Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Commitment

We are committed to building a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere in which every member of the department can thrive. We strive to incorporate diverse perspectives, experiences, and inquiry in our departmental and classroom spaces.

 We aim to:

  • Recruit, mentor, and promote a faculty with diverse intellectual interests and strengths.
  • Provide mentorship, research support, social engagement, and learning opportunities so that students, postdocs, staff, and faculty can understand diverse identities and perspectives.

Initiatives

Student research. We created the Wade Smith Research Award, given each fall to a student pursuing original research on racial justice or a closely related topic.

Tenure-Track faculty mentoring. We initiated a formalized mentoring program for all tenure-track faculty. Every tenure-track faculty member is matched with a mentor within and outside the sociology department. In the first year, there is a schedule for new faculty mentoring, including an orientation and 6-month follow-up meeting with tenured faculty. We also commit to sponsor a visitor during each tenure-track faculty member's first three years to build professional network and get feedback on work.

Student mentoring. The Department hosts a range of events mixers to incorporate students into the department and create community.  This is facilitated by our undergraduate social committee. Recent events include: sociologically relevent film screenings, practice talks for thesis students, and end-of-term student-faculty mixers.

Professional development. We initiated a graduate student colloquium series. We host a tenure-track faculty writing group. We support postdoctoral fellows through colloquia and one-on-one mentoring.

Research related to Inclusion and Social Justice. The Department is united in its focus diversity, inclusion, and social inequality. A description of faculty research projects can be found on each faculty member's website.