Philosophy

Our Statement of Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We are dedicated to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in our department among our faculty, students, and staff, both inside and outside the classroom. The scope of diversity includes but is not limited to socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, religion, age, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, nationality or place of origin, disability, and unique work or life experience. Our goal is to provide everyone with an equal opportunity to succeed by fostering an environment free of discrimination with respect to such areas of human difference, and to reflect the diversity of our community. We regard diversity in ideas and perspectives as essential to philosophical inquiry and to the future of the discipline itself.

What We Are Doing

Here are some of the things we are doing to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in our department.

The Undergraduate Program:

• We are offering a broad undergraduate curriculum, including regular courses on the philosophy of race and gender. Recent offerings include Feminist Philosophy and Race and Philosophy.
• We encourage and provide resources for faculty for the diversification of syllabi to include more reading assignments from women and racial minorities.
• We are working with the Undergraduate Philosophy Society to offer social events that make a diverse body of students feel welcome in our department.
• We encourage our instructors to use grading methods and classroom practices that reduce implicit bias.
• We promote inclusive practices for students with disabilities, such as facilitating access and accommodations, as well as fostering inclusive culture in the classroom.
• We encourage and support student participation in philosophy diversity institutes.
• We collect and publish data on the demographic makeup of our undergraduate program.
• We are organizing and promoting social events aimed at raising awareness and engaging in a dialogue with our community on the topics of social justice. Our recent Food and Talk event was titled, “A Philosophical Forum on Racial Justice”.

The Graduate Program:

• We are committed to recruiting and sustaining a diverse graduate student population.
• We collect and publish data on the demographic makeup of our graduate program.

The Colloquium Committee:

• We are committed to bringing a diverse group of speakers to campus, including women and other members of underrepresented groups.

The Search Committee:

• We are committed to promoting the representation of women and other underrepresented groups on our faculty.
• We appoint a diversity representative on each faculty search committee.

The Minorities and Philosophy (MAP) Chapter:

• We support and promote membership in our newly formed MAP chapter.
• We co-sponsor talks by external speakers from invited by MAP.
• We are engaged in an ongoing conversation with MAP members about their experience in our department and ways to improve it.

The Outreach Committee:

• We are here to support faculty and students in making our department more welcoming and inclusive for everyone.
• We are working with various University initiatives, programs, and resources aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion.
• We are here to listen, learn, and improve. Anyone is welcome to reach out directly to the committee to share their thoughts, or you may do so anonymously via the Virtual Suggestion Box below. The Committee is comprised of Dr. Arina Pismenny (chair), Dr. Amber Ross, and Dr. Jennifer Rothschild.

Students, faculty, and staff may also find helpful resources on the webpage for the UF Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Steering Committee.