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Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

students in baxter lecture hall

The Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences aspires to be a diverse community that welcomes, includes, and respects people from all walks of life. We recognize diversity as not just an ideal but a practice, one that requires all members of the division to be purposeful in bringing together people with a variety of identities, experiences, and perspectives. In HSS, diversity means welcoming non-white members (Black, Latin(x)/Hispanic, Asian, Indigenous, and immigrant), women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, first-generation scholars, and people from a variety of socioeconomic positions. In a country with a long history of racial injustice and discrimination, practicing diversity also involves a conscious recognition of the enduring impact of the past and the ways that past inflects our present working environment.

The practice of diversity encompasses how and what we teach. We are committed to pedagogy that engages, motivates, and supports students from all backgrounds and reflects the full range of methods and materials in our fields of study.

Inclusion is more than just an openness to diversity. It requires that we all commit to replacing a passive mode of openness with an active pursuit of difference. Inclusion means creating an environment where members of a diverse community can engage in challenging dialogue with one another and are supported in their efforts to do so. It also means creating and sustaining conditions that allow everyone, including the most marginalized, to do their best work possible.

HSS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

Jennifer Jahner (Humanities, co-chair)
Antonio Rangel (Social Sciences, co-chair)
Jeffrey Cockburn (postdoc representative - Social Sciences)
Susanne Hall (Humanities and Hixon Writing Center)
Catherine Jurca (Humanities)
Charles Kollmer (postdoc representative - Humanities)
Cecilia Lu (staff representative)
Aldo Lucia (graduate student representative)
Vincent Man (postdoc representative - Social Sciences)
Dean Mobbs (Social Sciences)

Contact Us

Have a question or comment for the committee? Please reach out to any of our committee members by email. To reach the chairs directly with concerns or questions, email HSS_DEI@caltech.edu.

Reporting

To report a concern regarding equity, harassment, misconduct, or discrimination with the Title IX office, please use this form.

students sitting in front of dabney hall

HSS Activities

  • The HSS DEI committee hosted the Summer 2022 Lunch Series, providing a space for members of the division to reconnect with colleagues and share ideas for the upcoming academic year and beyond. The first meeting reviewed the themes and findings shared at the Climate Survey Town Hall, held on May 16. Events in this series can be found here.
  • The HSS Classroom Collaborative sessions are designed to help our instructors share ideas, research, and successful classroom practices in an informal environment. The first iteration centered on grading in the wake of the pandemic with an eye towards changing practices for the future. Upcoming events in this series can be found here, and past events are here.
  • The first Friday of each month, the HSS DEI committee hosts bring-your-own lunch meetings from noon to 1 p.m. in the Dabney Garden. These gatherings present an opportunity to meet with others invested in diversity, equity, and inclusion in the division to talk, plan, and share ideas. (The First Friday Lunches will resume Friday, October 7.)
  • The HSS Division Chair's Visitors Program enables HSS graduate students, postdocs, and faculty to invite scholars to Caltech who belong to groups historically excluded from our primary disciplines. The program aims to foster collaboration and new research and mentorship opportunities, both for scholars outside of Caltech and scholars within Caltech. For further information, please email Jennifer Jahner and Antonio Rangel.
  • The Chen Institute Women in Neuroscience aims to support the careers and education of women in neuroscience through invited talks, networking and career development opportunities, recruitment efforts, and advocacy for an improved campus climate.