Week/Day/Date

BOSTON COLLEGE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

Management of Multicultural

Diversity and Differences

MB137

Fall Semester 2001

Instructor's Name: Dr. Judy Clair

Office: Fulton 433

Phone: 552-0451

Office Hours: 2:45-3:45 p.m. Tu/Th

E-Mail:

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Course Philosophy

This course explores the topic of multicultural diversity in business organizations. While we study a range of topics, in particular, we focus our attention on race and gender issues raised at work. In this course, we assume that managers, organizations, and students of organizations will not be able to effectively "manage diversity" without first being conversant and self-aware about the underlying issues associated with diversity and difference dynamics. Topics that students will explore first, before considering how organizations are managed to be responsive to a diverse work force, include prejudice, racism and discrimination, the “American dream,” in-group and out-group dynamics, and so on. I will seek to increase students’ intellectual and personal understanding of these concepts.

Goals

Through this course, students can accomplish the following:

* increase their knowledge about diversity issues in the workplace;

* develop their self-awareness about issues related to diversity and difference in the

their own lives;

* increase skills at diagnosing and solving diversity-related management dilemmas;

* increase their ability to respond to diversity dilemmas that they personally face or

might face in- and outside of work;

* and, develop insight into how to design organizations so that diversity in the

workplace is a competitive advantage.

Class Time and the Student's Role

In class, students will discuss scheduled topics of the day in small groups and as a class, analyze cases, and participate in learning exercises. Guest speakers and panels will be an integral part of class learning. Individual grade performance is directly linked to demonstrated learning, effort, and class participation in each facet of the class. Further, regular attendance in class is necessary to create a trusting environment. For this last reason, students who miss more than 3 classes will receive a failing grade on their participation portion of the class.

Course Prerequisites

Organizational Behavior is recommended but not required.

Grading

Assignments Percentage Points

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Participation 25% 250

In Class Participation (20%)

Immersion Experience (5%)

Individual Reflection

Papers (15% ea) 30% 300

Group Reflection

Papers (10% ea) 20% 200

Final Paper 25% 200

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100% 1000

Participation: Your active participation is vital to the success of this class. There are three parts of your participation. First, all students should try their best to actively participate in class. At the end of the semester, students will receive an evaluation of the quality and degree of their participation during class sessions over the full semester. I will use the guidelines for participation attached at the end of the syllabus to make this evaluation. Please take a close look at these guidelines so that you are aware of my expectations.

The second portion of students’ participation grade is the cultural immersion experience. Please see the instructions appearing below.

Cultural Immersion Experience. This assignment exposes you to a new situation within which: (1) you will be "in the minority," (2) careful observation of your surroundings is required, and (3) you will be asked to describe what you felt and what other individuals might feel to have you among them. Your task is to go by yourself (you may not take anyone with you[1]) to a place where you have not been before and within with you will likely be in the minority. Then, from this experience, be prepared to describe and analyze your experience in a following class in terms of the following:

* Date and place of the experience and length of time that you were there.

* Brief description of the setting.

* What were your feelings and reactions to the situation?

* How do you think you were perceived by others?

* As you look back on this situation, how do you analyze why you felt and behaved as you did?

* Some members of the class spend most of their lives as majority group members. For these students, what does this experience teach you about being different from others in your environment? Other class members have spent their lives within environments where they are one of a few. How does this assignment help you to reflect on your life experiences? Are there new things that you have learned?

NOTE: To receive credit for having participated in the immersion experience, on the day we will discuss your immersion experience in class, you will need to turn in a one-page explanation identifying: (a) the date and place of the experience; (b) a discussion of several important “lessons learned” as they relate to this class; and (c) some piece of “evidence” of your trip (i.e., an agenda for a religious service, a cocktail napkin from a bar or restaurant, etc).

Examples of previous places visited by students include:

* A Protestant visits a Buddhist or Jewish religious service.

* A Caucasian visits an African-American church and student organization meeting.

* An able-bodied volunteers at or spends the day with students at the School for the Deaf and the Blind.

