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OBJECTIVES
To define diversity, the primary and secondary dimensions of diversity, and diversity
management;
To understand the demographic changes occurring in today’s workforce;
To understand the meaning and application of the four diversity management paradigms;
To grapple with the strengths and weaknesses of the business case for diversity;
To expand individual understanding and critical thinking regarding diversity;
To identify best practices for managing diversity in the workplace;
To act as diversity consultants by developing a strategic diversity management plan for a
local organization;
To examine business cases of companies that represent both effective and ineffective
diversity management practices; and
To enhance your facilitation, public speaking, interpersonal, and writing skills.
We will explore issues both conceptually and experientially. Specific topics will include
understanding differences such as gender, race, national origin, age, religion and spirituality,
disabilities, and sexual orientation.
REQUIRED TEXT
Analytical thinking and integration are important elements of the educational process. To
maximize your learning, you are expected to read and process materials on your own as well as
in class.
Cañas, Kathryn and Harris Sondak. 2014. Opportunities and Challenges of Workplace Diversity:
PEDAGOGICAL PHILOSOPHY [insert your pedagogical philosophy here]
My pedagogical philosophy is based on the significance of dialogue in the classroom. In other
words, through the conversations and discussions that we have in the classroom, knowledge is
created. Within this pedagogical framework, the creation of a safe space is critical; students
should feel comfortable articulating their opinions. If your opinion challenges or differs from that
of your instructor and/ classmates, please feel free to express it—without such freedom it is
impossible to create a learning community. In addition, I want to make you aware that some of
the topics that we discuss during the semester may make you feel uncomfortable; it is often at
these moments when learning occurs.
Throughout the semester, I will incorporate a variety of teaching tools: film clips, discussion,
activities, guest speakers, team building, etc. Being absent, late to class, and failing to work
effectively with your team will negatively affect your grade. In addition, in order to pass the
course, students must turn in all assignments. During the semester, if you believe that you have
been graded unfairly, I invite you to discuss your concerns with me. My policy for this is for you
to write a petition (one or two paragraphs) for why you deserve a higher grade.
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UNIVERSITY OF UTAH POLICIES [insert your school policies here]
Student Absences
Excused Absences: Students absent from class to participate in officially sanctioned University
activity (e.g., band, debate, student government, intercollegiate athletics) or religious obligation,
or with instructor’s approval, shall be permitted to make up both assignments and examinations.
The University expects its departments and programs that take students away from class
meetings to schedule such events in a way that will minimize hindrance of the student’s orderly
completion of course requirements. Such units must provide a written statement to the students
describing the activity and stating as precisely as possible the dates of the required absence. The
involved students must deliver this documentation to their instructors, preferably before the
absence but in no event later than one week after the absence. (PPM 9-7 Sec 15)
The Americans with Disability Act
The David Eccles School of Business seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services, and
activities for people with disabilities. If you will need accommodations in this class, reasonable
prior notice needs to be given to the instructor and to the Center for Disability Services
(http://disability.utah.edu/) 160 Olpin Union Building, 581-5020 (V/TDD) to make arrangements
for accommodations. All written information in this course can be made available in an
alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability Services.
Scholastic Behavior
All students are expected to uphold standards of academic honesty. Failure to do so (plagiarism,
cheating, etc.) may result in: failure of the assignment, failure of or expulsion from the class, or
expulsion from the University.
According to the “Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities,” Section 1 General Provisions and
Definitions, “Academic misconduct” includes, but is not limited to, cheating, misrepresenting
one’s work, inappropriately collaborating, plagiarism, and fabrication or falsification of
information. It also includes facilitating academic misconduct by intentionally helping or
attempting to help another to commit an act of academic misconduct.
Grading Policy
A – Excellent Performance/Superior Achievement
An A student is one who understands the content and learning objectives thoroughly, completely,
and accurately, and can demonstrate that understanding in a number of ways. Such a student
will have done exceptionally well on assignments, exams, and class projects, and will have
participated extensively in class discussion by asking good questions and contributing
constructive thoughts. An A student will also have demonstrated a strong interest in the learning
process by contributing to a constructive class environment and to the learning success of his or
her fellow students.
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B – Good Performance/Substantial Achievement
A B student is one who has demonstrated a relatively high level of mastery of the content and
learning objectives of the course. A B student will have done very well on assignments, exams,
and class projects, and will have participated constructively in class discussion. A B student will
have demonstrated a positive attitude toward the learning process and made a positive
contribution to the learning environment of the class.
