2022-23 Diversity & Inclusion Certificate Program

NOTE: To earn a certificate, participants must complete the orientation course, six required core courses, two electives, and the capstone course (10 courses in total) within 2 years.

Individual courses are also open to those who are not pursuing a certificate.

Required core courses are offered at least twice per year (mandatory orientation + six core are required)

To earn a certificate, please review our Program Requirements and register for classes at the UC Learning Center. Individual courses are also open to those who are not pursuing a certificate.

Course Schedule

Course listings (above) can also be found on the UC Learning Center site.

Course Descriptions

Required courses are offered at least twice per year (mandatory orientation + six core are required). Elective courses are offered once per academic year.

Required Orientation and Capstone Seminar

Program Orientation: This required orientation will provide a general orientation to the DIversity and Inclusion certificate program and cover material which will serve as a foundation and introduction to the program as a whole. In particular we will analyze how power operates through policies, systems, and structures; and develop a historical context for understanding oppression, privilege, power, positionality, resistance, and social change. Participants will reflect on their own multiple identities within history and society and examine how power and privilege can hinder or support community building in the workplace. Participants will be given time to create individual goals and plan their DICP course of study to best address how they can promote equity and a sense of belonging in their work environment and within all campus communities.  For disability-related access needs, please email LearningCenter@ucsc.edu.

Program Capstone Seminar: This is a required course in the DICP. During this capstone, participants will give presentations focused on concepts and/or ideas they learned from the DICP courses, and how they have or will implement them in their work on campus.

Required Courses

American Indians 101: This is a course about American Indians in the United States. The course will be split into three sections: 1. Introduction to Indian Country, including review of the formation of the reservation system, information about tribal governments, treaties, tribal enrollment and land acknowledgements. 2. We will become familiar with the demographics of American Indians on our campus, discuss some of the challenges American Indians face today and how that affects the Native folks on our campus. 3. American indians in higher education, Native students at UCSC, Native faculty on campus and conclude with conversation about resources for ongoing learning and discussion.

Black Lives Matter in Higher Education:Colleges and universities have a history of exclusion of particular groups. Equity and inclusion efforts are much more recent projects. Drawing on literature about critical race theory and community cultural wealth, the presenter(s) will provide attendees with an overview of the history of higher education and the intersectional experiences of African American/Black & Caribbean (ABC) students. They will also share national, system-wide, and institutional data (quantitative and qualitative) for campus and recommendations based on the research on how best to make the institution a place where ABC folks can thrive.

Developing Social Justice Change Agents: How can you utilize your skills and experience to be a successful social justice change agent on campus? How can you role model behaviors that move us toward truly valuing inclusive excellence and equity? In what ways can you help your colleagues, unit, department and campus create a more respectful, equitable, and welcoming workplace? This hands-on, interactive course will explore the skills needed to become an effective change agent, including self-assessment and networking. Additionally, this course will examine the roles you can play at work, e.g., coaching, advocating, facilitating, etc., within and beyond your job, and develop individual action plans and support mechanisms for your work.

Disability 101: This course will provide a brief introduction into the models of disability that apply to disabled students, employees and the public. A brief description of the landmark Civil Rights Legislation will be provided (the Americans with Disabilities Act and amendments and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973) and disabled student voices will be represented. The course will introcude ways to be more inclusive of people with evident and non apparent disabilities. The concept of Universal Design (or inclusive design) will be introduced for further exploration. Participants will be more aware of disability-related impacts, psycho-social aspects of disability, environmental design barriers and the experiences of people with disabilities.

Queer & Trans Identities & Communities 101: This course will invite partiicpants to explore history, vocabulary and concepts in order to build a more inclusive campus climate and workpalce for LGBTQIA+ people. Participants will learn about various LGBTQIA+ groups, gain a sense of recent LGBTQIA+ history, and become familiar with LGBTQIA+ demographics at UC and beyond. After being introduced to some of the major challenges at LGBTQIA+ people have faced historically both in and outside of the workplace, participants with focus on LGBTQIA+ inclusion, discussing in-depth tools, strategies and ways to support LGBTQIA+ students, staff and faculty. Participants will also recieve information about UC's policies vis-a-vis LGBTQIA+ employees and students, together with resources for ongoing learning and discussion.

Race: A Brief History of an Idea: This course will explore the history of race as a concept. We will also spend time defining race in relation to a number of similar-soudning though distinct but nevertheless interconnected ideas like ethnicity, nation, genetics, "blood," and cluture. Along the way, we'll examine how complex and changing intergroup and intragroup racial hierarchies are materially reproduced through historically specific policies and practices. Finally, we'll examine the profound impact of racially segregated housing policy on broad patterns of US racial group inequality. 

