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Building Skills of Inclusion and Equity Graduate Student Opportunities

Graduate students who want to diversify their networks, build skills of inclusion, or improve their equity-mindedness during their program of study will find a range of options at SIS. The curriculum offers pathways to build a deeper knowledge of diversity and equity, while networking events, leadership positions, and professional development experiences provide opportunities to learn and practice skills related to inclusion, antiracism, and intercultural communication. As future leaders, graduate students will play a vital role in creating a field that better represents society’s diversity and includes people who understand how to create a more equitable and just world.

Nazanin Sadati, SIS/MA ’23; Nandar Tun, SIS/MA ’23; and Jordan Grandt, SIS/MA ’23 at USIP during the Mentorship Kick-Off event.

Student Life

USIP and SIS Launch Mentoring Partnership Focused on Peacebuilding Careers

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and SIS inaugurated a partnership in fall 2022 to provide mentorship from USIP experts to graduate students focused on careers in peacebuilding.

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First-Gen Pioneers Group

Were you first in your family to graduate from college? Are you the first to pursue a career in international affairs? Are you forging a new path and looking for a community to support you along the way?

Check out SIS’s new offering for first-generation grad students to find:

  • fellow first gen pioneers
  • some tips and tricks for navigating grad school and the field
  • advice from those who were once in your shoes
  • resources that can help you maximize your grad school experience and plan your next steps

The First-Gen Pioneers Group is part social, part professional, and complete reassurance that yes, you are a vital voice in our community and our profession. Join us—as your schedule allows—for monthly meetings facilitated by SIS Dean’s Advisory Council on Diversity & Inclusion Co-Chair Rebecca Coughlin. Find out more.

15 percent

of incoming fall 2021 SIS grad students are first-generation college students

Highlights

Diversity: Name & Gender Identity

American University’s Name and Gender Identity tech pilot provides students on campus with the option to change their names in many university systems without a legal name change. Reasons for doing so may include choosing a name that affirms one's gender identity.

 

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Inclusion: Environmental Justice

This SIS grad course: Environmental Justice examines the structural and historical roots of environmental injustices across the global North and South, and considers the range of strategies and discourses of different actors in struggles for justice.

 

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Our world is more connected than ever before

Kayo Beshir, SIS/MA '23

I want to play a role in amplifying the voices of those who look like me.

I see myself as a pioneer because I come from a diverse community that values the differences in people and views unique differences as a strength. This helps me realize that no matter our background, we belong to a community such as SIS that is committed to service, celebrating diversity, and creating a more inclusive environment where all are welcomed and respected.

Past Events and Video Stories

Economic injustices abound, particularly in and through food and agricultural systems, from corporate monopolies to labor exploitation to trade 'dumping.' This panel dives into the fundamental cost-price squeeze, debt, and concentration at the heart of the dominant agricultural political economy. As part of the year-long Disparity to Parity webinar series, this event gathers practitioners and analysts to unpack the economic inequities--and economic justice potential--of farm policy.