Tag: weekof7/19

Research Plan: Tim

What question is guiding your research?

The main question that I am focusing on for my research is why there is a lack of observable diversity in the field of historical education, both the educators themselves and the content taught in classes. My research will look into how historical education and the employment of ethnic minorities in said field will change based on current information.

Why this question?

There are a few reasons I picked this specific topic, given that I am very interested in the field of history and have already begun creating content which aim to increase general interest in this field and expand the availability of niche parts of history to a larger audience through media. And having experience attending both secondary school and university-level courses related to historical education, I realized that the representation of minorities in that field is not very visible and that there needs to be an improvement in the diversity of topics (especially related to history outside of the West, e.g. Africa, Asia and Oceania).

How will your professional/internship/organizational/course work inform your inquiry?

Certainly my experience within the field of history allowed me to see for myself the lack of ethnic minorities within the field. Although I have spent most of my life in Hong Kong and it is only natural that most of the other students are of Chinese descent, but it was during my trip to Virginia for an international history bowl competition where I discovered that the vast majority of participants in the US were white, and not indicative of the statistics of the ethnic makeup of the country. While I am not blaming academia or anyone for this reality, I do hope that more of the ethnic minority population of the states can become interested in the wider scale of history, and not be limited by the narrative of a nationalistic viewpoint that began in 1776.

What fields matter most in your inquiry?

Almost definitely the field of history. However, I will also like to look into fields related to that such as archeology and museum studies. In a wider view of things, I will also like to touch upon the diversity of educators in academia since it will certainly be related to my area of interest.

Research Plan

What question is guiding your research? (what do you want to use your research to understand?)

I have a few questions guiding my research:

Are there income inequalities between races?

If there are racial inequalities, why?

How are income level and health status connected?

Are minorities health disproportionately affected because of the income levels?

What are the attitudes/policies/history that contribute to the disparities?

In the workplace…..

How can we mend these differences?

How can we not only become more diverse but more inclusive?

I also want to elaborate my understanding on the different forms of racism and how it is connected with this topic.

Why this question? (help us to understand how it connects to your career/personal interests)

I am very passionate about public health and policy (those are my two majors). My entry level courses have only explored these issues on the surface. Through this project I would like to go more in depth from different angles. One day I hope to use my knowledge surrounding disparities that appear income and health (and other forms) to create societal change through legislation.

How will your professional/internship/organizational/course work inform your inquiry? (what connections can you see with the work that you’re part of in the world beyond our course?)

As I stated above, these issues are core topics in both of my majors. Beyond this course, I want to continue to educate myself and others on social injustices in different forms (women, LGBTQIA+, immigrants, BIPOC, etc.). As a career path, I would like to work in some way to find solutions. However, I do not have an ideal path on how I hope to accomplish this yet.

What fields (academic and professional) matter most to your inquiry? (where are you going to be looking for source material?)

I think the academic fields I am studying at Syracuse matter most to my inquiry. Some other relevant ones could be history and sociology.

Government would be an important professional field. Each branch of government plays a unique role in change.

Another important professional field would be Human Resource Departments of organizations to understand the current ways they work on diversity and inclusion, as well as equality and equity.

 I am going to use the databases provided by Syracuse Library to find sources. Additionally, I plan on reaching out to  the head of Syracuse University’s public health department for more guidance and insight on how to approach my research.

Currently, I need a more diverse set of sources. Most of the articles I have complied are overly complicated for this assignment. Even though I want to challenge myself, I do not want to confuse myself and readers.

I am a little overwhelmed because there is so much I want to cover through this assignment. I might need to organize my plan better by making it more specific.  

Research Plan: Kayla

What question is guiding your research? (What do you want your research to understand?)

All of my research aims to reflect on what it’s like to be a member of the LGBTQIA+ community in professional settings. This is a broad topic that relates to whether or not members of this community are able to obtain/retention a job as well as overall equity in the workplace. I hope to uncover a variety of topics by answering this one question.