C – Standard Performance and Achievement
A C student will have demonstrated a reasonable level of mastery of the content and learning
objectives of the course. A C student will have completed assignments and demonstrated a
reasonable grasp of requisite knowledge on exams and class projects. A C student will have
demonstrated a reasonable level of commitment to the learning process and made a positive
contribution to the learning environment of the class.
D – Substandard Performance/Marginal Achievement
A D student will have demonstrated some level of mastery of the content and learning objectives
of the course, but less than that desired to serve as a basis for future endeavor. A D student will
not have completed all assignments in a satisfactory manner, nor demonstrated more than a
partial grasp of requisite knowledge on exams and class projects. A D student will have
demonstrated only some commitment to the learning process and made only a marginal
contribution to the learning environment of the class.
E – Unsatisfactory Performance and Achievement
An E student has failed to demonstrate any significant mastery of the content and learning
objectives of the course. An E student will not have completed all assignments in a satisfactory
manner, nor demonstrated any significant grasp of the requisite knowledge on exams and class
projects. An E student will have failed to demonstrate any significant level of commitment to the
learning process, nor made any positive contribution to the learning environment of the class.
Laptops and Cell Phones
There are no laptops or cell phones allowed in class unless you are instructed by your professor
to take them out, specifically to use them for an exercise. The laptop may be used only with an
electronic copy of the textbook.
REQUIREMENTS
Class Participation
o Diversity Current Events Report 5%
o Drafts of Individual Papers 5%
o Attendance and In-class Discussion 10%
Team Facilitation of Case Study 10%
Diversity Journal 10%
Individual Paper 1 10%
Individual Paper 2 15%
Final Team Presentation, “The Diversity Consulting Team” 15%
Final Team Paper, “The Diversity Consulting Team” 20%
________________
100%
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COURSE CALENDAR
Note: The reading listed on a particular day is DUE on that day.
WEEK 1 INTRODUCTIONS AND DEFINITION OF DIVERSITY
Date ▪ Introduction to course and to each other
▪ Detailed discussion of syllabus & assignments
▪ Define diversity using the “Diversity Wheel” framework (on p. 9)
▪ Reading: Introduction/Preface (p. x-xv)
▪ Exercise: Your Pie Chart (p. 275)
WEEK 2 THEORETICAL UNDERPINNINGS OF DIVERSITY
Date ▪ Reading: Diversity in the Workplace: A Theoretical and Pedagogical
Perspective (p. 2-25)
▪ Exercises: Diversity Questionnaire
▪ Review Final Team Project (p. 301-304) and form teams
WEEK 3 NO CLASS
Date Labor Day
WEEK 4 LEGAL UNDERPINNINGS OF DIVERSITY
Date ▪ Reading: Diversity in the Workplace: A Legal Perspective (p. 26-44)
▪ Guest Speaker: OEO Officer from the University of Utah
▪ Exercise: What Constitutes Sexual Harassment? (p. 290)
WEEK 5 AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT
Date ▪ Reading: (1) An Integrated Approach to Managing Diversity in
Organizations; (2) Exemplary Diversity Leaders and Organizations; (3)
Case Study: Diversity as Strategy: IBM and the Leadership of Louis
Gerstner (p. 65-86)
▪ Writing Workshop
▪ Bring in draft of Paper One for peer review
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WEEK 6 PAPER DEADLINE & WORK ON FINAL TEAM PROJECT
Date ▪ Paper One is Due
▪ Work on Final Team Project
▪ Exercise: Analysis of Mini Diversity Management Cases
WEEK 7 GENDER & THE WORKPLACE
Date ▪ Reading: (1) Off-Ramps and On-Ramps (p. 90-101); (2) Augusta Case (p.
