Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Department of Philosophy Anti-Racism Statement and Action Plan
The Department of Philosophy at Western University condemns racism in all its forms and will act with others to oppose racism and other forms of oppression. We are outraged by systemic police violence and killing of Black people and Indigenous peoples, and by ongoing and vehement anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism in Canada.
We acknowledge that within the discipline of philosophy and our own department, racialized individuals and other members of marginalized groups are grossly under-represented.
We, as a department, commit to acting in the following ways:
- increasing in our courses the representation of under-represented voices, including those of racialized people;
- participating in the ongoing efforts at the faculty and the university levels to address racism;
- carefully considering how we might implement at the department level recommendations of the President’s Anti-Racism Working Group and our Dean’s Task Force on Anti-Racism;
- consulting in an ongoing way with members of our community to identify, learn about, and address concerns they have about equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Climate Committee
The Department’s Climate Committee is a body of faculty members, staff, graduate and undergraduate students whose role is to oversee and coordinate issues having to do with inclusiveness and respect in the department and to work towards the establishment and maintenance of a good climate for all. The Committee is especially concerned with ways in which the department is a welcoming one for members of groups traditionally under-represented in philosophy. It reports to the Department, the Graduate Affairs Committee and the Undergraduate Affairs Committee, drawing attention to issues that in its view need addressing, proposing policy changes and bringing motions for consideration.
Present composition of the Climate Committee
Wayne Myrvold (Faculty), Chair of the Committee Committee
Helen Fielding (Faculty)
Elisa Kilbourne(Staff)
Graduate Student (TBA)
Undergraduate Student (TBA)
Minorities and Philosophy (MAP)
MAP is an internationally established group of philosophers from around the world who are committed to improving our profession with respect to both theoretical and practical issues regarding equity and diversity. There are MAP chapters in several countries around the world. Western’s chapter was officially approved on January 1, 2015, making it the third Canadian chapter (of a total of three).
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