Why this question? (Help us understand how it connects to your career/personal interests)

This question allows for me to explore different forms of gender/ sexuality across a variety of professional settings. By using this question, an extensive scope of both secondary and primary sources become available to me. I have also found that while this question allows for me to choose from a bigger selection of articles/texts, I also have to make sure that my writing flows together. All of the personal experiences, statistics, and other forms of writing that I choose to include, must come together in a way that clearly supports my claim.

How will your professional/internship/organizational/course work inform your inquiry? (What connections can you see with the work that you are a part of in the world beyond the course?)

I am an ally to the LGBTQIA+ community and I am also an African-American female in STEM. I understand what it feels like to be a member of a minority group  because of this I am very passionate about advocacy for underrepresented individuals. At this point in time,  I am building my network through internships, career fairs, and other forms of social engagement and have been able to learn more about the types of discrimination in the STEM field alone. There are 2 articles that I included in my preliminary note-taking exercise that connect directly to LGBTQIA+ representation in STEM and I am excited to relate some of the experiences that I have gained with those from the article.

What fields (academic and professional) matter most in your inquiry? (Where are you going to be looking for source material?)

Most of my sources are primary sources coming from members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The second most used sources in my research are from allies of the community that strive to advocate for equity. The third type of field I am pulling from are purely statistical articles that will support my stance through unbiased data and help the reader visualize the magnitude of my argument.

Research Plan

When I began exploring ways I could contribute to the conversation about organizational culture and diversity and inclusion, my first instincts were telling me to focus my research on the most obvious problems like race, ethnicity, and gender. I wanted to see if I could identify new lines of inquiry, new solutions, or connect the dots in ways that others haven’t connected them before. Without even going too deep into the existing literature, what I found was decades of research and thousands of great ideas and potential solutions, but hardly any real progress where it matters most. After reading Ian Bogost’s article “The Problem with Diversity in Computing” and the contributions of my classmates, especially Sherri’s post on Algorithm-Driven Hiring Tools, I was inspired to turn my focus in a new direction to investigate the hidden biases that we might be building into today’s HR technologies. Coincidentally, I had recently taken an online personality test as part of an application for a job at my local golf course, which struck me as an odd requirement. Although the problems of the past are still with us, I fear that we might be creating new problems as organizations adopt new technologies without understanding how they work or what the risks are. After watching the documentary Persona and getting a good look at the personality testing industry, my decision to investigate this further was solidified. So the question I am trying to understand is: Are artificial intelligence technologies in human resources going to make organizations more diverse and inclusive, or will they make things worse?

There are several reasons why this question interests me. On a personal level, I have always thought of myself as a square peg, because of a birth injury, my ethnicity, my struggles with learning, and other aspects of who I am. Like most young adults, I want to fit in but I also want to be myself. I worry that artificial intelligence algorithms are being built that will limit opportunities for people like me before we even have a chance to prove ourselves in the work force. As a business major, I also want to understand how “people technologies” work and how they can be ethically used, the same way I need to understand how finance, accounting, marketing, investing, and other business technologies work. As the world gets more data driven, I want to understand the ramifications of artificial intelligence so I can be a better decision maker in my future career.

This inquiry connects directly with material from a Fundamentals of Management course I took last semester. In that course, we did three separate units on organizational culture (which focused on vision and values), diversity and inclusion (which focused on hiring practices and company policies), and personality (which focused on the advantages and limitations of personality tests). At the time, I did not see the linkages between these topics, which were spread out over 14 weeks. Now I clearly do. Last semester, the focus was mainly on improving performance, and technology was not discussed in depth regarding the three units above. But from the research I have done so far, I can see technology is going to change everything about human resources, and that means it’s going impact everything about an organization’s culture. With two years left at Whitman, I believe what I learn because of this research project will help me be a better student in my future business classes, and ultimately a better employee after I graduate.

