HDEV 2201: Discovery: Fitting into a World of Difference

Course Description

This two-credit hour course is a seminar-style journey for students to learn more about their own identity and how they fit in to the communities of which they are a part.  Through experiential activities, group discussions, reflection papers and journals, presentations and readings, students will analyze their own development, develop their cultural competency, and broaden their understanding.  The course was designed to meet a student’s need for diversity education and exploration of the themes of identity and identity development.  Its experiential format and seminar style make this a unique learning environment well suited to the often challenging study and discussion of human identity issues.  Through different activities and simulations, students will share aspects of their own identity as they learn about others.  The experiential activities are supported by outside readings and theory.  Topics will include: Elements of Oppression, Cycle of Socialization, Identity Development Models, Privilege, Race, Sex, Gender, Sexuality, Ability, Ethnicity, Class, and Faith.

Instructor Biographies

Karen L. Click serves SMU as the Director of the Women’s Center for Gender and Pride Initiatives.  This is Karen’s 13th year at SMU.  She began her SMU career in Multicultural Student Affairs, working both with the Asian American community and creating Diversity Education initiatives for the campus.  Karen earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Cultural Anthropology at the University of Kentucky and her Master’s Degree in Cultural Anthropology at The Ohio State University.  From her education through her career, Karen has focused on understanding human identity and cultural experience.

Dawn F. Norris is the SMU Director of Student Activities where she has responsibility for student organizations, involvement initiatives and advises a campus programming board.  This is Dawn’s 13th year at SMU.  Dawn has worked in Residence Life & Student Housing, with Program Services in Development and as the Director of Student Activities & Multicultural Student Affairs.  In this role, Dawn was responsible for support services for multicultural students and diversity education.  Dawn received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Centenary College of Louisiana and her Master of Science in Education from the University of Dayton. 

Learning Outcomes and Benefits

Students will be able to:

• Explain basic issues related to race, ethnicity, gender, or to societies in the developing world
• Demonstrate an understanding of the historical, cultural, social, or political conditions of identity formation and function in human society, including the ways in which these conditions influence individual or group status, treatment, or accomplishments
• Analyze and evaluate their intellectual, spiritual, social, cultural, moral, and emotional development by illustrating the cycles of socialization theory; by mapping identity development and applying development models to an individual’s journey; and by evaluating their personal progress in understanding how identity is developed and connects to (fits into) a society
• Demonstrate knowledge of cultural competency and identity by identifying the key elements of systematic oppression; by analyzing case studies of current social conflicts and deconstructing specific identity issues contributing to the conflict; and through written reflection describing how various experiences and perspectives in the classroom connect to their sense of identity
• Engage with their peers and the community to broaden their lens of understanding by participating in classroom experiential learning activities; by meeting and networking with leaders in the Dallas community that advocate for different aspects of identity; and by facilitating a final class for their peers and demonstrating their understanding of identity development models through experiential learning