Statement of Diversity and Equity
When we think of diversity we generally think of differences in race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, political and geographical affiliations, and geographical nuances that distinguish us from each other. Our different identities force us to view the world differently, make different decisions, and have different perceptions of things around us. In the context of higher education, diversity has a direct impact on our approaches to teaching and learning. With diversity present in every sphere of life, it is important to promote inclusion so that we can relate across differences. It is important to create a classroom environment where every students’ voice irrespective of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or any other political/geographical differences is valued and heard. However, this is not just limited to the classroom, we need to create a community where diversity is valued and heard. We need to create a community where everyone is entitled to communicate their views, respectfully analyze, challenge ideas and construct new ways of thinking.
There are multiple ways to promote inclusion in the classroom. The most important is to build a good relationship/rapport with the students through constructive discussions and one-to-one teacher-learner interactions. This provides the instructor with information on learners’ experiences, goals, learning preferences, and skillsets which informs the instructor on the best way to practice teaching in a classroom to cater to the need of different students. Again, constructive but informal interactions between instructor and students can be beneficial for the students since it increases student self-esteem, enhance community engagement and learning and help with the development of leadership skills. An inclusive teaching environment can be characterized as a classroom where students are allowed to freely express their ideas, and this in turn will benefit the students and the instructor as well since different perspectives and ideas contribute to successful opportunities to solve real-world problems. An inclusive teaching environment also promotes a variety of research ideas and the instructor also learns from the students.
In the field of economic studies, diversity bears a lot of importance. In economics, we deal with problems from across the world and how the entire world operates given the fact that different pockets of the world operate indifferently ways. The idea of recognizing and respecting the different socialist and capitalist structures of governance around the world itself speaks of the importance of diversity and inclusion in the field of economics. When people from different demography come together in a classroom and indulges in constructive discussion, it provides a better understanding of why we observe different pockets of the world behaving in different ways and what they have in common. I plan to promote cultural inclusion and equity in my classroom through explicit gestures to students to be respectful of each other and share ideas with each other. I would encourage students to discuss among themselves why they chose the economics discipline because sometimes, in my discipline, economics, the reason for the same is rooted in cultural/ethnic background. These interactions would help the students to get to know each other better and promote equity among them.
In terms of course materials that I intend to follow in the courses that I teach, I will try to incorporate a diverse set of materials that do not promote any biases toward a certain community. Studying economics in the US is not just about studying how the US economy works but how the US economy works with the rest of the world which incorporates a diverse set of rules and policies and importance to diverse backgrounds of the students who come from abroad to study in the US. It is my utmost intention to properly serve students from different backgrounds through any course that I teach and to that, I would encourage students from different backgrounds to think about how they can relate the course materials to their life and how they propose to adapt or help adapt to the changing scenarios around the world. I would encourage students to provide feedback as to how their communities have been subject to different problems around the world of economics and how they suggest creating a better economy. Addressing the differences in problems and benefits around different communities of race, sex, gender, ethnicity, and political/geographical boundaries together helps in creating an environment that respects the different perspectives of different students and promotes equity among them.
There are multiple ways to promote inclusion in the classroom. The most important is to build a good relationship/rapport with the students through constructive discussions and one-to-one teacher-learner interactions. This provides the instructor with information on learners’ experiences, goals, learning preferences, and skillsets which informs the instructor on the best way to practice teaching in a classroom to cater to the need of different students. Again, constructive but informal interactions between instructor and students can be beneficial for the students since it increases student self-esteem, enhance community engagement and learning and help with the development of leadership skills. An inclusive teaching environment can be characterized as a classroom where students are allowed to freely express their ideas, and this in turn will benefit the students and the instructor as well since different perspectives and ideas contribute to successful opportunities to solve real-world problems. An inclusive teaching environment also promotes a variety of research ideas and the instructor also learns from the students.
In the field of economic studies, diversity bears a lot of importance. In economics, we deal with problems from across the world and how the entire world operates given the fact that different pockets of the world operate indifferently ways. The idea of recognizing and respecting the different socialist and capitalist structures of governance around the world itself speaks of the importance of diversity and inclusion in the field of economics. When people from different demography come together in a classroom and indulges in constructive discussion, it provides a better understanding of why we observe different pockets of the world behaving in different ways and what they have in common. I plan to promote cultural inclusion and equity in my classroom through explicit gestures to students to be respectful of each other and share ideas with each other. I would encourage students to discuss among themselves why they chose the economics discipline because sometimes, in my discipline, economics, the reason for the same is rooted in cultural/ethnic background. These interactions would help the students to get to know each other better and promote equity among them.
In terms of course materials that I intend to follow in the courses that I teach, I will try to incorporate a diverse set of materials that do not promote any biases toward a certain community. Studying economics in the US is not just about studying how the US economy works but how the US economy works with the rest of the world which incorporates a diverse set of rules and policies and importance to diverse backgrounds of the students who come from abroad to study in the US. It is my utmost intention to properly serve students from different backgrounds through any course that I teach and to that, I would encourage students from different backgrounds to think about how they can relate the course materials to their life and how they propose to adapt or help adapt to the changing scenarios around the world. I would encourage students to provide feedback as to how their communities have been subject to different problems around the world of economics and how they suggest creating a better economy. Addressing the differences in problems and benefits around different communities of race, sex, gender, ethnicity, and political/geographical boundaries together helps in creating an environment that respects the different perspectives of different students and promotes equity among them.