Diversity and Inclusion

In his often cited essay, “The Formation of In-Groups,” Gordon Allport offers his theory on how the groups with which one identifies directly influence the development of one’s individual identity. An “in-group” is a group where members share common traits such as societal status, religion, values or sexual orientation. All the members are alike in some way and that similarity unites them as a group. Allport suggests that one belongs to many in-groups throughout his or her lifetime. Individuals are born into some in-groups, such as one’s family, race or socio-economic level; this Allport terms as an “ascribed status”. People also obtain “achieved status” in a group such as one’s circle

According to the Equality and Human Rights Commission First Triennial Review 2010 “The Equality Act 2010 complements and builds on the provisions of the Equality Act 2006, which itself strengthened several aspects of discrimination law and set out the roles and responsibilities of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.”

A fundamental part of human existence and interaction is the notion of belonging or identifying with a group. Groups form and exist for various reasons and purposes, comprising of individuals similar or diverse in nature, that often work together toward a common goal (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014). In 1902, the American sociologist by the name of C. H. Cooley, made distinction between primary and secondary groups. Cooley (1902) classified primary group to have intimate and comparatively permanent associations as one might find in a cohort of close friends, or a family. The groups or associations in which individuals related to each other through formal and often legalistic rules, were classified as secondary groups (Nolen, 2010).

[1.1].In your setting, there is a range of policies which formally sets out guidelines and procedures for ensuring equality. The policies must take into account the rights of all individuals and groups within the school as well as considering the ways policies work to ensure equality, inclusion. Policies also pay regards to the values and practice, which are part of all aspect of school life.

Diversity means different individuals valuing each other regardless of intellect, age, disability race or religion.

Diversity means difference as everyone is very different no one is the same, for example twins may be identical but be totally different and have different interests and different stages off development.

Diversity means differences and variations, within in people for example different races, beliefs, physical appearances, age, capabilities, customs and gender and class.

Being identified with a group can shape one’s thoughts on theirself, and what is expected of them within their society. Some things that in one’s mind seem so normal and expected may be far from

As described in our reading this week, I am a member of several cultural groups (Swanson, 2014). I believe my majority group would be a person living in the United States of America. My racial or ethnic group would be Mexican American, Middle Eastern, and white. My family culture is that of hardworking, resourcefulness and adaptability, my family always expresses self-sufficiency and education. Gender, I am female. My core values are those of science, education and exploration.

Cultural diversity, or multiculturalism, is based on the idea that cultural identities should not be discarded or ignored, but rather maintained and valued. The foundation of this belief is that every culture and race has made a substantial contribution to American history. However, many people remain opposed to the idea of multiculturalism, or cultural diversity awareness, while others often support it and yet have no clear idea of how it should be taught. The diversity of the United States is truly astounding, as many different ethnic and racial groups have contributed to the social,

Social identity theory is a person’s sense of who they are based on their group membership(s) (Harwood, 2007). “In social identity theory and identity theory, the self is reflexive in that it can take itself as an object and can categorize, classify, or name itself in particular ways in relation to other social categories or classification” (Stets & Burke, 2000). The social identity theory has been known to let individuals find their own niche and group that they want to belong to. This could include what the individuals are active in or involved in. Research has also found that the groups that they classify themselves in can cause the participants to look down upon other groups that they are not involved in (Harwood, 2007). Negative attitudes are more of a complex issue, but interesting ideas come from explanations that emerge for social identity theory (Harwood,

In the United States, people use to classify Native Americans, African-Americans and European-Americans, as belonging to different races. For nearly three centuries, the criteria for membership in these groups were similar, comprising a person's appearance, his fraction of known non-White ancestry, and his social circle. But the criteria for membership

I believe that "Diversity" plays important roles in our lives. Without diversity, we cannot widen our field of view. Diversity helps us to open up our eyes and our world. From reading the essay "How diversity makes us smarter", written by Katherine W Phillips, I learned that there are some negative effects brought up by the social diversity where dialog of inclusion is advanced, but mostly diversity is something that has positive effect in our society and even individual. I could also reflect and make connection with my experience of moving from non diverse community to diverse community.

As people who live in today’s society, it has become a social norm for us to divide things into categories. We enjoy grouping and separating things depending on their similarities and differences. We have made a pastime out of juxtaposing and dissecting all that an individual ‘carries’ with them. Be it the physical, the emotional, or even the subconscious. People are consistently categorized into groups, which include social categories, gender categories, political categories and many more. People are also grouped depending on their likes and interests. Whether they prefer cats to dogs, or pop music to country music, everything has developed a label, so to speak. Such categorizing makes people feel as if they belong to something. It can also make a person feel safe when they know what group they belong to. It could allow for easier communication between individuals of the same group. What we do not realize as a society is that grouping and categorizing individuals creates a hierarchy that puts many people at a disadvantage. That is the message that both Peggy McIntosh and Judith Lorber are trying to convey in their essays about gender and race hierarchies. I agree with both of McIntosh and Lorber’s essays. I think that this is a problem that should be solved and that we, as a society should face together.

I find that the concepts of diversity, inclusion and social justice to be important because they build on each other and have the power to change the world. When all of these aspects work together and are acknowledged then we are able to work toward changing social norms and creating aspects in society that are focused on equity, rather than equality. Of course, social justice should be the goal that we as individuals want to achieve in liberating areas of our that have limited and restrained others. I connect diversity and appreciating diversity with being the foundation to this equation of equality because individuals need to understand that there will be differences between people. I enjoy the statement on, “… Who is in the room?” because it starts to explain the variations in personal characteristics within a group of people. This is going to be part of my position as an RA within Resident Life because a floor’s residence are going to have wide range in their own diversities through their age, sexual orientation, journeys to get to college, race and ethnicity, etc. I am proud to have experienced the things I have and lived and go to high school in such a place like Aurora, CO to where I was able to live and embrace a diverse community. I came to define this diversity to be normal, but coming up to CSU and Fort Collins has shown me how much of Colorado does not have the same kind of standards. The next support beam to building this idea that works toward social would be