Diversity Leadership Development Course

Overview of Program

Through this program, students will be able to:

1. Articulate their own intersectional identities and leadership style
2. Participate in social justice focused programming to deepen their understanding of how diversity and equity intersect with leadership
3. Discover and enhance their leadership capacity and skills through on-going community involvement and leadership opportunities with personalized advising and guidance from program staff
4. Integrate the understanding of how ECC and UW Resources can aid them in their growth and development inside and outside of the classroom

Students interested in the Diversity Leadership Development Class will register for the GEN ST 297 course to earn 2 elective credits through their participation in this program. Students will engage in several leadership development activities and complete Post-Activity Summaries after each completed requirement to document their progress. At the end of the program, students will integrate their experiences and create their own workshop as a future tool to present as a student leader.

We provide many ECC-affiliated activities to complete each of the program components. However, we encourage student leaders to get involved in the broader University of Washington campus community and personalize this experience to your own leadership journey. Therefore, we understand that there are many different ways you can complete the requirements of the Diversity Leadership Development Course.

Students will work with the program manager to submit a Diversity Leadership Plan that details how they will complete all requirements, including both ECC-affiliated and broader campus activities.

Register

Winter quarter registration is open!

Class is on Wednesdays from 2:30-3:30pm at ECC 206. Indicate your interest through this registration form. Once you complete the form and indicate interest in course credits, the program manager will send you the GEN ST 297 course add code. We recommend submitting the form at least two weeks before the start of the quarter so there is enough time to register for GEN ST 297 without a late registration penalty.

Please make sure the dates work for your schedule. The SLN is 22085

Social Justice Learning

The ECC believes social justice is a core component of ethical leadership. Students will participate in Social Justice Focused Events and complete the Post-Activity Summary to reflect on their learning.

During Winter Quarter, The Diversity Leadership Conference is a mandatory Social Justice Focused Event. There are a variety of other ECC events that can fulfill this requirement, including our Social Justice Workshops and Leadership Without Borders programming. Other events on campus may also count towards this requirement, so students are encouraged to tailor their learning to their interests and passions.

Community Involvement

The ECC strives to offer an inclusive and empowering space for students to gather, build community and coalition, and get involved in diverse communities. Students in the Diversity Leadership Development course will participate in Community Involvement Events and complete the Post-Activity Summary to reflect on their experience. ECC-affiliated opportunities to complete this requirement include RSO Fairs, affinity group Student Mixers, Annual Awards Gala, and RSO Community Bond Night. Other events on campus may also count towards this requirement, so students are encouraged to tailor their learning to their interests and passions.

Demonstration of Leadership

Demonstrate leadership or active pursuance of leadership activities and complete a final project in the form of a mini-workshop that relates to this leadership activity. Activity examples include:

• Serving as and/or running for an officer position in an RSO
• Leading a workshop/training session/presentation at a conference or similar event, for an RSO or other organization you are involved in, etc.
• Serving as and/or running for ASUW Office or working for an ASUW Diversity Commission
• Engaging in community engagement and public service opportunities through the CELE Center
• Finding an organization to volunteer with (as long as leadership, broadly defined, is incorporated somehow)
• Starting the process of creating a new RSO if you feel like there is a type of RSO that is not currently available that you would be interested in building
• Signing up for a mentorship opportunity that begins this quarter
• Mentoring for an organization at your former high school

Other activities on campus can count towards this requirement! Please submit full details in your Diversity Leadership Plan for consideration.

Readings and Final Project (workshop presentation)

Students will complete all the readings listed in this syllabus, submit 1-2 discussion questions in Canvas based on each reading, and come to class each week prepared to discuss your thoughts with your peers. These readings provide a theoretical foundation of leadership development.

As a final project for this course, students will prepare a workshop related to their leadership activity that could be presented during an RSO meeting.

Your workshop topic can be anything relating to diversity and leadership. Examples of potential topics include:

• Social Justice
• Finding Community
• Navigating Difficult Conversations
• Moving Beyond Dialogue to Action
• Mental Health and Wellness
• Thriving as Underrepresented Folks
• Professionalism and Respectability Politics
• Addressing Generational Trauma
• Activism Fatigue
• Equitable Leadership
• Self-Care and Self-Love
• Intersectionality
• Challenging “Hustle” Culture
• Transferable Skills in Academic and Work Settings

Good examples of workshops can be found in past years of the Diversity Leadership Conference. They can be found here: https://depts.washington.edu/ecc/dlc/

More Information

Student leadership development is a core component of the ECC’s work and mission. Read more about the ECC’s LEADS model here. Do you have questions that aren’t answered on this page? Please email panelon@uw.edu if you have any further questions.