What Is Diversity, and Why Is Everybody Talking About It?

Chapter Outline

9.1 What Is Diversity, and Why Is Everybody Talking About It? 9.2 Categories of Diversity 9.3 Navigating the Diversity Landscape

9.4 Inclusivity and Civility: What Role Can I Play?

Introduction Student Survey How do you feel about diversity, equity, and inclusion? These questions will help you determine how the chapter concepts relate to you right now. As you are introduced to new concepts and practices, it can be informative to reflect on how your understanding changes over time. We’ll revisit these questions at the end of the chapter to see whether your feelings have changed. Take this quick survey to figure it out, ranking questions on a scale of 1–4, 1 meaning “least like me” and 4 meaning “most like me.”

1. I’m aware of the different categories of diversity and the various populations I may encounter. 2. I think we sometimes go too far in trying to be sensitive to different groups. 3. I think nearly everybody in our society has equal opportunity. 4. It’s not my role to ensure equity and inclusiveness among my peers or colleagues.

You can also take the Chapter 9 survey (https://openstax.org/l/collegesurvey09) anonymously online.

Figure 9.1 (Credit John Martinez Pavliga / Flickr / Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC-BY 2.0))

9

Understanding Civility and Cultural Competence

About This Chapter In this chapter you will learn about diversity and how it plays a role in personal, civic, academic, and professional aspects of our lives. By the end of the chapter, you should be able to do the following:

• Articulate how diverse voices have been historically ignored or minimized in American civic life, education, and culture.

• Describe categories of identity and experience that contribute to diverse points of view. • Acknowledge implicit bias and recognize privilege. • Evaluate statements and situations based on their inclusion of diverse perspectives.

9.1 What Is Diversity, and Why Is Everybody Talking About It?

Estimated completion time: 34 minutes.