ODU Coronavirus Notice - Click Here
Following University guidelines communicated to campus on Wednesday March 11th (link here) and because Old Dominion University places top priority on the health and safety of its community, OIR will not be hosting events until further notice in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus). The University urges you to bookmark and continue to refer to odu.edu/covid19, where we will post updates regularly and have an extensive FAQ. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate an unprecedented challenge. Our goal is to minimize the inevitable disruption and provide students with a successful completion of their spring semester.
Diversity & Inclusion
Diversity Institute (DI) is an experience designed to help students develop the knowledge and skills to live, work, and thrive in a global community. By using popular culture such as board games, books, and movies to explain identity, DI provides a fun and engaging way to talk with one another about diversity.
Being Diverse
The benefits of the Diversity Institute are numerous:
- Learn professional requirements related to operating in a diverse, multicultural, and/or global setting.
- Develop empathy and ability to operate and promote an inclusive climate.
- Develop communication skills needed in a pluralistic setting.
- Create an understanding of your own identity and how it impacts your interactions with others.
- Gain recognition by ODU community as being committed to the opportunities and challenges of working in a global community.
Diversity Institute Promo
Diversity Education Session Topics from the Past
GAMING SESSION 1
The event is a four-part series titled Gaming Diversity. It's a meet and Greet where we will be playing games while talking about Diversity, Differences, and Inclusivity, in games, in gaming culture and in Gaming Industry.
GAMING SESSION 2 (Hardmode)
The second event on this 4-part series titled gaming diversity is where we learn to tackle controversial topics in games, gaming culture, and in gaming industry. How do gaming foster inclusion? when do they not? What do you do when you face bigotry or abuse in the games that you play? How can you use to explore difficult topics such as politics and history using games.
GAMING SESSION 3 (Game Mode)
The third event of a four-part series titled Gaming Diversity is mandatory for participation in our April Gaming Expo. Learn what we'll do and how we will build instructional games that explore sensitive issues of difference and inclusion.
GAMING SESSION 4 (GAME-ON)
This hands-on workshop will explore the difficult subject of dealing with difference. Your challenge is to create games designed to cultivate resilience at the intersection of discrimination and fragility. Win Prizes!
Experiencing Social Class through Monopoly
In this session, we will experience how social class (wealth, employment, region) affects aspects of society such as housing, access to jobs, taxes, and even criminal justice, all through the classic game of Monopoly!
Queering Harry Potter: Experiencing LGBTQ+ Identity through the Wizarding World
In this session, we will discuss how the Wizarding World of Harry Potter provides a unique insight into LGBTQ+ culture and identity. From men wearing pink cloaks and high heeled boots to Harry coming out of a literal closet, we will discuss Harry Potter through a queer lens.
With Liberty OR Justice for All: Can Free Speech Coexist with Diversity and Inclusion?
Which is more important: protecting free speech or fostering inclusivity? Your answer may depend on your race, gender, religion, or sexual identity. In this two-hour session, we will discuss the right to free speech, how it is protected, and when such protections are at odds with inclusivity. What should ODU students and faculty do to ensure liberty AND justice for all?
Start the Conversation! Bridge the Divide!!
When it comes to engaging others with different viewpoints, how can we move beyond distrust and enter the conversation with respectful dialogue and engage in a safe judgement-free space to that are different.
Build Your Toolkit!
This Session is a 10-week experience designed to help students develop the knowledge and awareness necessary to live, work, and thrive in a Global society.
Agents of Change in a culturally diverse world!
This Semester long session was designed to help students develop opportunities for personal and professional development in a diversified culture with the concentration on Racism, Sexism, Classism, Hetrosexism, Creedism, and Ableism.
Experiencing Social Class through Monopoly
In this session, we will experience how social class (wealth, employment, region) affects aspects of society such as housing, access to jobs, taxes, and even criminal justice, all through the classic game of Monopoly!
Queering Harry Potter: Experiencing LGBTQ+ Identity through the Wizarding World
In this session, we will discuss how the Wizarding World of Harry Potter provides a unique insight into LGBTQ+ culture and identity. From men wearing pink cloaks and high heeled boots to Harry coming out of a literal closet, we will discuss Harry Potter through a queer lens.
With Liberty OR Justice for All: Can Free Speech Coexist with Diversity and Inclusion?
Which is more important: protecting free speech or fostering inclusivity? Your answer may depend on your race, gender, religion, or sexual identity. In this two-hour session, we will discuss the right to free speech, how it is protected, and when such protections are at odds with inclusivity. What should ODU students and faculty do to ensure liberty AND justice for all?
Start the Conversation! Bridge the Divide!!
When it comes to engaging others with different viewpoints, how can we move beyond distrust and enter the conversation with respectful dialogue and engage in a safe judgement-free space to that are different.