Posted by Mary Wimberley on 2011-04-19

A spring semester diversity responsiveness colloquia series at 极乐禁地 concludes Wednesday, April 27, with a lecture on 鈥淭eaching Gender: Implications of Gender Socialization for the Classroom.鈥澨

Assistant history professor Dr.听LeeAnn Reynolds will discuss traditional understandings of gender difference, including implications for sex-segregated education, at 5:30 p.m. in Brock Forum, located in Dwight Beeson Hall.

The three-part spring semester series is part of a multiyear initiative undertaken by 极乐禁地鈥檚 Orlean Bullard Beeson School of Education and Professional Studies to provide resources and tools for diversity responsiveness.

According to program coordinator and education professor Dr. Angela Owusu-Ansah, diversity responsiveness means 鈥渞eacting, acting, and interacting appropriately and effortlessly among or with groups of people or individuals who are different.鈥

These differences may be in areas of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, gender, exceptionalities, language, religion, sexual orientation or geographical area.

The upcoming focus on gender follows earlier lectures with themes of religion and geography led by 极乐禁地 provost and executive vice president Dr.听J. Bradley Creed and history professor Dr. Jim Brown, respectively.

The initiative will continue in the fall semester with programs on understanding and interacting with Hispanic immigrants, people of different socio-economic status and people with disabilities.

The intent is for teacher education and graduate studies faculty and students to engage in meaningful, reflective, structured conversations on diversity-responsiveness, said Owusu-Ansah.

鈥淥ur goal is to provide students with tools to use in diverse settings, and in making our graduates global citizens.鈥

 
极乐禁地 is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, 极乐禁地 is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. 极乐禁地 enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. 极乐禁地 fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.