Activating DEI Insights to Shape Your Organization. Critically examine power, privilege, bias, stereotypes, social identities, and justice to develop strategies for integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into your organization.

Sam Mejias

Offered By

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Organizational Leaders SpecializationParsons School of Design, The New School

What you will learn

Examine the roots of DEI in social justice, what creates power and privilege, and how identities, biases, and stereotypes are formed.
Learn effective business strategies to employ diversity, equity, and inclusion to enhance business initiatives.
Focus on management practices for working with diverse teams as well as sustaining diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the workplace.
Contextualize the movements elevating diversity, equity, and inclusion within society.

Skills you will gain

About this Specialization

In the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Organizational Leaders specialization, you will learn about the ideas, texts, resources, strategies, practices, and critical perspectives you need to build a DEI-oriented company culture. You’ll start by exploring the foundational concepts that inform diversity, equity, and inclusion: origins of power, privilege, bias, stereotypes, social identities, and justice. Then you will learn how to articulate the reasons diversity, equity, and inclusion are beneficial in the workplace for both teams and the broader organization. Finally you will explore management practices that will assist you when working with diverse teams and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace and help you overcome any obstacles to implementation along the way.

Applied Learning Project

In each course of this specialization, you will dive deeper into the diversity, equity, and inclusion topics most intriguing to you. For each project, you will research, analyze, and synthesize topics with the goal of sharing your perspectives with fellow learners through peer review of one another’s research. Through these experiences, you will gain familiarity with diversity, equity, and inclusion perspectives that can be applied to professional challenges and opportunities now and in the future.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

Approximately 3 months to complete

Suggested pace of 3 hours/week

English

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

Approximately 3 months to complete

Suggested pace of 3 hours/week

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

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How the Specialization Works

Take Courses

A Coursera Specialization is a series of courses that helps you master a skill. To begin, enroll in the Specialization directly, or review its courses and choose the one you'd like to start with. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. It’s okay to complete just one course — you can pause your learning or end your subscription at any time. Visit your learner dashboard to track your course enrollments and your progress.

Hands-on Project

Every Specialization includes a hands-on project. You'll need to successfully finish the project(s) to complete the Specialization and earn your certificate. If the Specialization includes a separate course for the hands-on project, you'll need to finish each of the other courses before you can start it.

Earn a Certificate

When you finish every course and complete the hands-on project, you'll earn a Certificate that you can share with prospective employers and your professional network.

There are 3 Courses in this Specialization

Course1

Course 1

Foundations of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

In this course, you will explore questions such as: Who is represented in your workplace, and who is not? Who doesn’t feel heard, and why not? Are we treating one another equitably? What history has led us here? What has brought all of these issues to the forefront of society today? You will analyze the complex, multifaceted concept of justice and its role in determining society’s ability to be diverse, equitable, and inclusive. You will explore concepts from different disciplines, including sociology, media, communications, history, and education. This course will equip you with solid foundational knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion that can provide a useful framework for application in professional contexts.

This course is for professionals at any level who are looking to develop a deeper understanding of the fundamental concepts of DEI as well as the historical and cultural drivers of DEI movements and how they have shaped our cultural dialogues. To succeed in this course, you should have an active interest in applying diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in your organization. On successful completion of this course you will be able to: - Contextualize the movements elevating diversity, equity, and inclusion within society. - Evaluate the driving factors behind diversity, equity, and inclusion in cultural dialogues.

Course2

Course 2

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Applications for Executives

In this course, you will explore the challenges of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) for business and corporate leaders. You will consider questions like: How does maximizing an organization’s diversity benefit stakeholders? How can we improve employee performance? What can we do to advance institutional progress?

You will learn how to lead with equity and design a business with DEI at the center of organizational culture. You will learn how to sustainably operationalize and improve inclusion and belonging within your organization and look at ways to measure and maintain accountability to your organization’s DEI goals and vision. Finally you will create an action plan to put your commitment to DEI into practice. This course is tailored to executives and senior leaders who have influence on their organization’s policies and strategic plans and who want to further their understanding of the impacts and opportunities DEI policies have on their operational business practices. To succeed in this course, you should have an active interest in implementing tangible and sustainable change at the organization level. On successful completion of this course, you will be able to: - Evaluate current business practices to embrace DEI policies in all aspects of your business. - Create DEI strategies that enhance business initiatives and foster equity in the workplace.

Course3

Course 3

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Best Practices for Managers

This course will help you take your management practice to new levels by incorporating equity and inclusion to generate well-being and positive momentum in your organization. You will explore ways managers can apply diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies in the workplace. You will learn about the critical role of creating and sustaining mutual understanding in forging robust alliances within diverse teams. You will discover the concept of allyship and ways to promote it in your workplace. You will explore the benefits of DEI for creativity, performance, and productivity, including improved employee satisfaction at work. This course also provides you with the tools you need to develop DEI approaches for and with your teams.

This course is tailored to managers who make strategic decisions around hiring, work assignments, and employee performance evaluations and who are looking to develop the tangible skills and competencies needed to be a more inclusive leader. To succeed, you should have an active interest in promoting open dialogue amongst your team and advocating for changes that result in more equitable and sustainable practices in your areas of responsibility. On successful completion of this course, you will be able to: - Analyze the correlation between DEI initiatives and employee performance and employee satisfaction. - Evaluate strategies managers can use to implement strong DEI policies in their daily operations.

Instructor

Sam Mejias

Parsons Faculty

School of Design Strategies

266 Learners

3 Courses

Offered by

Parsons School of Design, The New School

For more than a century, Parsons School of Design has been inspired by the transformative potential of design. Today, the school’s groundbreaking academic programs carry forward that mission, making Parsons the number one design school in the U.S. and among the top three globally. At the heart of a comprehensive university — The New School — Parsons draws on a range of academic fields to deliver a uniquely interdisciplinary education enriched by the resources of its home in New York City and branch campus in Paris. Here, the next generation of creative leaders engage in real-world learning and develop as critical thinkers and makers grappling with the pressing issues of our time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the refund policy?
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.
Can I just enroll in a single course?
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
Can I take the course for free?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for financial aid.
Is this course really 100% online? Do I need to attend any classes in person?
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
How long does it take to complete the Specialization?
Time to completion will vary based on your schedule and individual pace. Most learners are able to complete the Specialization in 3-6 months.
What background knowledge is necessary?
At least 2 years of professional experience and a desire to apply strong diversity, equity, and inclusion practice in your organization
Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?
If you are enrolled in the Specialization, we strongly recommend you follow the sequence of courses suggested to build upon your understanding of topics -- 1) Foundations of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion , 2) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Applications for Business Executives and lastly, 3) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Business Practices for Managers.
Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?
Participation in this online specialization is not for credit and does not constitute enrollment at the University. The certificate of completion does not confer a University grade, course credit or degree.
What will I be able to do upon completing the Specialization?
By the end of this specialization, you will be able to 1) Examine the roots of DEI in social justice, what creates power and privilege, and how identities, biases, and stereotypes are formed.; 2) Learn effective business strategies to employ diversity, equity, and inclusion to enhance business initiatives.; and 3) Focus on management practices for working with diverse teams as well as sustaining diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the workplace.

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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Organizational Leaders Specialization

What you will learn

Skills you will gain

About this Specialization

Applied Learning Project