Diversity & Inclusion
Diversity is “the sum of the ways that people are both alike and different” and includes “race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, language, culture, religion, mental and physical ability, class, and immigration status.” [1] As a department, we believe that a diverse community in which varied perspectives and identities are represented and included is a community that supports excellent teaching and scholarship. Moreover, conversations about diversity should recognize the importance of these many dimensions, especially in a globalizing world.
At the same time, we believe it is particularly vital to pay attention to the way in which these dimensions intersect with, and have real implications for, inclusion and marginalization, empowerment, and subjugation, in particular historical and institutional contexts. As scholars of politics and international affairs, the study of structured inequalities is a central aspect of our discipline’s intellectual endeavor. We intentionally examine the many forms these inequalities take, we acknowledge group-based differences in power and opportunity, and we identify the formal and informal institutions that perpetuate or challenge exclusion and marginalization. We believe that it is incumbent upon us to aim that analytic lens at universities as well as the broader political context in which they are embedded.
We are committed to fostering diversity and promoting a culture of inclusion at Wake Forest University and within our department through both our teaching and our scholarship. Doing this requires “active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity—in the curriculum, in the co-curriculum, and in communities (intellectual, social, cultural, geographical) with which individuals might connect—in ways that increase awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication, and empathic understanding of the complex ways individuals interact within systems and institutions.” [2]
The Diversity and Inclusion Action Committee
To ensure that the Department of Politics and International Affairs is continually doing the work necessary to foster diversity and achieve an inclusive climate, a committee of the faculty is charged each year with leading and communicating about department initiatives. Students, faculty, and staff with comments, questions, or concerns related to this work should feel free to contact the department’s Academic Coordinator.
Marie Isaacs, Academic Coordinator, isaacsmw@wfu.edu
[2] American Association of Colleges and Universities, “Making Excellence Inclusive,”