My research takes place at the intersection of human resources management, organizational culture, diversity and inclusion, artificial intelligence, data analytics, personality assessment, and employment law. To begin my search for sources, I used SU library’s Summon Search to locate scholarly as well as professional and trade journal sources. Using Google, I was able to locate additional sources, including articles in newspapers and on trusted industry websites for the American Bar Association and Society for Human Resources Management, for example. By using LinkedIn, I found some articles, blog posts, and TED talks by faculty or industry professionals that didn’t appear in any other search results. While watching Persona, I took notes to capture potential quotes I could use, as well as noted the names of people to do further research on. I have also searched on YouTube to find relevant videos, which I plan to watch to gather more subject matter expert quotes. And finally, my searches have also led me to firms selling the artificial intelligence technology products for human resources. I have found it interesting to see the language they use when they market their products and may be able to use some of it. Overall, I have found lots of great material. The next steps of my research plan are to carefully review my sources, take notes and annotate them, and then organize them for easy access.

Research Plan : Oumou

What question us guiding your research?

I personally have several questions that I hope can be answered at the end of my research. Firstly I want to gain even more knowledge on Diversity and Inclusion individually because in my experience one is never mentioned without the other, so I’d like to research each individually. Secondly, I want to determine whether it is best for diversity to come before inclusion, or if it is best for inclusion to come before diversity. As of now I think it is best if diversity comes after inclusion because this way there won’t need to be more trial and error and potentially making people feel excluded. Although I’ve been coming across articles which say otherwise.

Why this question?

Aside from the reasons I mentioned in the previous question, these questions are interesting to me because I am a woman in STEM which is a predominately male dominated field. I’ve heard a lot of stories about gender inequality in the workplace so I want to make sure I know as much as possible about the topic of diversity and inclusion and how it relates to this, as well as methods to rectify this issue.

How will your professional/internship/organizational/ course work inform your inquiry?

I think my own experience will inform my inquiry someway because although I’ve only completed two semesters so far, I am an engineering major and more often than not I have been one of a handful of women in my classes. I feel like the men in my classes have been a bit too comfortable with interrupting the women in these classes while we speak and oftentimes try and dismiss our ideas (at least from what I’ve observed). I think there should be more emphasis placed on inclusion in courses like these especially since the diversity is somewhat there already.

What fields matter most in your inquiry.

I don’t have any specific fields that I am going to be focusing on. I will be using both professional, and academic articles (whichever I find) and I will also be using Ted-Talks and journals since I think they give good first person accounts.

Research Plan- Caitlin

My plan for my research project is to bring more awareness towards the misogyny women sometimes face within the medical field, either as doctors and nurses or as the patients.  The questions that I am primarily asking are related to why this sexism is so prevalent, especially within the healthcare field.  I really want to know the reason behind the unconscious biases that many male doctors have against women who go to hospitals with ailments.  The reason I want to research the misogyny against women is because I have heard many stories, either online or from my friends, that are firsthand accounts of their experiences with doctors who do not believe their pain or look past the real issue just because of their gender. 

I do not have any interesting reason related to why I chose to research this topic.  Personally, I just want to make this problem more well known to others that might not have been aware of it.  Sexism is prevalent in most places and careers so healthcare is not much difference in that sense, but in all those other instances, those prejudices are not in trouble of being life threatening.  Many people can and have died due to the thoughtlessness and biases of doctors who ignore issues regarding women. 

I think something the fields that will help me the most for this assignment are professional articles because they will solidify my arguments and help make my research more well-rounded.  In addition to the professional fields, the aspect of my project that will be the most appealing with be the personal anecdotes from a primary source that shows a firsthand example of their experiences with this issue.  This source will help counteract the logos of the articles and add an aspect of pathos to my writing.

Research plan: Julia

What question is guiding your research? (What do you want your research to understand?)

I am using my research to help figure out the reasoning behind the lack of representation of women in STEM, more specifically in finance. STEM and finance have always had a dominant male presence, and I would like to understand that although more women are getting STEM-related degrees than ever, why there is still a lack of representation. By researching both the biological and social reasons for this issue, I will be able to better comprehend the problem.

Why this question? (Help us understand how it connects to your career/personal interests)

I am interested in researching more about women’s lack of representation in finance because, in a world where equity is becoming more critical as each day passes, I think it will impact my career. Also, a woman majoring in finance and accounting, I believe that it is beneficial to understand how to bring more representation to the industry. Even now, I am beginning to see this topic appear. I can see it even this year, as  I am the only female in this class year to enter into the OVF program at Whitman.

