Overview
Creating diverse and inclusive workplaces is a competitive advantage and good for business. Workplaces that embrace diverse perspectives and make employees feel like part of a cohesive team thrive. However, managing an increasingly diverse workforce is challenging and is one of the most critical issues facing organizations today. Even so, we can change the environments in which we live, learn, and work and start to level the playing field and give everyone greater opportunity to succeed. Diversity, equity and inclusion can transform our world, and we have a moral responsibility to create positive outcomes for all.
This introductory level course focuses on the key areas that impact the adoption of diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in the workplace. Students will learn the theoretical and practical foundation needed to better understand how their own experiences shape their ability to lead across differences, how to influence others on the merits of diversity, equity and inclusion, and how to create inclusive organizational strategies, programs, and systems that benefit everyone.
Topics
- Week 1: Conceptualizing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
- Week 2: Frameworks for EDI Approaches Within Organizations
- Week 3: Legal Framework for EDI in Canada
- Week 4: Concepts of Identity and Difference
- Week 5: Bias, Stereotypes, Prejudice and Discrimination
- Week 6: Meritocracy, Privilege and Building EDI Competency
- Week 7: Inclusive Leadership
- Week 8: From Diversity to Inclusion
- Week 9: Designing for Inclusion
- Week 10: Global Benchmarks for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
- Week 11: Diversity and Inclusion in the Global Context
- Week 12: Inclusion and Innovation in Diverse and Inclusive organizations
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, the student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
- Describe the current perspectives/concepts on the relationship between diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace;
- Describe and identify legislation, policies, and core standards of equity and inclusion in human resource management and labour relations practices in Canadian workplaces;
- Examine and analyze the concept of identity, relationships across differences and bias, and equality of opportunity in organizations and how they relate to organizational issues or opportunity;
- Analyze and discuss, with a variety of stakeholders, how privilege, biases, and stereotypes influence opportunities and effectiveness in the workplace and how workplace-based issues are related to attaining fair and equitable workplace outcomes for individuals and employers;
- Examine the role of leadership in creating and sustaining workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion;
- Evaluate work cultures and identify practices that support and engage all employees, and recognize how human resources management and labour relations policies and practices can affect and determine equity outcomes; and
- Critically evaluate current practices used in companies and propose strategies to enhance workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Terms
Evaluation
25% - Reflexive journal entries (x3)
20% - Current Events: Two rounds of peer discussion (2 x 10%)  
10% - Midterm evaluation including MC questions and open questions
15% - Case Study (Individual submission)
30% - Proctored Final Exam
*Evaluation subject to change*
Exam Centre Location, Eligibility, and Fees
Students enrolled exclusively in online courses may choose one of two options to write this course's proctored assessments:
You may choose to write the assessments online under supervision of an online proctoring service. A $100 fee will be charged to your SOLUS account. This fee is known as the Off Campus Exam Admin Fee and is applied in SOLUS at the earlier of: term tuition posting date, or the date at which exam writing method is changed to online. The fee is assessed once per ASO course with proctored assessments.
You may choose to write the assessments in-person on ÷ÈÓ°Ö±²¥ campus in Kingston at no additional charge.
Students enrolled in at least one on-campus course are expected to write this course's proctored assessments on-campus during the scheduled exam time. They will not be permitted to write this course's proctored assessments online.
Students were prompted to indicate their preferred exam writing method when enrolling in the course in SOLUS. The exam writing method may be changed by contacting the ASO Exams Team at aso.exams@queensu.ca.
Information for students writing online assessments
Selected assessments in this course will be administered in onQ using online proctoring provided by a third-party, cloud-based service. This proctoring solution was chosen to support our efforts in maintaining academic integrity when online proctoring is required. ÷ÈÓ°Ö±²¥ has conducted an extensive privacy and security review of the service and has entered into a binding agreement with terms that address the appropriate collection, use and disclosure of personal information in accordance with Ontario's privacy legislation. To learn more about online proctoring, please see the information provided by the Office of the University Registrar.
If you registered to write online with the service, all information pertaining to the technical requirements and preparation for writing online will be posted in onQ well in advance of your exam.
The use of the service as described is unique to courses offered by the Faculty of Arts and Science Online. Other Faculties use online proctoring solutions in different ways under different regulations. Students should contact the appropriate Faculty examination team if they have questions.
Timing of Final Examinations
The exam period dates for each Term are listed on the Faculty of Arts and Science webpage under "Important Dates". Student exam schedules for the Fall Term are posted to SOLUS immediately prior to the Thanksgiving holiday; for the Winter Term they are posted on the Friday before Reading Week, and for the Summer Term they are individually noted on the Arts and Science Online syllabi. Students should not make any travel plans until after the examination schedule has been posted. Exams will not be moved or deferred to accommodate employment, travel/holiday plans or flight reservations. Students experiencing extenuating circumstances preventing them from writing their exams as scheduled should review the information about the Academic Consideration process.
Textbook and Materials
All course readings, podcasts and videos will be available to you electronically via the course site.
Time Commitment
Students can expect to spend approximately 10 hours a week (120 hours per term) in study, listening and online activity for this course.