JASMINE TATA, PH.D.

Associate Professor of Management, Loyola University Chicago

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MGMT 476/WOST 497

Professor Tata

SYLLABUS

The role of women in the workplace has been changing steadily in recent years, along with the demographics of the U.S., resulting in a more diverse workforce. At the same time, managers and employees want to make their unique contributions to organizations rather than fit in with the established organizational cultures. Therefore, knowledge and understanding of gender and diversity issues will be a competitive advantage in the workforce of the future.

The purpose of this course is to examine how gender and diversity affect interpersonal and intergroup interactions in organizations, to develop competencies and skills for working effectively with people from different backgrounds and to explore contemporary organizational strategies for managing gender equity and workplace diversity. To accomplish these goals, students will examine a wide range of practices concerning specific organizational, group, and interpersonal processes that influence as well as reflect the intersection of gender and the workplace.

The course is organized as a seminar class such that the concepts covered in the readings are reviewed in class through class discussions and case studies. Your ability to learn during this course will depend upon your understanding of the text and readings, an open and active participation during class, and your thoughtfulness in preparing for class.

TEXT.

Harvey, Carol, & Allard, M. June. 2002. Understanding and managing diversity. Readings, cases, and exercises (2nd edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Class handouts (articles, exercises, and cases).

Your course grade will be based on the following criteria:

Individual paper . . . . .

Discussion leader . . . . .

Summaries/integrations . . . . .

Class participation . . . . .

The University and the School of Business Administration have firm policies against cheating and plagiarism. Cheating involves dishonesty in a test situation, and plagiarism involves dishonesty in the preparation of materials for presentations or term papers. Cheating and plagiarism will be subject to disciplinary penalties.

TERM PAPER

You will write a term paper on a topic within the domain of Gender and Diversity in Organizations that is of interest to you. This paper will give you the opportunity to explore a specific issue in greater detail. You can choose to work on the paper in one of several ways: (1) by investigating the literature and developing a conceptual model, (2) by collecting data and analyzing the empirical evidence, (3) by doing a case study of one or two organizations (benchmark organizations or those having problems -- also see "diversity audit" on page 285 of the text), or (4) your own route.

Please hand in a brief (½ page) description of the topic of the paper and the technique you plan to use to the instructor for approval no later than the third class session, an outline of the paper with a reference list no later than the fifth class session, and a draft of the paper no later than the eighth session.

The paper can be in the following format:

1. brief introduction, explaining the purpose of the paper,

2. significance of the paper, that is, its importance to organizations and/or the extent to which it will further knowledge in the field,

3. summary and integration of current literature or practices in the area,

4. your conceptual model, or other original contribution to the paper (empirical data, case study, etc.), and

5. implications of the paper for industry and/or future research.

At the end of the quarter, I will select a few outstanding papers for further revision and possible publication.

REFLECTION PAPERS

You are expected to hand in three written reflection papers during the quarter. One paper must be handed in at the beginning of sessions 2 or 3. The other two can be handed in at or before the beginning of any session from 2-8. These summaries should demonstrate that you have read the assigned material for that week in sufficient detail (i.e., not just a light reading) and are able to integrate and critique the readings , along with creative extensions and applications to your workplace or to articles from the business press (Wall Street Journal, Economist, Fortune, BusinessWeek, etc.). At the end of the summary, please include 1-2 questions for class discussion.

The questions and the summaries will serve as the basis for class discussions. The analyses should be approximately 1 page single-spaced, typed (11 pt. font or larger and 1" margins) and must be handed in at or before the beginning of the class session. Late analyses will not be accepted.

PRESENTATION WORKSHOP

Teams of 4-5 students will work together to develop a workshop around one of the dimensions of diversity covered in class. Each team will present/demonstrate the topic/issue in a creative manner (e.g., skits/role plays, debates, videos, large/small group discussions, assessments/inventories, cases, overheads, worksheets, class activities, etc.). In your planning for the workshop, you are expected to have read the readings thoroughly, and include any additional material that you have identified. If you wish, you may distribute copies of additional readings to class members one week before the day you will be covering the material.

During the workshop you will effectively train the participants (class members) in a set of skills. The purpose of the workshop is to practice and convey diversity managerial skills, and encourage creativity. All team members must participate in the workshop. The workshops should be approximately 45 minutes long and will be given during the second halves of sessions 5-8 -- your workshop date will depend on the dimension of diversity that you plan to present.

The workshop should not follow the format of each team member presenting a sub-topic, and should not consist of lecture with slides

The nature of this class requires very active involvement from all students, and especially those from non-dominant social groups. You can contribute to class learning, and your own understanding by an openness to new ideas and a willingness to share your thoughts with others in the class. You will be expected to demonstrate that you have seriously read and considered the assigned readings by participating during class meetings. For the most part, this participation will consist of a discussion of issues raised by the readings. You may also bring up examples from your own experience in organizations and from your reading of the business press.

You will be graded on the amount of involvement in class discussions and activities, the amount of personal risk and growth demonstrated, and your willingness to listen deeply to others and respond to them in a sincere and respectful manner. These skills are invaluable to practicing managers and it is expected that you will practice them in class.

I expect you to:

* Attend every class, since you cannot contribute to class learning unless you are present.

* Read the assigned material and complete your home-work assignments. The text material will not be repeated verbatim during class.

* Be prepared to actively participate in class exercises and discussions (very important).

* Respect the opinions of others in the class, and help your class-mates.

* No video or audio recording in the classroom without advance permission of instructor (and others).

The instructor reserves the right to revise this syllabus, class schedule and course requirements when such revisions will benefit the achievement of course goals and objectives. Requirements may be amended during the quarter which would vary the total points possible, their distribution, and/or the final grade points. Changes will be announced verbally in class.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE