2022 – 2023 Diversity and Inclusion Faculty Fellows
The Diversity & Inclusion Faculty Fellows (DIFF) program reflects actualization of the university’s vision for diversity by providing support to selected faculty members as they:
- Develop curricular practices to support inclusive and diverse classroom environments.
- Develop and/or redesign courses for major or core curriculum.
- Develop and/ or continue scholarly work.
- Develop scholar-practitioner collaborations.
- Create opportunities for on-going mentorship.
- Identify areas of potential collaboration to enhance diversity and inclusion.
We are pleased to announce the 2022 – 2023 cohort of Diversity and Inclusion Faculty Fellows:
Prof. Thomas Carpino, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Biological Sciences, Fisher College of Science & Mathematics
Project: Pathways to Explore Sexual and Gender Diversity within Towson University’s Department of Biological Sciences. This newly developed course will provide students with an opportunity to learn sexual and gender diversity from a biological perspective and to build a fundamental understanding of how biological factors (genetic, gonadal, physiologic, phenotypic) influence gender expression and sexual orientation.
Prof. Kanika Jackson, Lecturer, Department of Communication Studies, College of Fine Arts & Communication
Project: Redesigning Communication and Pop Culture (COMM 368) Course with a Focus on Social Media and Multiculturalism. This course will be redesigned to emphasize the ways multiculturalism (races, socioeconomic statuses, religions, gender identities, and national origin) is communicated via social media platforms (such as pictures, videos, memes, gifs, and reels) and the impact on society.
Dr. Emily Kaufman, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography & Environmental Planning, College of Liberal Arts
Project: Embodied Inclusivity in the Classroom and Beyond. This project will focus on creating teaching practices, materials, and toolkits to increase inclusive practices and policies in the classroom and across campus regarding caregiving considerations (for children and others) and bathroom use.
Dr. Staci Rensch, Lecturer, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, College of Liberal Arts
Project: Building Cultural Competence into the Deaf Studies Program. This project will create a new resource toolkit for the Deaf Studies (DFST) program updating information reflecting the diversity and intersectionality of the Deaf culture and the Deaf community for incorporation in courses offered by the DFST program.
Dr. Bethany Rice, Assistant Professor, Department of Elementary Education, College of Education
Project: Metacognition and Multiple Literacies: Enhancing Inclusive Reading Assessment & Instruction. This project will create a new assessment tool that will allow classroom teachers and reading specialists to gather diverse information about their students as learners, then use this information to plan and assess learning over time based on identified needs and specific outcomes.
Dr. Luciana Zuest, Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology, College of Health Professions
Project: Evaluation of a Health at Every Size® Intervention for Fitness Professionals
This project will implement and evaluate a Health at Every Size® -based intervention designed to (a) reduce fitness professionals’ anti-fat attitudes, (b) improve fitness professionals’ attitudes towards the relationship between health and weight, and (c) support fitness professionals in creating weight-inclusive climates within university recreational centers.
Categorised in: General
This post was written by Sumwalt, Jerri