102-109)
▪ Work in Teams: Discussion Questions
▪ Case Facilitation Team #1: Augusta National Golf Club
▪ Exercise: Masculine and Feminine Speaking Styles
WEEK 8 NO CLASS
Date ▪ Fall Break
WEEK 9 RACE, NATIONAL ORIGIN, & THE WORKPLACE
Date ▪ Reading: (1) The Truth about Mentoring Minorities (p. 118-123); (2)
A&F Case & Response (p.123-131); (3) Case: Making the Cut or On the
Ropes: A Play by Play Analysis of Diversity and Sports (p. 131-141)
Denny’s Case (p.146-152)
▪ Work in Teams: Discussion Questions
▪ Case Facilitation Team #2: The Classic Look of Discrimination:
Abercrombie & Fitch’s Struggle to Manage Diversity
▪ Case Facilitation Team #3: Denny’s Restaurants
▪ Exercises: Diversity and Sports: An Examination of the NFL, NASCAR,
NHL, PGA, and NBA
{The Diversity and Sports Case can be substituted for Denny’s; the Texaco case is another option}
WEEK 10 AGE & THE WORKPLACE
Date ▪ Reading: (1) It’s Time to Retire Retirement (p. 168-176); (2) The
Changing Landscape of Work (p. 177-186); (3) Ford Case (p. 189-198)
▪ Work in Teams: Discussion Questions
▪ Case Facilitation Team #4: Asleep at the Wheel: Ford Motor
Company’s Exclusion of the Older Worker
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WEEK 11 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY, & THE WORKPLACE
Date ▪ Reading: (1) Taking Religion to Work (p. 200-209); (2) Spirituality in the
Workplace (p. 209-212); (3) Case: Tom’s of Maine (p. 213-222)
▪ Work in Teams: Discussion Questions
▪ Case Facilitation Team #5: Purity of Spirit: Tom’s of Maine
▪ Exercise: Religion and Spirituality—What Could be Happening Here?
▪ Exercise: Religion and the Workplace: A Brainstorming Activity
WEEK 12 SEXUAL IDENTITY & THE WORKPLACE
Date ▪ Reading: (1) Selections from Straight Talk about Gays in the Workplace (p.
224-231); (2) Case: Nike and the LGBT Community (p. 231-233)
(3) Cracker Barrel Case (p. 234-238); (4) Transgender Case: When Steve
Becomes Stephanie (p. 240-247)
▪ Guest Panel: Students from the LGBT Resource Center; Business
Executive from the LGBT Community
▪ Work in Teams: Discussion Questions
▪ Case Facilitation Team #6: The Cracker Barrel Restaurants
▪ Exercise: Short Case Study Analysis: When Steve Becomes Stephanie
▪ Exercise: Analyzing Nike’s Branding and Outreach to the LGBT
Community (p. 291)
▪ Exercise: 10 Question Assessment: Does Your Organization Represent a
Workplace with Equal Opportunities for LGBT Employees? (p. 295-296)
WEEK 13 DISABILITIES & THE WORKPLACE
Date ▪ Reading: (1) Counting on Workers with Disabilities (p. 251-256);
(2) Disabilities Case—Perfect Storm (p. 262-272)
▪ Guest Speaker: Disabilities and the Workplace
▪ Work in Teams: Discussion Questions
▪ Case Facilitation Team #7: In the Eye of the Perfect Storm: Creating
Accessibility—IBM, GM, and CISCO
▪ Exercise: The Ten Commandments of Interacting with People
with Disabilities (p. 292-293)
WEEK 14 WRITING WORKSHOP & WORK ON FINAL PROJECT
Date ▪ Writing Workshop
▪ Bring in draft of Paper Two for peer review
▪ Work on Final Team Project
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WEEK 15 PAPER DEADLINE & WORK IN TEAMS
Date ▪ Paper Two is Due
▪ Team Presentations: “The Diversity Consulting Team”
▪ Team Papers: “The Diversity Consulting Team”
WEEK 16 DEADLINE FOR TEAM PRESENTATIONS & PAPERS
Date ▪ Team Presentations: “The Diversity Consulting Team”
▪ Team Papers: “The Diversity Consulting Team”
[DIVERSITY CURRENT EVENT]
As a way to maintain a dynamic classroom, I begin each class with a Diversity Current Event.
This is an informal five-minute presentation in which the student stands in front of the class and
describes a current event related to diversity—it can be in the realm of business, politics, pop
culture, music, film, religion, sports, and so forth. The student summarizes the current event in
his/her own words, mentions how it relates to class, and then fields any related questions.
Typically, one of my main assignments is the 10-Entry Diversity Journal, so I tell them that the
Diversity Current Event can also function as one of the journal entries.
[GUEST SPEAKERS]
Guest speakers who are experts in diversity management, from either a management or legal
perspective, are incredibly helpful in a diversity management course. If you are not an expert on
the legal aspects of diversity management, it is important for you to locate an expert—such as an
attorney or human resource specialist—who works at your university or in your community and
who is able to shed light on the legal aspects of diversity in the workplace.