Elective Courses

Challenging Islamophobia: Islamophobia and the irrational fear of Muslims dates back centuries, but over the last 15 years, it has become much more prevalent in our everyday lives. This presentation will highlight current events and how Islamophobia is perpetuated in the United States and the impact it has on the Muslim community and those perceived as Muslims.  Differences can be found in Muslim religious and cultural practices and in this course the audience will learn about the complexities of the Muslim identity and stereotypes. Other topics that will be addressed are current laws, government surveillance practices, immigration and hate crimes. A portion of the presentation will include a panel of UCSC students who will share their experiences of being Muslim at UCSC. This interactive presentation is aimed at increasing multicultural competence among attendees and developing ways to challenge Islamophobia in our everyday lives. 

Coming to Terms with Our Differences: The more diverse our work environment, the more we are called upon to work with people who are different from ourselves. People of different generational, cultural and class backgrounds often have different "norms." Add to these differences other factors such as temperament, style and values and the potential for conflict multiplies. This course will explore the relationship between diversity and conflict, and provide tools for building understanding and rapport.

Gender Bias and Gender Discrimination in the Workplace: In spite of multiple feminist movements and centuries of work on creating greater equality for women, gender bias still persists in society in the form of stubborn stereotypes and continuing inequalities. With motivations ranging from good intentions to overt hostility, gender-based discrimination is manifested through a range of behaviors, from subtle, unconscious individual acts to far-reaching, institutional forms of privilege and discrimination. This class will 1) use real life examples to show where and how gender bias persists today, 2) review methods and resources for identifying and understanding forms of bias and inequality, and 3) explore strategies for addressing and rectifying persistent inequalities.

Intersections Between Diversity & Environment: A core value at UCSC is our commitment to environmental sustainability, conservation, and a “green” ethic. It is such a foundational principle that it is assumed that all members of our campus community share the same understanding of sustainability, and that it is an unqualified good. This class/workshop/elective explores how certain forms of environmentalism, including those in the mainstream, have perpetuated discrimination and exclusion based on race, class, ethnicity, gender, place of origin, and other characteristics. We share the results of research conducted with undergraduates to highlight how these issues have manifested at UCSC and how they affect student success, sense of belonging, and retention. We also expand our discussion to include how low income, people of color disproportionately bear the brunt of environmental degradation, contamination, and scarcity. Finally, we discuss how our campus and larger community can be more environmentally just, from forms of communication and interaction, to curricular and co-curricular programs.

Sizeism and Anti-Fat Bias: An Introduction: This course will introduce the concepts of sizeism and anti-fat bias to participants through a variety of familiar contexts. We will define anti-fat bias, when and how it occurs, how it intersects with things like racis, sexism, heterosexism, and transphobia, and ways to challenge some of the assumptions it carries. The instructro will also provide resources for continuing education and points of reflection for continued self-growth and discovery.

Supporting Our International Students & Scholars: The purpose of this course is to expand participants’ intercultural knowledge and competence as it applies to the international population at UCSC, specifically focusing on international students and international scholars. Participants will explore the ways in which immigration status shapes the social, academic, and employment experiences of our international population. Through a presentation, interactive activities, and knowledge gained from guest speakers, this course aims to increase participants’ knowledge and skills by examining issues unique to these populations, identifying resources available on our campus, and providing practical skills participants can use when interacting with international students and scholars. 

The course has the following learning obejctives: increasing knkowledge about the international poopulation at UCSC; discussing the needs, challenges and strengths that are unique to these populations; exploring some theories of intercultrual development and cultural adjusment; learning communication techniques that are useful cross-culturally.

Understanding Religious Beliefs and Believers: Our country's religious landscape has changed dramatically over the last 50 years, especially in California. On the one hand our state has seen a dramatic rise in people who claim no religious affiliation. At the same time, there is more religious diversity present in California than ever before. This class will give an overview of the major religions with a presence in our area, present guidelines for understanding religious people, examine issues and tensions that might arise in the workplace, and discuss how to create a climate of respect between those of differing perspectives.

Undocumented Students: At UCSC and Beyond: This workshop will allow you to understand current University policy from admissions acceptance to graduating undocumented students on campus.  A brief history of legislation and policy will be reviewed. The focus of the workshop will be on the student developmental experience and the challenges and institutional barriers these students face that may be the same or different compared to documented students.  Using the work of various psychologists that define cultural competency and proficiency, strategies on student support inside and outside the classroom will be the main learning outcome of the workshop.