Heterodox Out Loud

Rethinking DEI in Higher Education with Azim Shariff | Ep. 14

Apr 24, 2024

Distinguished professor Azim Shariff discusses rethinking DEI in academia, exploring the balance between truth-seeking and social justice, challenges of interdisciplinary research diversity, impact of role models on education outcomes, and the values driving DEI initiatives within academic institutions.

01:02:15

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Azim Shariff

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Quick takeaways

Diversity in faculty hiring drives knowledge advancement in academia beyond academic excellence metrics.

Academic recruitment balances meritocratic standards with social justice considerations to address societal inequities.

Role models from similar racial backgrounds positively impact students' academic performance, enhancing grades and retention rates.

Deep dives

Reasons for Diversity and University Goals

The podcast discusses how a focus on diversity in faculty hiring aligns with broader university goals of advancing knowledge. Emphasizing that diversity entails more than traditional metrics of academic excellence, the episode highlights the importance of a diverse workforce for achieving a comprehensive production of human knowledge.

Introduction

2min

The Evolution of Diversity in Faculty Hiring in Higher Education

12min

Examining the Dual Telos of Universities and Human Flourishing

2min

Navigating Diversity in Academic Hiring

10min

Exploring Hiring Biases, Academic Scholarship, and Social Justice in Higher Education

2min

Exploring Social Justice, Faculty Hiring, and Role Models in Higher Education

17min

The Power of Diversity in Research Teams

15min

Navigating Diversity Prioritization in Universities

4min

Is diversity simply a box-checking exercise, or does it hold a deeper significance in academia? Today we're joined by Azim Shariff, Ph.D, a distinguished professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia, to explore the complex landscape of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in higher education. In this conversation, John Tomasi and Azim delve deep into the multifaceted approach to DEI, discussing the pressing need to rethink and clarify the rationale behind diversity in faculty hiring and beyond.

Azim provides a fresh perspective on managing and harnessing diversity's paradox of fostering innovation and coordination challenges. Whether it's the impact of role models on educational outcomes or the intricate balance between meritocracy and social justice motives, this episode promises to unfold the nuanced dynamics of DEI efforts within academic institutions.

Get ready to challenge your understanding of diversity in academia as we navigate through the meritocratic, social justice, and instrumental values driving DEI initiatives.

In This Episode:

Rethinking DEI in academia
Balancing truth-seeking and social justice
The challenges of interdisciplinary research diversity
How role models impact education outcomes
Clarifying the motives behind faculty diversity

Follow Azim on X here: https://twitter.com/azimshariff

About Azim:

Azim Shariff is a Professor and Canada 150 Research Chair at the University of British Columbia, where he directs the Centre for Applied Moral Psychology. His research on morality, religion, politics, and technology regularly receives global media coverage and has appeared in top academic journals such as Science, Nature, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He has written about this work for The New York Times and Scientific American and has spoken at TED, the Aspen Ideas Festival, and the World Science Festival in New York. He is a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences. He teaches a free Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) on The Science of Religion for the public through edX. Professor Shariff earned his doctorate from UBC in 2010 and returned as a faculty member in 2018.

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