An EEO Officer from your University, for example, can explicate complicated legalities of
diversity management (i.e. the protected classes, sexual harassment, and the Americans with
Disabilities Act). Trust us, the ADAAA is really complicated! If your university has a Vice
President of Diversity, you could invite him or her to speak on the general role that diversity
plays at your university, the diversity management initiatives that your university has
implemented, your university’s vision for diversity, and so forth.
In addition, if your university has a Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender (GLBT) Resource Center
on campus, you could contact someone from this program to speak on GLBT issues in the
workplace. Hearing personal experiences of being discriminated against in the workplace as a
member of the GLBT community or as a GLBT ally has created powerful learning moments for
many of my students. Further, members of the GLBT community have proven excellent sources
for describing innovative diversity management initiatives. This year I invited an executive from
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the LGBT community to speak, and he helped the students understand how to create an inclusive
work environment for GLBT employees. Further, he described effective diversity training,
specifically in regard to GLBT issues.
Perhaps one of the most impactful guest speakers you could have in class is an expert on people
with disabilities in the workplace, especially someone who has a disability and is willing to share
his or her personal experiences. One of our guest speakers, Stan, tells his story of becoming
disabled and then having to finish school and enter the workplace—all within a year. He
describes, in detail, the challenges he faced when applying and interviewing for specific jobs and
then accepting and maintaining his position. My students are captivated by his personal story,
expertise on disabilities in the workplace, and advice for effectively managing people with
disabilities. Such guest speakers help to break down the negative stereotypes of people with
disabilities as angry and lazy; they open their audience members to the benefits of hiring a
person with a disability.
[FACILITATION]
Student Case Facilitations
Facilitation is one of the most effective pedagogical strategies for creating student understanding.
As noted in the syllabi, we suggest that the students facilitate the case studies in teams. By
teaching the material themselves, they become experts on that particular topic. We allow our
students to use the Power Point slides for each case study that accompany this Instructor’s
Manual when they facilitate the cases; some of the students choose to change a few of the slides
or add a few more slides. In facilitations, Power Point slides become less important because the
focus is on creating dialogue.
When evaluated, we examine how effectively the students accomplish the following:
Opened with a question, controversy, common experience
Used specifics and examples throughout; covered main points
Integrated summaries when appropriate; paraphrased effectively
Used visuals to enhance learning
Asked thought-provoking questions and effectively handled arguments
Created a safe space in which students participated
Maintained student interest throughout
Appeared confident and enthusiastic
Instructor Case Facilitations
If you choose to teach/facilitate the case studies, we have included in the Instructors Manual two
pedagogical tools to help you to design your lesson plan: teaching notes and Power Point slides
for each case study. Here is a simple feedback sheet that you may want to use.
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Feedback Sheet: Case Facilitation
Managing Diversity in Organizations
Opened w/ a question,
1 controversy, common
experience
Used specifics &
2 examples throughout;
covered main points
Integrated summaries
3 when appropriate;
paraphrased effectively
Used visuals to enhance
4 learning
Asked thought-provoking
5 questions & effectively
handled arguments
Created a safe space
6 in which students
participated
Maintained student
7 interest throughout
8 Appeared confident &
enthusiastic
Final Grade/Comments:
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[FINAL TEAM PROJECT: “The Diversity Consulting Team”]
Final Team Paper: “The Diversity Consulting Team”
We have included a detailed description of the final team project, “The Diversity Consulting
Team,” in Chapter 13 (page 301) of the textbook. The description of this assignment is followed
by three research tools, “Nine Symptoms that May Indicate a Need for Diversity Training,”
“Managing Diversity Questionnaire,” and “Asking Good Questions” that will help your students
craft more effective survey and interview questions.
Final Team Presentation: “The Diversity Consulting Team”
The final team presentation differs from the team facilitation in a number of ways. First, the final
presentation is more formal and structured. The students must approach the presentation as if
they were actually presenting to the company in which they researched. Second, while the
facilitation is based on audience interaction and asking good questions, the presentation is more
speaker focused. The students may ask their audience a few questions, but, for the most part, the
team members communicate the majority of the information. What follows is a version of a
critique sheet for the final team presentation that you might find helpful when grading and
providing feedback to your students
Keep in mind that a member or members from the organization that is being examined for the
team project might request to see the presentation. There are times when my students present
both in the classroom and in the actual organization. And, there are times when executives come
to class to watch—this always makes the students a bit nervous, but it is an excellent learning
experience for them.