Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to the fundamental equality and dignity of all members of our community. We would like to make the Faculty of Philosophy welcoming to everyone. We believe that Philosophy should be fully inclusive and we aim to provide a working, learning and social environment in which everyone is treated with respect, so that everyone can reach their full potential.

The Faculty's work in this area is overseen by the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee, which is chaired by the EDI Officer, Professor Alison Hills (St John’s College). The committee meets once a term, before the Faculty Board Meeting to which it reports.

Please feel free to approach Alison on alison.hills@philosophy.ox.ac.uk at any time with any business you would like the EDI Committee to consider or any ideas you have for new initiatives. We actively welcome input from the wider Faculty community into the ongoing work of the EDI Committee.

In addition, Alison holds two EDI Office Hours each term, between 2 and 3pm on Friday in weeks 4 and 7. She is very happy to meet people at these office hours, but she is also available to speak at any time. Please do email to ask for an appointment. Alison frequently liaises with other EDI Officers across the Humanities Division and sends regular email updates with information and resources relating to EDI.

Any EDI questions or concerns can also be directed to the Humanities Division's EDI Officer, Machilu van Bever Donker, on edi@humanities.ox.ac.uk

Information, Resources and Contacts

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The range of resources relating to EDI is vast, but here are some links to material you might find useful. Please feel free to email the EDI Officer with further suggestions, and note that there are additional and more specific links for students in the STUDENT SUPPORT tab below.

 

Within Oxford

There are very many support networks across the University, for staff, students and both, that are intended to help you navigate specific EDI questions or concerns. Please see the below links for more information and contact details for some of these initiatives, but a comprehensive list is available via the Humanities Division.

The EDI Hub Bulletin is available within the University, distributed fortnightly during term time (but less frequently during vacations). It features information, profiles, resources, funding opportunities, case studies and events relating to any aspect of EDI at the University of Oxford. If you would like the Bulletin delivered directly to your inbox, please send a blank email to: edi-hub-newsletter-subscribe@maillist.admin.ox.ac.uk

The Neurodiversity at Oxford project, supported by the Oxford Diversity Fund and organised by Dr Laura Seymour and Prof Siân Grønlie, supports, celebrates and empowers neurodivergent staff and students: https://neurodiversityoxford.web.ox.ac.uk/

The Oxford and Colonialism website brings together the wide range of initiatives across the collegiate University engaging with its colonial past and its ongoing manifestations: https://oxfordandcolonialism.web.ox.ac.uk/

 

Beyond Oxford

To find out more about EDI in professional philosophy, see this article by Fiona Jenkins, originally published in the Oxford Philosophy magazine in 2015.

SWIP UK is an organisation of UK women in philosophy, including students and professionals, working within or outside academic departments, which aims to end discrimination against women in philosophy: https://www.swipuk.org/

SWIP UK has worked with the British Philosophical Association to develop guidelines for good practice within academic philosophy. They can be found here: https://bpa.ac.uk/diversity/good-practice-scheme/

 

If you encounter any difficulties or have any questions relating to EDI during your time as a student with the Faculty, there are multiple sources of advice available to you. These are outlined below, but please note that you can contact the Faculty's EDI Officer, Alison Hills, with any queries in the first instance. 

 

Within the Colleges

Each College has its own EDI initiatives, officers and support networks, and information will be available via your local representatives. You can contact your Dean, Chaplain or Undergraduate/Graduate Advisor to find out more information, and Common Room or Equal Opportunities Officers will also be available to help.

 

Within the Faculty

As stated above, the Faculty's EDI Officer, Alison Hills, can be contacted for all EDI-related enquiries. In addition, the Faculty's Welfare Officer, Rachael Sanders, will be able to signpost you to the most relevant resources for any concerns you may have.

You should also feel free to contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies or the Director of Graduate Studies as required, and your student reps are on hand to provide support.

 

Within the University

The Humanities Division supports a number of EDI initiatives, details of which can be found here. You can also contact the Division's EDI Officer with ideas or concerns.