* A heterosexual visits/attends a Gay-Lesbian Rights Organization.

* A non-Hispanic attends a meeting of the Hispanic Business roundtable.

* A male visits a Women's Rights organization or a maternity clinic.

Do not choose a setting where you would feel like an intruder into someone's privacy. If in doubt, telephone ahead and inquire if your presence is acceptable to the group. Also, do not choose a situation that is only moderately dissimilar to your usual haunts. You should not let your feelings of apprehension lead you to avoid situations that are very different from those within which you are typically found. In fact, as much as possible, try to choose a setting that is radically different from your day to day experience (this will lead to a much stronger paper). Stronger papers will also result when students choose a setting that they sincerely want to learn about. Do not place yourself into situations that could be physically dangerous. If you have any question about the appropriateness of your chosen setting, please run the idea by me for approval. We shall discuss in class what you might have learned from this exercise on the papers' due date.

Reflection Paper Assignments: Reflection papers are short essays. The purposes of the reflection papers are twofold: (1) to measure students' understanding of a particular topic or concept, and (2) to allow students an opportunity to apply a salient topic to his/her own or to another individual's life experiences.

Each student will complete a portion of the reflection paper assignments on his or her own. These are called “individual reflection paper assignments.” Students will also complete some of the reflection papers as part of their learning teams. These are called “group reflection paper assignments.” For the group reflection papers, each learning team turns in ONE paper with all members’ names on the paper, and team members all receive the same grade.

For the reflection paper write-ups (2-4 pages maximum), students respond to questions to be handed out separately. These questions require students to think about a diversity topic as it applies to a personal experience or to react to a reading for the week. To be answered adequately, they will also require that students: (1) demonstrate depth in their analysis through use of examples, elaboration, etc.; (2) provide critical analysis and reflection rather than just an expression of personal opinion or unreflective description; and (3) explicitly integrate (through quotes and direct references) ideas and concepts from the readings and class to support and further elaborate their discussion. Please note: Students should feel free to DISAGREE with the readings – just do so explicitly!! Quality of writing will also be taken into consideration; those papers that have obvious spelling or grammatical errors may receive a lower evaluation.

Each reflection paper is due at the beginning of the relevant class session. They usually will be the topic of class discussions on their due date. Students receive no credit when a reflection paper is not turned in or when it is judged to be unacceptable.

Final Paper Assignment: Instructions will be handed out in class.

Other Requirements: All written papers (including reflection papers, unless otherwise noted) adhere to the following guidelines:

* Double-spaced, 12-point font, type-written, spell-checked

* Top, bottom, and side margins are one inch

* Appropriate citations in text of paper for material cited or quoted. When integrated into a sentence, should appear like: "Clair (1994) says that...." When referenced at the end of a sentence, should appear like: "Racism has been perceived as a societal menace (Barnicle, 1980)."

Course Materials

Esty, K., Griffin, R., Hirsch, M.S. (1995). Workplace Diversity. Holbrook, MA: Adams Publishing. Required. Available in the BC Bookstore.

Tatum, B.D. (1999). Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?

Required. Available in the BC Bookstore.

Course Reading Packet. Required. Available in the BC Bookstore.

Also, choose one of these two books to read and analyze for final paper assignment:

Suskind, R. (1998). Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League. New York: Broadway Books. Available in the BC Bookstore.

Fadiman, A. (1997). The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Available in the BC Bookstore.

Class Schedule and Topics: An Overview

Week/Day/Date

Topic

/ Assignments

Introduction

1/T/9-4 / Course Overview / Read: (1) syllabus
1/Th/9-6 / Introduction to Cultural Diversity and Organizations / Read: (1) RP: pgs. 1-19
Discussion: (1) According to Cox, what impacts can a diverse workforce have on work groups and in organizations? Do you agree with him? Why or why not?
Week 2 -- Special Class Time, One Meeting: Friday, Sept. 14th, 7-9:30 in Fulton 425 / The Power of Perception and Managing Our “Mental Models” / Read: (1) RP: pgs. 20-49
Discussion: (1) How do mental models influence our ability to effectively interact cross-culturally?

