Changing the Narrative: Disrupting Assum

This course will provide students with the foundational skills to communicate in diverse settings about a number of topics that individuals tend to avoid including those related to race, gender, ethnicity and national origins, gender identity, sexuality, socio-economic class, age, religion, mental health, and disability. People become connected through their conversations and through these connections they can change how they understand and feel about each other (Livingston, 2021). Conversations are a tool for individuals to learn to build trust, develop relationships, and create productive communities. Today’s workplaces are diverse, including people from many backgrounds and experiences; this course seeks to develop students’ understanding of others experiences, increase their awareness of biases and judgments, overcome fears around communicating, and translate this knowledge into developing more cohesive and dynamic work environments.