Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice (DEIJ)

Overview

The experiences and worldviews of students, faculty, and staff at Northwestern University are changing and reflecting a shift in socio-demographics in the broader society and national discourse. The Searle Center stays at the forefront of educational development trends in higher education. We support University-wide initiatives for championing access, diversity, and belonging by cultivating inclusive environments in which students and instructors from all backgrounds can learn and teach in safe(r) and brave(r) ways. Our research is informed by critical pedagogical approaches, including culturally relevant, engaged, feminist, humanizing, Indigenous, queer, and trauma-informed approaches.

The Searle Center offers thought partnership and a variety of programs related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) across all focus areas, including assessment and pedagogy, course design and delivery, assessment and curricular change,  community and solidarity, high impact practices, and the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Demonstrating Our Commitment DEIJ

• We center diversity by valuing and relying on multiple and intersectional identities, cultures, traditions, ways of knowing, and professional roles. We intentionally cultivate collaborative partnerships and engage with multi-vocal evidence in our creation of resources and programming.
• We center equity by recognizing that people do not always have the same opportunities, resources, and needs. We intentionally create experiences and incentives that are accessible, beneficial, and meaningful to our diverse campus community.
• We center inclusion through our stewardship, dissemination, and application of the Northwestern Principles of Inclusive Teaching. In multiple modalities, we promote pedagogical practices that welcome students for who they are by integrating their lived experiences and fostering engagement, belonging, and learning for all students.
• We center justice through targeted and cross-departmental educational development initiatives to address institutional and structural factors that perpetuate inequitable experiences in our campus community. Justice also informs our commitment to closing educational equity gaps by freely sharing our educational resources with other centers for teaching and learning.

Programs

Our programs offer the Northwestern community a variety of ways to develop teaching skills, enhance student learning, and find community. The following programs are designed to spark your curiosity about DEIJ.

Learning & Teaching Guides

Guides created by or in collaboration with the Searle Center for educators and learners to explore and advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice with an emphasis on accountability.

• Northwestern Principles of Inclusive Teaching (2024)
• DEI Syllabus Statements (2023)
• Gender Expansive Guidelines for the University Classroom (2024)
• In Brief: Revealing the Hidden Curriculum of Our Courses (2024)
• Supporting First-Generation College Student Success (2023)

Explore our Open Educational Resources for in-depth, on-demand pedagogical development.

• Reimagining Assessment Practicum
• Universal Design for Learning Practicum

Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice (3rd ed.)

Adams, M. et al. (Eds.), 2016

Difficult Subjects: Insights and Strategies for Teaching about Race, Sexuality, and Gender

Ahad-Legardy, B., & Poon, O. A. (Eds.), 2018

Further Resources

Our current recommendations for both foundational and leading-edge content related to DEIJ.

• Álvarez, B. (2019). “Why Social Justice in School Matters.” National Education Association.
• Byron, K. (2017). From Infantilizing to World Making: Safe Spaces and Trigger Warnings on Campus. Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Science. 66, 1. 116-125.
• Consortium On Financing Higher Education. (2022 November). “President’s Book: The Changing Entering Cohort at COFHE Institutions.” COFHE Annual Meeting.
• Gay, G. (2010). Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice. 2nd ed. Multicultural Education Series (New York, N.Y.). New York: Teachers College.
• Knight, S. D. (2011). Using narrative to examine positionality: Powerful pedagogy in English education. English teaching: Practice and critique, 10(2), 49-64.
• Sensoy, Ö. & DiAngelo, R. (2012). Is Everybody Really Equal? An Introduction to Key Concepts in Social Justice Education. New York: Teachers College Press.

Awards & Grants

Northwestern University recognizes educators and researchers doing innovative work. The following list includes opportunities which we believe dovetail with work related to DEIJ.

• Daniel I. Linzer Award for Faculty Excellence in Diversity and Equity
• Harris Lecture Fund

Calendar of Events

Below are all of our upcoming events related to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice.

Contact Us

Reach out to us at teach@northwestern.edu.