Course Spotlight: MDP 585: Diversity and Equity in Development
MDP 585: Diversity and Equity in Development is a 2-weekend intensive course that explores what the benefits of bringing an equity lens can be for individuals and organizations with the goal of including more perspectives in the development process. Drawing on intersectional approaches to making power and privilege visible, the course equips students with frameworks, tools, and exercises to understand issues around diversity, equity, and inclusion at individual and systems-level scales. As the culminating project students have the opportunity to apply an equity frame to a particular issue or program of their choosing as to cement the insights and further understand both how to identify, engage with, and challenge vectors of oppression that emerge at aforementioned scales. For instance, students wrestled with questions such as “what is identity?” and “what is culture” to dissect the ways in which these ideas interact to reproduce particular forms of oppression and structures of power. Through these exercises students establish the vocabulary and lens to understand and challenge oppression and structures of power appropriately.
This course was designed in response to calls from the Class of 2019 to provide greater focus on unpacking issues of race and racism for themselves as individuals and also for their work as development practitioners.
The inaugural session was facilitated by Candace M. Stanciel over 2 weekends in November. Candace is the founder of The Common Good Agency (CGA), a consulting firm focused on capacity building for nonprofits and Higher Education institutions. Candace’s work with clients focuses on developing diversity, equity, and inclusion capacity and competency for systems change.
Facilitator and founder of Common Good Agency Candace M. Stanciel
Regarding the imperative of the course content Candace remarked "For those seeking to create a more just world through service, both in development and ministry, understanding their identity and interrogating an understanding of 'the other' is critical to success, therefore, a course focused on understanding diversity and inclusion and implementing more equitable policies and practices in both of these fields allows us to develop stronger solutions to our world's most pressing challenges.”
MDP 585 is just one example of how MDP strides to respond to student interest and things they desire to learn more about.
Curriculum
The Emory MDP curriculum combines natural, social, health sciences and management.
FIELD PRACTICUM
The Field Practicum is a core component of the Emory MDP curriculum.