Humanizing Conversations: Roundtable

Diversifying the UF Student Body, Faculty, and Curriculum

25 February 2013, 6:00-7:30 pm, Smathers Library (East) 1A

UF has an incredibly diverse student body and it reflects the state’s population and history. This panel and audience discussion will look at the history of different racial, ethnic, and gendered populations at the University of Florida, and the relationship of curricular programs (like African-American Studies, Latin-American Studies, Jewish Studies, and the Center for Women’s Studies and Gender Research) to the growing and changing UF faculty, staff, and student body. In looking at the history of different student populations and programs at UF, participants will discuss the relationship of the culture of a university to diversity at that institution, and curricular and student-led mechanisms to help all UF students acquire a more global understanding. A key part of this conversation will be the role of mentoring and empathy in educating isolated student populations and creating bridges between faculty and students. In looking forward, this panel will discuss how to balance the history of racial exclusion at UF with ongoing socioeconomic issues that limit who can attend college today. Following five ten-minute presentations, there will be time for a question and answer period and more broad discussion of these issues.

Moderator:
    Bonnie Moradi, Department of Psychology (University of Florida)
Panelists:
    Carmen Diana Deere, Center for Latin American Studies; Department of Food & Resource Economics (University of Florida)
    Harry Shaw, Department of English, Professor Emeritus; former CLAS Associate Dean for Minority Affairs (University of Florida)
    Connie Shehan, Department of Sociology & Criminology (University of Florida)
    Meera Sitharam, Department of Computer Science and Engineering (University of Florida)
    Kenneth Wald, Department of Political Science (University of Florida)

Links of Interest

Join the Debate

To promote further discussion on diversifying UF, we posed the question: "Should UF increase its diversity requirement from 3 credits to 6 credits?" Join in the discussion and see responses on the Civil Debate Wall.

About the Discussants

Carmen Diana Deere (Panelist) is Distinguished Professor of Latin American Studies and Food & Resource Economics at the University of Florida. Deere is the co-author of Empowering Women: Land and Property Rights in Latin America (2001), winner of LASA’s Bryce Wood Book Award, as well as Land and Development in Latin America:  Openings for Policy Research (2005).  Deere was Director of the UF Center for Latin American Studies from 2004 to 2009, and is a Past President of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA).

Bonnie Moradi (Moderator) is a Professor in Psychology at the University of Florida. Prof. Moradi's research focuses on the roles of minority stressors (e.g., perceived prejudice and discrimination experiences) and minority identities in the health and well-being of women, racial/ethnic minority persons, sexual minority persons, and other minority groups.

Harry Shaw (Panelist) is Professor Emeritus in the UF Department of English, where he taught courses in 20th Century and African-American Literature from 1973 to 2004. He was the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Associate Dean for Minority Affairs from the establishment of that position in 1979 until his retirement from UF in 2004.

Connie Shehan (Panelist), is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Florida. Her research and teaching focus on gender, families, work, and aging. Much of her research has examined women's experiences in “work” (both paid labor and unpaid labor in the home), highlighting the causes and consequences of the gendered division of household and family labor and the relationship between women's work and health. She also served as the Director of what was then named the Women’s Studies Program from 1985-1989. Prof. Shehan is also one of seven co-authors on the 2003 book entitled Women at the University of Florida, published by the University of Florida’s 150th Anniversary Committee.

Meera Sitharam (Panelist) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer and Information Science and Engineering at the University of Florida, where her research interests include geometric complexity, mathematical and computational modeling, and high performance algorithms. Prof. Sitharam is the faculty advisor for two UF student organizations that support Asian-American diasporic performing arts and educational philanthropy in India, and is the Vice President of the India Cultural and Educational Center.

Kenneth Wald (Panelist) is Distinguished Professor of Political Science and the Samuel R. "Bud" Shorstein Professor of American Jewish Culture and Society at the University of Florida. He has written about the relationship of religion and politics in the United States, Great Britain, and Israel. His most recent books include Religion and Politics in the United States (2010, 6th ed.), The Politics of Cultural Differences: Social Change and Voter Mobilization Strategies in the Post-New Deal Period (2002, co-authored), and The Politics of Gay Rights (2000, coedited). At the University of Florida, he served as director of the Center for Jewish Studies from 1999 through 2004.

Humanizing Conversations

Following the 2011-2012 speaker series “Rehumanizing the University: New Perspectives on the Liberal Arts,” the Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere invites UF faculty, students, and members of the public to join in this series of panel discussions on academic freedom and activism; racial, gender, and ethnic integration; sexual freedom; dialogues between sciences and humanities; and the impact of market forces at the University of Florida (and North Florida more generally).

Events in this Series

Humanities Center Events

Center for the Humanities
and the Public Sphere
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
tel 352.392.0796
fax 352.392.5378
humanities-center@ufl.edu

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P.O. Box 118030
University of Florida
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