Key Concepts

3/T/9-18 / Language, Diversity and “Political Correctness” / Read: (1) RP: pgs. 51-61
Discussion: (1) What does “political correctness” mean to you?; (2) What is your reaction to the Michael Jones Case?
3/Th/9-20 / Self-Identity / Read: (1) RP: pgs. 62-76; (2) Tatum: pgs. 18-23
Discussion: (1) Be prepared to discuss the outcome of your individual SRP
Deliverable: Individual SRP Due
4/T/9-25 / Stereotypes / Read: (1) RP: pgs. 77-95
Discussion: (1) Your readings suggest that stereotypes are a serious, ongoing problem in society. How do you react to this premise?; (2) How do people and companies use stereotypes to their own benefit?
4/Th/9-27 / Prejudice and Discrimination / Read: RP: pgs. 96-115; Tatum: Ch. 1
Discussion: (1) To what extent is prejudice and discrimination a pervasive problem in the U.S. today in your view? Do people really “love to hate?”; (2) According to Yamato, there are many forms of racism. What are these forms? Which of these types are the most concerning or problematic in your view?

5/T/10-2

/ Institutionalized Bias / Read: (1) RP: pgs. 117-126
Discussion: (1) What is “institutionalized bias?”; (2) Can you think of examples of institutionalized bias at BC?

5/Th/10-4

/ Meritocracy and the American Dream / Read: (1) RP: pgs. 128-135
Discussion: (1) What does “the American Dream” mean to you?; (2) You read about the concept of “white privilege.” In fact, people are privileged in a variety of ways based on their race, ethnicity, gender, family status, sexual orientation, class status, etc. In what ways have you benefited from privileges in your own life?
6/T/10-9 / Majority and Minority Dynamics / Read: (1) RP: pgs. 137-147; (2) Tatum: pgs. 23-28
Discussion: (1) Be prepared to discuss and analyze the outcomes of your cultural immersion experience
Deliverable: Cultural Immersion Due

Gender

6/Th/10-11 / Gender Socialization / Read: (1) RP: 148-183; (2) Esty et al: Ch. 2
Discussion: (1) Are women and men really that different?; (2) What are the implications for the behavior and treatment of men and women at work?
7/T/10-16 / Work & Family /

Read: (1) RP: pgs.185-195, 202-207

Discussion: (1) According to your readings, is it really possible to “have it all?” (i.e., work, family, and outside life be balanced)?
7/Th/10-18 / Work & Family / Read: (1) Esty et al.: Ch. 9; (2) RP: pgs. 196-201, 208-211
Discussion: (1) Be prepared to discuss “The Case of the Part Time Partner”
Deliverable: Learning Group SRP Due
8/T/10-23 / Sexual Harassment
& Discrimination in the
Workplace / Read: (1) RP: 212-239
Discussion: (1) In light of your other readings, how do your react to Darla Moore’s position in her article “Babes in Boy Land?”

Race and Ethnicity

8/Th/10-25 / NO CLASS -- Time to watch “Color of Fear”
9/T/10-30 / Racio-Ethnic Socialization and Cultural Heritage /

Read: (1) RP: pgs. 241-253

Discussion: (1) How have you been taught to identify someone’s race?; (2) Do the readings for today challenge your assumptions about race? How so?
9/Th/11-1 / Images of Race and Ethnicity / Read: (1) Tatum: Chaps. 3-9; (2) RP: pgs. 254-307, recommended
Discussion: Be prepared to discuss the outcomes of your individual SRP
Deliverable: Individual SRP Due

10/T/11-6

/ Forging Relationships, Managing Differences Across Racial and Ethnic Divides / Read: (1) RP: 309-326
Discussion: Be prepared to discuss your thoughts and reactions to the movie: “Color of Fear”
10/Th/11-8 / Forging Relationships, Managing Differences Cont. / Read: (1) RP: 328-346; (2) Esty et al.: Chaps. 3 & 6
Discussion: Questions about the case will be discussed: (1) So, was it about race? (2) What’s Jack’s next move?