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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

students in baxter lecture hall

The Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences aspires to be a diverse community that welcomes, includes, and respects people from all walks of life. We recognize diversity as not just an ideal but a practice, one that requires all members of the division to be purposeful in bringing together people with a variety of identities, experiences, and perspectives. In HSS, diversity means welcoming non-white members (Black, Latin(x)/Hispanic, Asian, Indigenous, and immigrant), women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, first-generation scholars, and people from a variety of socioeconomic positions. In a country with a long history of racial injustice and discrimination, practicing diversity also involves a conscious recognition of the enduring impact of the past and the ways that past inflects our present working environment.

The practice of diversity encompasses how and what we teach. We are committed to pedagogy that engages, motivates, and supports students from all backgrounds and reflects the full range of methods and materials in our fields of study.

Inclusion is more than just an openness to diversity. It requires that we all commit to replacing a passive mode of openness with an active pursuit of difference. Inclusion means creating an environment where members of a diverse community can engage in challenging dialogue with one another and are supported in their efforts to do so. It also means creating and sustaining conditions that allow everyone, including the most marginalized, to do their best work possible.

students sitting on the lawn in front of dabney

HSS Activities

  • The HSS Classroom Collaborative sessions are designed to help our instructors share ideas, research, and successful classroom practices in an informal environment. The first iteration centered on grading in the wake of the pandemic with an eye towards changing practices for the future. Past events in this series can be found here.
  • Under the HSS Distinguished Visitor Program, HSS graduate students, postdocs, and faculty may invite scholars to Caltech who are underrepresented in our disciplines to collaborate on research, meet students and colleagues, and share work. Proposals will be accepted by the HSS DEI committee chair(s) throughout the academic year.
  • The Chen Institute Women in Neuroscience aims to support the careers and education of women in neuroscience through invited talks, networking and career development opportunities, recruitment efforts, and advocacy for an improved campus climate.

Reporting

To report a concern regarding equity, harassment, misconduct, or discrimination with the Title IX office, please use this form.