How will your professional/internship/organizational/course work inform your inquiry? (What connections can you see with the work that you are a part of in the world beyond the course?)

As stated in the previous paragraph, it personally, as well as professionally, impacts my life. It seems as though every professional event that I attend with an organization is an event to promote women in finance or listen to someone who has beaten the odds and become a woman in a senior position. It seems as though there is a ‘we have to stick together’ mentality in the industry because there are so few women that are present in certain roles. Even in a few of my classes, there are not a lot of women taking the class it seems like. By understanding the reasons why there are not more women trying to obtain careers in finance, I will be able to better understand the subject.

What fields (academic and professional) matter most in your inquiry? (Where are you going to be looking for source material?)

I believe that professional fields will matter most in my inquiry, however, I feel that academic articles will also be important. By fielding professional articles, I will be able to find views that use logic and statistics to back up their views. I would also like to get some personal stories from media sources like TED talks, or news channels. Academic sources will be more important in helping me understand the biological reasoning behind the lack of representation of women in finance/STEM. As always, I will be using the SU library database, the TED talk website, along Google to find my sources.

Week of 7/19

  1. In “Changing Organizational Culture: From Embedded Bias to Equity and Inclusion”, Cori Wong touches on reoccurring themes surrounding organizational culture that we have discussed throughout the course. She contributes a helpful metaphor about shoes in a race to explain equality and equity (p.2). The shoe example shows us that when our differences are not recognized and supported, we are not on a fair playing field. This example pushes us to question our own privileges and if we are doing our best to educate ourselves and others on oppressions. After Wong discusses this example, she emphasizes the importance of considering equity rather than equality in efforts that work towards fostering an environment where every individual has an equal opportunity to “thrive and succeed” (p.2). She also notes to “shift the culture” (p.5), we must understand that just because there is diversity, there is not always inclusion. Furthermore, she advocates for not only empowerment of minority groups, but the much-needed support system in the workplace.

2.

In “Changing Organizational Culture: From Embedded Bias to Equity and Inclusion”, Cori Wong’s writing incorporates many of the strategies from chapter 8 of TSIS. The main idea of this section of TSIS is to connect ideas together. A strategy that is used multiple times throughout Wong’s piece is transition words. Transition words give a sense of direction to the reader about the writing. One example is this excerpt:

“Gender bias can be present in commonly used language, such as referring to

workers as men, defaulting to the use of masculine pronouns such as he

and him when providing hypothetical examples, or using the

phrase you guys to address a mix-gendered group. Gender bias is

also evident in loaded words and phrases that reinforce negative

gendered stereotypes, such as women being inherently more

emotional or nurturing than men (Bennett, 2017).

Gender bias is also commonly reflected in a culture with

respect to how people treat each other, particularly around

which types of behaviors are encouraged or reprimanded (and

for whom). In addition to obvious forms of gender bias, such as

harassment and overtly hostile work environments that alienate

women, numerous examples exist of subtle ways that a culture

can be problematic: Women are more often interrupted and

talked over than men, and twice as much if they are women of

color. Men often take and receive credit for ideas, even if they

did not come up with them.” (p.4)

In the first paragraph Wong is explaining how certain words and phrases perpetuate a gender bias. Then she inserts a transition statement at the beginning of the second paragraph that ties another form of gender bias (sexist actions) to her first one. This way she continues in another clear section the different ways women are unfairly treated in the workplace.

This matters because it allows her to clearly build her argument. We understand the direction this section is taking- it is additionally information about a topic already touched upon.

HIGHLIGHT:

I got to visit my friend at the beach! It was so nice and relaxing.

Research Plan – Zoe Miller

I am using my research to understand more about why there are people who are discriminated against for something they cannot control and is no one else’s business. I would like to also understand what effects being discriminated for something like that has on people. While this is the case for most qualities that people are discriminated against for, in this case I am researching people who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community.

