After completing this course, you will:

• explain the most important concepts, debates and strategies regarding gender & diversity in public and private organizations;
• identify and analyse organizational processes that reproduce (gender, ethnic, age, sexual etc.) inequality in organizations;
• describe the challenges in implementing diversity-related policies in public and private organizations, and identify these challenges in your case study organization;
• review various conceptions of effective and successful practices in diversity-related policies;
• design a policy report with regards to gender & diversity for a case study organization, applying the concepts, debates and strategies discussed during the course;
• cope with the uncertainties of a research/policy process in which there is no one best way of achieving its goals.

As the labor force becomes increasingly diverse, a strong emphasis is being placed on diversity-related issues of all kinds in the workplace. Organizations realize that they need to address diversity issues in some manner, if they are to compete effectively in a global economy. By using a combination of insights and concepts from organization studies, gender & diversity studies, sociology and anthropology, students will gain insight in why and how various types of organizations deal with the increasing socio-demographic diversity in society. First, we explore how social inequality in terms of gender, ethnicity, age, sexuality, dis-/ability etc. is (re)produced in organizations. The course will offer several analytical frameworks to map complex processes that underlie the reproduction of inequality in organizations. Second, students will learn about the different strategies that organizations use to proactively deal with diversity and to create a culture of inclusiveness. This course discusses how diversity work can be organized and positioned within the organization. We study what kind of programs have been proposed, and implemented, and to what extent they have shown to be effective. Third, we delve into the micropolitics of diversity work; implementing sensitive diversity policies is a complex change process that often evokes resistance.

For exchange students and students who take this course as an elective: participation is only possible if sufficient places are available.