly feminine way has led to some really crappy stuff. Regardless, I have had so many benefits and rights granted to me simply because of my cisgender status to the point where it made it difficult for me in the past to see them. People usually use my correct pronouns without asking, I have bathrooms available to me, going to get medical help isn’t a production in which I have to be concerned about

Coming into this class, there weren’t many expectations. The description is in the name: Diversity and the Disenfranchised, there isn’t much that can be mistaken for. I figured that we would talk about all the normal oppressed groups: African Americans, Hispanics, and the poor. When talking about African Americans and Hispanics I figured that there would be a lot more historical context than what was actually discussed, because that is the only thing I have ever been taught. Instead, we learned about how their ethnicity shapes them, and how typical white traditions were not what African Americans or Hispanics followed. When talking about the poor I figured we’d address welfare and why people were poor. We did those things as well as watched a video of how being poor affects the lives of children, which made much more of an impact on me than just learning about statistics.

To understand more in depth about the effects of diversity on an individual’s career path, I have interviewed an Indian who was born and brought up in India and moved to USA 4 years back for his project work. Johnson Fernandes is an Operations Manager, currently working at Voya Financial Services at Connecticut, U.S. He has 8 years of experience in the IT industry and has worked in three different countries, India, Canada and the United States. He has done his engineering in India. This is his fourth year working in United States. He moved to US to do IT consulting for an US client. Before he could come to U.S, his company provided him various diversity trainings to help him get accustomed to the cultural difference in U.S. They provided him training on etiquettes and grooming. It trained him to be careful of punctuality at meetings and also to be accurate while providing an ETA. His training also included sessions on learning how to address people by their first names. In India, seniors are addressed by titles such as Sir, Ma’am or Mr., Mrs. or Miss. It is considered offensive in India to call a senior by their first name, especially if we do not know them personally. However, in U.S companies, most of them address each other by their first name. Cultural difference was indeed challenging for Johnson to cope up with. However trainings provided to him helped him to understand the culture of the companies in U.S. It helped him to amend his

Prior to taking this course I thought I had a clear understanding of what it meant to have diversity awareness. I have been exposed to many different cultures both through my experiences in the Army and as a civilian, however I was not very aware of diversity. Since taking this course I have realized that increasing my awareness in diversity, would greatly benefit me as an Army soldier and as a future Law Enforcement Agent. As a soldier, I interact with different cultures, races, and sexes on a daily basis. I have developed a better sense of understanding in how other cultures may interact. As a future Law Enforcement, having a better sense of diversity awareness, would prevent me from becoming too stereotypical of other cultures. Throughout this course I have been introduced to diversity in a way I never would have imagined. I’m more cautious before casting judgment about the way I view people and the way people interact.

Although I have made many positive changes these last few years, there is always room for growth. I found this apparent, as I have witnessed outstanding role models through the university. There is simply no ending point or “final” destination, when it comes to growing and working on your own faults. Therefore, I hope to take what I have learned from my past and college, and be able to continue to find ways of dealing with diversity in a professional manner. Knowing this, it is both exciting and frightening experience, especially knowing the many situations that are to come. However, I hope that I can take each encounter, and be able to learn to become the best role model a teacher can be for each student. I hope that each student, no matter their background, can feel as if they are welcome and accepted into the classroom. I also believe that the university has made tremendous strides to make this possible, especially assigning us classes that directly deal with diversity. In opportunities of mentoring, volunteering, and observations, I have been able to experience early on what it means to be a role model, in a diverse setting. The topic of diversity and this method of currere are extremely important, not only for myself, but also the students of the future. To understand diversity, you have to understand yourself. It is not a simple

Thank you for thinking of me. It is extremely thoughtful of you. I deeply appreciate the information on the Diversity Internship and it definitely an opportunity I’m interesting in doing.

I have discovered some interesting things I have noticed in myself before taking this course. For example, my learning style I have noticed is the visual learning style.

The questions of overall, I rate this instructor an excellent teacher and overall, I rate this course as excellent. As I learned in a previous course I was enrolled, anyone can stand before another person and saw what is expected. The Diversity in the workplace course was excellent because of the way Dr. Webb presented the information. Dr. Webb's firsthand experience and her knowledge spoke volumes. Dr. Webb can talk the talk because she has walked the walk! Excellent

Since I started this class, I have a learned a great deal about cultural diversity in the classroom and abroad. My perspective has changed slightly but my knowledge of this subject has improved. In my family, my father taught me about the civil rights movement and the evils of segregation in the U.S. My parents taught me to be tolerant of all humans, no matter what they look like, how they dress, or their sexual orientation. My family has always been liberal thinkers who taught me the dark history of racism and bigotry in this country. As an educator I would be accepting to all race, creeds, and religious peoples.