The reason I am interested in researching discrimination in the LGBTQ+ community is because a lot of information has come to light regarding it over the last few years. I do not think that it is fair for people to be discriminated against based off of something that only differs to what people are “used to” at home. I also think that the fact that people care so much about qualities and aspects about other people that have absolutely nothing to do them is interesting but also do not understand it.

I am an ally of the LGBTQ+ movement and know a few people who are a part of the community. It is being reported all over the news and social media and I would like to expand my knowledge on it. I have a disability that people are discriminated against for, while I have experienced a little bit about what it is like to have issues with people because of that disability, I would like to expand my knowledge on discrimination against other topics.

Professional fields matter most to my inquiry because there are more people who are aware that they are a part of this community and who may not necessarily rub it in everyone’s faces but who are also not hiding it in the professional world rather than in the academic world. I plan to continue to look for personal journals with experiences and news articles or posts on social media that discuss what people have had to deal with and what the effects and consequences, if any, there were.

Discussions/Homework Week of 7/19

Response #1

In “Changing Organizational Culture from Embedded Bias to Equity and Inclusion”, author Cori Wong offers us a more nuanced look at diversity and inclusion. Although her motivation for writing the article appears to be to highlight interventions for creating gender equity in the workplace (with an eye on safety) Ms. Wong winds up introducing us to something more. She educates us on how an inclusive workplace culture requires awareness of privilege, marginalization and differences in experience.

The author notes that we must not ignore differences in others’ identities if we are to be truly equitable in an organization. Both identity and everyday experiences within that identity, characterizes how we interact with our environment, situations and other people. These identities and experiences even influence policies and systems within a workplace. According to Wong, “Identities based in race, gender, sexuality, class and ability (to name a few) and their intersections play a large role in how one might differently experience and navigate interpersonal dynamics, policies, practices and systems within an organization.” There is discussion of how people who are members of marginalized groups are often perceived in the workplace in the same manner they are perceived in our larger society. Conversely, members of groups deemed privileged in society are also perceived the same way in a workplace setting. Both groups experience their work lives based on who they are. Marginalized people are acutely aware of how every interaction they have with others could affect how they are perceived while privileged folks have the luxury of not thinking about overcoming obstacles and negative assumptions regarding their work or character, thus they do not feel excluded or othered as marginalized people do.

One of the most important takeaways from Ms. Wong’s article is that the steps to reaching equity for marginalized people in an organization requires different forms of accommodations and support specific to the individual group’s identity. There is an emphasis on equity as opposed to equality. She notes that all groups benefit when the most marginalized groups of people are acknowledged and supported.

Response #2

In Cori Wong’s article, “Changing Organizational Culture from Embedded Bias to Equity and Inclusion”, We see her connecting the parts of her article in the second paragraph under the Equity vs. Equality header. Here Wong provides us with a metaphor involving running shoes meant to demonstrate the difference between equity and equality. She uses several contrasting transitions identified in TSIS, such as when describing the inequity of everyone in the metaphor example receiving the same sized shoe. Wong states, “regardless of whether their feet are too big, small, flat or wide for the “standard” shoe, they are likely to experience blisters, pain or injury.” The author also tells us, “Despite these disadvantages, which result from assuming that everyone should be treated equally and get the same shoes, they are still expected to run and keep up with those who have been given appropriate-for-them footwear.” Furthermore, along with earlier use of “regardless” and “despite”, Wong uses the contrasting transition word “whereas” when stating “Whereas equality would give everyone the same shoe, an equity approach would recognize that fairness requires giving everyone shoes that fit their particular needs so that they have an equal opportunity to thrive and succeed.” The use of contrasting transition words helps to emphasize her argument that equity and equality are not one and the same. We also see that the author has utilized the TSIS technique of repeating key terms and phrases by using the words “equality,” “equity” and “equal” several times in the same passage. This use of repetition further assists with reminding us of the significant differences between the two concepts.

The highlight of my week was Sunday. My mother invented a holiday where she celebrates her sons-in-law by inviting us all to her house for food and games for the kids. The thing is, she usually asks the husbands to do yard work that’s too extensive for her. This year though, there was no yard work! All of my sisters, kids, nieces and nephews had a great time since this was the first time we’ve seen each other since the pandemic!