Department of Modern Languages' Statement on Diversity

The Department of Modern Languages, a unique space in which humanistic and linguistic research and teaching intersect, is firmly committed to building a community that is radically inclusive of people of all backgrounds while simultaneously recognizing the inherent social, personal, political, and institutional racism pervasive in higher education. We commit, as individuals and as a department, to actively engage in research and teaching practices that prioritize social justice, and are anti-racist, anti-sexist and anti-discriminatory of LGBTQ people. In doing so, we strive to provide a safe, respectful environment that promotes the success of all individuals, and that fosters a space for dialogue. 

We do not tolerate harassment, discrimination or disrespect. In our role as researchers and teachers in the Humanities and Social Sciences, we believe that it is central to our work to document, interrogate, and challenge societies and social relationships, and the structures of power and systems of oppression that discriminate against and inflict multiple forms of violence upon certain groups. We carry out this work through a critical, historical and contemporary analysis of language, texts, films, and other cultural processes and products. Through our work as humanists, social scientists, and linguists, we aim to promote a better understanding of how these systems operate and intersect across time and in different cultures in order to denounce inequality and to create a more just society for all, locally and globally.

Resources

Anti-racist Pedagogy

This is an open forum for collecting information and discussing ways to not only recognize and prioritize black and brown writers, historians, artists, theorists, etc. in our courses, but to embrace a pedagogy that is anti-racist. Please contribute and comment as there is much to learn/share from one another.