Diversity in Higher Education
The final paper will be comprised of three sections, as outlined below. The entire document must follow APA specifications and include an abstract. Use heading and sub-headings per APA style guidelines to help organize your essay. There are no separate requirements for master’s and doctoral students; however, the critical thinking and writing capacities for doctoral students are placed with higher performance expectations. Note that the suggested page lengths listed below are merely guidelines. The final paper should be approximately 12-15 pages in length. Choose a group or topic of interest within higher education that pertains to diversity. This can be defined very broadly and may include a focus on students, faculty, staff; specific groups; diversity plans (analysis, development, implementation, etc.); institutional missions, policies, or programs aimed at increasing diversity; challenges measuring diversity progress; specific incidents related to diversity and institutional responses to those incidents; and so forth. Pick a topic that interests you and that you consider to be important in terms of postsecondary diversity. 1. Context: Write 4 – 5 pages to set the context. Present a brief history of the population or issue and highlight relevant current research, including statistics, progress and status reports, and critiques that are the focus of your final paper. In other words, give the reader some background about the issue or topic you have selected. You should also describe your orientation to the topic and explicitly describe your own social identity and how it may have influenced your choice of topic, may affect your analysis, and your position as a researcher. You should include a minimum of 5 research articles (but there should be additional research) or other formal sources in this portion of the paper. 2. Theory, Model, or Framework: Write 2-3 pages summarizing and discussing applicable theories, models, and/or frameworks you will use to analyze your selected topic. Choose 1-2 theories, models and/or frameworks to describe and discuss. Include an explicit discussion as to why you selected these theories/models/frameworks as opposed to others (i.e., what value or perspective do they offer?). You should choose a theory that aligns with the topic and provides a lens to analyze the issue more rigorously. For example, consider using Latino Critical Race Theory (Villalpando) if you are writing about Latinos in higher education. You may want to use the CECE Model (Museus) or the Inclusive Excellence Model (Williams et al.) if discussing diversity plans. Theories, models, and frameworks will be touched upon in class. 3. Analysis, Implications, and Recommendations: In 6 – 7 pages, analyze the issue or topic using the selected theory/model/framework(s). You are encouraged to supplement the information you provided in the introduction with additional data, articles, reports, and other sources that will shape and strengthen your analysis. What main accomplishments, challenges, strategies, techniques, etc., shape the issue? What is needed to address or advance the issue further? What patterns (if any) do you observe? What are the implications and recommendations for practitioners, researchers, specific individuals, offices, or interested parties within higher education (e.g., the Chief Diversity Officer, the President, faculty and staff, students, Offices of Equity and Inclusion, nonprofit organizations)? Provide specific implications and recommendations for specific audiences (be creative, innovative, and realistic). For example, if you discuss the lack of diverse offices and plans at particular types of institutions, what are the implications for those specific types of institutions? How might they begin to develop diversity offices and strategies? Pay attention to the context you outlined in the first section (in other words, be focused and consistent). You may also wish to consider and discuss issues of implementation, data gathering, evaluations of progress, etc., for the recommendations that you offer.