Contemporary Issues in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

This module aims to explore contemporary manifestations of exclusion, and current issues in the field of equality, diversity and inclusion. Taking an intersectional approach, the module will explore major themes in areas such as ‘race’, gender and disability and how they are manifested in the contemporary world. Through an intersectional approach, learners will develop a critically informed collective environment in which to critique and explore contemporary manifestations of exclusion, and how they pertain to building a reflective equal, diverse, and inclusive individual practice as agents of transformation. Beginning with an exploration of intersectionality as a framework of understanding, the learners will examine key manifestations of exclusion using the lenses of ‘race’, gender, physical and mental differences, age, and class. There will also be an exploration of issues around language, communication, and the commodification of hate speech, as well as debates around the role of equity, decolonization, decisnormatization, and going beyond the human.

1. Demonstrate the importance of the intersectional approach as a tool to critique and analyse contemporary manifestations of exclusion, enabling the identification of critical issues in EDI in contemporary Ireland.

2. Critically analyse and reflect on their own and other’s identity formation, prejudices, and contexts, demonstrating openness to emergent issues.

3. Evaluate the significance of an intersectional understanding of contemporary manifestations of exclusion in the construction of a personal world view.

4. Develop an effective critique of the contemporary manifestations of supremacist ideologies, and their relationship to struggles for decolonization and decisnormatization.

5. Identify, define, design and co-create solutions for novel, complex, and emergent challenges in EDI.