Contact Us
Battelle-Tompkins, Room 200 on a map
CAS Dean's Office 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20016-8012 United StatesDiversity, Equity, and Inclusion
With programs like our Antiracist Curriculum Development Initiative, the College of Arts and Sciences continues to work toward ensuring a seat at the table for faculty, staff, and students from groups that have been historically excluded based on race and ethnicity, physical ability, gender expression, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic background.
We are committed to doing this work by consistently refining and expanding our efforts to ensure that equity and inclusion are at the center of the CAS experience through our courses, research, and scholarship.
CAS Diversity Committee
- Núria Vilanova
CAS DEI Officer
vilanova@american.edu - Shashank Aswathanarayana
Postdoctoral Fellow,
Department of Performing Arts - Omi Davis-Smith
DEI Fellow, Arts - Kirsten Dorr
DEI Fellow, Humanities - Nabina Liebow
CAS LEAD Director
Initiative for STEM Education, Equity and Ethics
AU's ISE3 program works to effect genuine and lasting culture change on campus so that undergraduate students from all backgrounds, particularly from historically excluded groups, will excel in STEM and graduate from college well prepared to pursue advanced degrees and leadership roles.
ISE3
ADVANCE AU
The NSF awarded a two-year ADVANCE grant of $300,000 to support AU in an analysis of gender and racial equity among its STEM faculty, with the aim of increasing AU’s number of women and underrepresented minority STEM faculty. The ADVANCE grant has powered a symposium on gender and race in STEM, career development mini-grants, and a peer mentoring program.
ADVANCE AU
DIV Courses
These courses, with a “DIV” designation, are part of the AU Core Curriculum. They address issues of power, privilege, and inequality that are embedded in social, cultural, or economic hierarchies, including (but not limited to) those around race, ethnicity, class, ability, gender, and sexuality.
CAS DIV courses All AU DIV courses
DC Space Grant Consortium
Based at AU, the DCSGC funds internships and summer research experiences at NASA with an emphasis on supporting women and underrepresented minorities.
Postdoctoral Fellowships
CAS offers fellowships including the Academic Diversity Fellowship and Afghan Exile Scholar Fellowship.
Antiracist Curriculum Development Initiative
The CAS Antiracist Curriculum Development Initiative supports our faculty with grants and collaborative resources to develop courses that take an antiracist perspective in content and pedagogy.
Research
- Marianne Noble's essay "Emily Dickinson and Harriet Beecher Stowe Responding to Slavery" argues that Dickinson’s poem “One need not be a chamber to be haunted” derives from a passage in Uncle Tom’s Cabin and examines the limits of Dickinson's political thought and the implications of her identification with Stowe’s evil slaveholder.
- Michele Carter's study "'Is It Because I’m Black?': A Study of the African American Perception of Microaggression Depending on Aggressor" furthers the understanding of microaggressions and how they are interpreted. This was the first study to demonstrate that the race of those who commit microaggressions matters in terms of viewing the microaggression as offensive.
Clubs & Cohorts
Learn about student groups within or adjacent to CAS that seek to advance equity and inclusion.
For a complete list of clubs, visit Engage.
The USS club aims to support underrepresented students in STEM and provide them the tools they need to succeed which they may have otherwise never gotten. We aim to not only help students maximize individual potential but to give mentorship, guidance, and financial support in furthering education to fuel the next generation of STEM leaders.
AU Women in Science (WIS) aims to promote an inclusive and supportive community for women and non-binary identifying individuals in science at American University.
CAS LEAD is a 12-credit, cohort based four-year certificate program designed to teach and empower students to become effective and ethical leaders. Working with a close-knit cohort in seminars and on community based learning opportunities, you will learn how to lead in a productive and emotionally-intelligent way. You will work with others to develop solutions to promote justice and confront ethical challenges.
The Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) is a national STEM organization that fosters a community of students who are dedicated to studying and pursuing careers in the STEM field. Despite the focus of its name, SACNAS represents all populations of underrepresented students in the STEM field. Being an underrepresented student at a PWI can make it challenging to find a place where you feel comfortable and being in STEM specifically amplifies these feelings of not belonging. Here, at American University, we want every student to feel seen, know their opportunities, and get connected with other students and professionals from similar backgrounds.
AU Girls Who Code is a chapter of the national GWC movement, which aims to empower individuals to pursue careers in tech and provide a community for like-minded individuals who are excited to explore where coding skills can be used in their desired fields! Our chapter is a community of women, gender non-conforming, and all underrepresented individuals who are interested in empowering each other and closing the gender gap in tech. We are currently working towards building a GWC chapter at AU in order to foster a safe, supportive community for those interested in coding; whether it be in the field of computer science, data science, or a general interest. The purpose of our organization is to provide support to students with all levels of coding expertise, through our curriculum which teaches basic coding skills and inviting guest lecturers to speak on their careers that utilize coding skills. Our mission is to reach all underrepresented students at American University to create a support network for students during their academic and professional careers.
Diversifying the Curriculum
Improvisation in Theory & Practice
Most music theory classes center Western music and ideas; however, our new hybrid classroom/ensemble experience highlights a wide range of musical traditions and finds points of shared connection and difference. The course engages with non-Western approaches to tuning, scales, and meter; focuses on timbre and rhythm; and ultimately increases access to the field of composition (historically dominated by white men) by expanding the definition of composing to improvisatory practices from a wide-range of traditions.
See Yourself as an Economist
While the number of economists from marginalized groups is growing, most economics instructors are still white men. Our new video tutorials for Principles of Economics, narrated by a diverse group of faculty, graduate students, and alumni, allow students to see and hear the voices of a diverse group of economists who also happen to be AU community members!
Photo: Nicholas Cappello on Unsplash
Representation in Biomed Research
This course discusses issues of power, privilege, and inequality embedded in biological research and healthcare. Students learn concepts and technologies used in biomedical research and explore case studies that describe how marginalized communities have been excluded, misrepresented, or exploited, leading to disparities and mistrust of the health system.
AU & Federation of Southern Cooperatives Create Racial Justice Toolkit
