CommunityEdu: Fraternity & Sorority Life addresses key topics for college environments. Members learn to create more inclusive and healthy communities, stand up as leaders in their community, and use their skills beyond graduation.
Course Description
The purpose of this diversity orientation is to introduce university and college students to key concepts within the diversity and inclusion space. Taking a social justice approach, this course will discuss concepts such as inclusion, power, privilege, identities, and communication as well as strategies related to ally behavior, self-care, and creating inclusive spaces.
By building competencies around emotional intelligence via interactive scenarios and case studies, the course will communicate to the student-learner the expectations of being an engaged member of a diverse and inclusive community while providing important tools to meet said expectations.
Core modules are designed to be 5-10 minutes in length. They can be assigned all at once as one longer course experience (a single learning activity) or assigned on an individual module basis for something more flexible (each module is its own learning activity).
This course is part of the Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Suite.
Learning Objectives
- Explain how diversity and inclusion help create a healthy/positive campus
- Explain how diversity and inclusion education prepare students for success in future careers
- Demonstrate high level general knowledge of (or appreciation for) socio-historical inequalities and their relationship to power and privilege
- Describe and evaluate inclusion strategies
- Identify opportunities to apply inclusion strategies
- Define key terms (identity, multiple identities, power, privilege, bias, empathy, intersectionality, microaggressions)
- Define and recognize “-isms” and “-phobias”
- Learn when and how to confront “isms” and “phobias” and to employ “ally behavior”
- Explore concepts of resilience and self-care to begin building personal resources
- Apply basic communication techniques that support diversity and inclusion goals
Course Syallabus
Module 1: Introduction
Through the introductory content, we will showcase the positive impact of education on diversity, equity, and inclusion topics to higher education environments and student success outcomes. We will acknowledge the presence of sensitive content and complex issues and ensure the student leaves this module feeling safe, respected, valued, and empowered because of the unique voices they have as a result of their background and various identities.
- 1 Customizable Content Page
- 1 Custom Video Page
- 1 Custom Policy
Module 2: Your Identities
This module explores identity through defining different identities, intersectionality, and the complexities around the idea of identity as an evolving attribute. At the end of the module, the learner will feel they have the vocabulary necessary to dialogue and explore this topic further, as well as strategies to communicate respectfully with people who identify differently than them. This module will also explore the concept of bias, how to identify it, and allow learners to reflect on the presence of bias in their lives and recognize how to disrupt it.
- 3 Customizable Content Pages
- 1 Custom Video Page
- 1 Custom Policy
- Additional Resources
Module 3: Your Influence
Learners explore the specific challenges associated with certain identities, both internal and external. The learner will reflect on ways in which they hold both power and privilege, and is empowered to use that influence to disrupt bias. They will explore how to get involved when observing aggressions using bystander intervention strategies, to ensure they are contributing to maintaining a positive community where everybody feels safe and welcome. And they will explore the concepts of self-care and resiliency as resources to rely on when they are the target of biased words and actions.
- 3 Customizable Content Pages
- 1 Custom Video Page
- 1 Custom Policy
- Additional Resources
Module 4: Your Community
This module presents the learner with how they can take action and get involved to develop a culture of respect and belonging within their community. Through personal reflection and application via multiple scenarios, the learner will be able to practice forms of active allyship they can take with them into their community beyond this course. They will also explore healthy ways to respond when they make mistakes or experience oppression from people in their support group or community.
- 3 Customizable Content Pages
- 1 Custom Video Page
- 1 Custom Policy
- Additional Resources
Module 5: Conclusion
This module is a conclusion module that will wrap up the ideas presented in the course and provide the learner with resources and an opportunity to opt-in to further campus communications. This module will contain any necessary customizations, as well as house the post-survey and post-assessment.
- 2 Customizable Content Pages
- 1 Custom Video Page
- 1 Custom Policy
- Additional Resources
The purpose of the Part 2 Survey is to measure learning outcomes and behavioral changes resulting from going through this course.
We recommend assigning Part 2 after a 4-6 week intersession is to allow learners to incorporate what they learned into their daily lives and experiences with their peers.
Automated Assignments can be used to implement an intersession.
Post-Course Survey