UCalgary campus

Climate and diversity

Department of Philosophy

The Department has a standing committee on Climate and Diversity, charged with monitoring and improving the climate in the department. We are in the process of implementing the BPA/SWIP Good Practice Scheme

Activities to date include:

  • A resolution to aim for at least 20% of readings in philosophy courses dedicated to women authors or other underrepresented groups or traditions, with a biannual survey to track progress.
  • Aiming for gender parity in our speaker series
  • Climate surveys of students and faculty to identify issues
  • Encouraging anonymous evaluation to reduce bias (including anonymizing essays submitted as writing samples or for the essay competition)
  • Holding department events during working hours to enable participation of department members with caregiving obligations
  • Working with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Protected Disclosure to offer workshops to department members