Diversity - Psychology Department

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND

PSYCHOLOGY

A valuing of diversity, equity, and inclusion is central to the discipline of psychology and to preparing the next generation of psychologists to live and work in a diverse world.

The American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, state that psychologists:

“Recognize that fairness and justice entitle all persons to access to and benefit from the contributions of psychology and to equal quality in the processes, procedures, and services being conducted by psychologists.
Are aware of and respect cultural, individual, and role differences, including those based on age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socioeconomic status, and consider these factors when working with members of such groups.
And try to eliminate the effect on their work of biases based on those factors, and they do not knowingly participate in or condone activities of others based upon such prejudices.” (APA, 2017, https://www.apa.org/ethics/code)

In addition, an emphasis on diversity and equity is consistent with the American Psychological Association’s (2017) Multicultural Guidelines, which implore psychologists to:

Understand that they are cultural beings with attitudes and beliefs that can influence their work as psychologists.
Be aware of the role of social and physical environments on the lives of those with whom we work.
Recognize and understand historical and contemporary experiences with power, privilege, and oppression.
Strive to conduct culturally appropriate and informed research, teaching, supervision, consultation, assessment, interpretation, diagnosis, dissemination, and evaluation of efficacy.

Consistent with these disciplinary principles and guidelines, the faculty, students, and staff of the University of Tennessee’s Department of Psychology view diversity, multiculturalism, and social justice as fundamental ethical, societal, and scientific values. To foster outstanding research, scholarship, and psychological practice, and to be citizens able to work, excel, and lead in an increasingly multicultural and global society, we must be inclusive and diverse. We recognize and value diversity in its myriad forms, including ability status, age, ethnicity, family structure, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religion and spirituality, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and veteran status.

EQUITY AND FAIRNESS

Our Department of Psychology is committed to advancing and maintaining a collegial academic environment based on equity and fairness. We work to:

Create and sustain a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive departmental climate.
Attract and retain greater numbers of individuals from under-represented populations into faculty, staff, and administrative positions.
Attract, retain, and graduate increasing numbers of students from historically under-represented populations and international students.
Ensure that curricular requirements reflect the Department’s commitment to diversity and social justice.
Prepare graduate students to become teachers, researchers, and clinicians in a diverse world.
Develop and strengthen departmental partnerships with diverse communities on local, state, national, and international levels.

RESOURCES

The Department of Psychology Diversity Council is a body of students, staff, and faculty tasked with furthering these goals. If you’d like to join the Diversity Council, please email the current Co-Chairs, Kirsten Gonzalez, Todd Freeberg, and Joe Miles.

For a list of diversity-related courses in the Department of Psychology, click here.

For a list of diversity-related resources on campus, in the community, and within the discipline of psychology, click here.

DIVERSITY-RELATED CLIMATE ISSUES

The Department of Psychology Diversity Council is interested in hearing comments or concerns about the Department climate around issues related to diversity. CLICK HERE to access an anonymous, online portal to submit such comments and questions. Submissions are reviewed by the Department Head and routed to the Diversity Council, when appropriate (i.e., human resource issues remain under the purview of the Department Head). Unfortunately, to maintain confidentiality, specific actions taken as a result of submitted comments and questions may not be made public, even though they are taken seriously and acted upon by the Department Head and/or Diversity Council, when appropriate.