Curious how people are responding in diversity statements when they aren't obvious forms of diversity (e.g., race, gender)

[Guest joshw4288]

I am in the midst of the application cycle for faculty jobs and either stand-alone diversity statements or at least diversity questions to be answered in the cover letter are a part of every application. I've check out Karen Kelsky's blog (the professor is in) for her thoughts on writing diversity statements but it pretty much just suggests to explicitly state your diversity (e.g., as an African-American scholar...) to cue the department that you qualify as a diversity hire and thus you will get preferential treatment. I'm curious what people are doing when they are either a) not an explicit and desired form of diversity in academia (e.g., your diversity is religious or political or some other form not really desired in science/academia respectively) or b ) you are White and thus exactly what academia is trying to limit (unless you're female and applying to STEM). In general, how are people discussing diversity in these statements when they aren't the obvious explicit diversity that universities are searching for?

Edited September 8, 2017 by joshw4288

[GreenEyedTrombonist]

So there are the obvious things, like gender and race, but there are also more subtle things. Honestly, if you are having trouble figuring out how you aren't privileged (and therefore how you contribute to diversity) fill out something like the Buzzfeed How Privileged Are You checklist. I did that for fun a while back and it actually helped me gain perspective on the different forms of privilege outside of the most obvious.

[Guest joshw4288]

Thanks for the suggestion regarding the checklist. I will definitely check it out. I don't think the problem is really figuring out how one contributes to diversity but rather figuring out how one contributes to the specific forms of diversity that academia wants. Academia isn't really interested in political diversity, for example. It is perfectly happy being a liberally biased institution, with the exception of the handful of scholars linked to the heterodox academy (https://heterodoxacademy.org). But if someone were to express their political diversity in a diversity statement, I can only imagine that this is a surefire way to eliminate yourself from the applicant pool given the plethora of research showing political discrimination in academic hiring and publishing. 

[fuzzylogician]

If you can't figure out how you're not privileged, one thing to think about writing about is how that's helped you in your life, and tie that into an understanding of how it might have affected other minorities not to have the same advantages. You can talk about how you are (or can be) an ally to those less privileged. Allies are so incredibly important when fighting discrimination; it can't just be the affected groups themselves fighting.

[hj2012]

This PPT presentation might be helpful: https://grad.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/career-resources/DiversityStatement_Presentation.pdf

 

2 hours ago, joshw4288 said:

 I don't think the problem is really figuring out how one contributes to diversity but rather figuring out how one contributes to the specific forms of diversity that academia wants. 

 Rather than "specific forms of diversity that academia wants," it might be more useful to think of the reality of diversity within universities and how you will attend to challenges that diversity inevitably raises. Even if you do not have a demonstrated commitment to underprivileged communities, you will be (and likely have been) teaching, collaborating, and interacting with groups and individuals who come from enormously different backgrounds. Universities essentially want to ensure that you will not be a liability as a co-worker and educator, and that you have at least put some thought into pondering the very real challenges of teaching and researching across diversity. They want to make sure that you are  aware that you will be teaching students and working with individuals who come from different backgrounds, and that a one-size-fits-all model is not always the most effective. The diversity statement is also a way to show that you are capable of considering alternative perspectives and can show some level of sensitivity, tact, and empathy.

 What has equipped you to effectively communicate with individuals who are different than you, and what are some strategies to build connections across difference? How would you pedagogically approach a classroom with students who come from different linguistic, national, class, and racial backgrounds, and what steps might you take to ensure that everyone benefits from the diversity of experiences in the room? What is your approach to mentoring students who might not be as familiar with North American academic norms (e.g. first generation students, international students, etc)? These are questions that I think everyone applying to academic jobs should at least consider.

 

[TakeruK]

3 hours ago, fuzzylogician said:

You can talk about how you are (or can be) an ally to those less privileged. Allies are so incredibly important when fighting discrimination; it can't just be the affected groups themselves fighting.

Came here to say this too.

[Guest joshw4288]

Great thoughts. Thanks to those who chimed in. 

[GreenEyedTrombonist]

Anyone willing to read through my Diversity Statement real quick?