The University's welfare and counselling services are available should you need them, including the various Peer Support networks. Links to other sources of guidance and support are available in the EDI RESOURCES tab above.

 

Oxford University is committed to enabling students with disabilities to participate as fully as possible in student life. The University's Equality and Diversity Unit acts as a central resource of information, providing advice on matters affecting students with disabilities and working to facilitate their studies.

The Faculty of Philosophy strives to treat all students equally. Individual student needs are taken into account as far as possible, and necessary adaptations and assistance are provided within the resources available. We hope to anticipate the likely needs of our students, but we welcome all requests and suggestions, to which we will respond in a flexible and constructive manner. The Faculty's Disability Officer is Rachael Sanders.

Further information about specific aspects of the teaching and learning environment is available here.

 

What is bullying and harassment?

Harassment consists of engaging in unwanted and unwarranted conduct which has the purpose or effect of

  • Violating another person’s dignity or
  • Creating an intimidating hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for another person.

You do not need to have explicitly stated that the behaviour was unwanted, and the person engaging in this behaviour need not have had the intention of engaging in such conduct for the effects to be very real.

Bullying may be characterized as offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour or the misuse of power through means intended to undermine, humiliate, denigrate or injure the recipient. The full University policy can be found here.

If you are being bullied or harassed, help is available.

 

Who can help?

Anyone in the Philosophy Faculty (undergraduates, graduates, administrative or academic staff) can arrange to speak privately and in confidence to one of the Faculty's four Harassment Advisors, whose details are provided below. 

They will help you to work out next steps and who to talk to, whatever you are experiencing and regardless of whether it is happening in a Faculty or a College situation. If you wish to speak to someone completely outside the Faculty, that is also possible and you can contact the University Harassment Advisor Network by emailing harassment.line@admin.ox.ac.uk

 

What can you expect when you consult a Faculty Harassment Advisor?

  • You will be listened to without judgement and in confidence
  • You will be believed
  • You will be advised as to where to find further support
  • You will be advised as to possible next steps

There is a helpful summary of what a Harassment Advisor can and can't do here: https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/support#collapse1229891

We understand that it can feel daunting to take the step of contacting a Harassment Adviser, but we are here to help and you should not hesitate to contact us.

 

Faculty Harassment Advisors

You are welcome to contact an advisor at any time for a confidential discussion about any concerns you may have.

 

 

What is sexual harassment and sexual violence?

Sexual harassment and violence is any unwanted sexual behaviour which takes place without consent, whether someone knows the person or not. It may happen online for example on social media, via email or messaging.

Sexual harassment and violence can include:

  • Catcalling, wolf-whistling, leering, unwanted comments or jokes about a person’s body, clothing or sex-life;
  • Stalking someone or following them (in person or online);
  • Unwanted physical contact, such as groping, sexual assault, abuse or rape;
  • Abusive or coercive behaviour within a relationship;
  • Unwelcome sexual requests;
  • Non-consensual photos like up-skirting or sharing of explicit material.

Sexual harassment is usually directed at an individual, but this is not always the case. Sometimes there can be a culture of sexual harassment in a workplace or group that is not specifically aimed at one person, but still makes you feel uncomfortable. Someone can still make a complaint of sexual harassment in this situation.

If you have been the victim of sexual harassment and/or violence, help is available.

 

Who can help?

 

What can you expect when you consult a Faculty Harassment Advisor?

  • You will be listened to without judgement and in confidence
  • You will be believed
  • You will be advised as to where to find further support
  • You will be advised as to possible next steps

There is a helpful summary of what a Harassment Advisor can and can't do here: https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/support#collapse1229891

We understand that it can feel daunting to take the step of contacting a Harassment Adviser, but we are here to help and you should not hesitate to contact us.

 

Faculty Harassment Advisors

You are welcome to contact an advisor at any time for a confidential discussion about any concerns you may have.

 

 

The Philosophy Faculty is arranging race awareness and bystander training workshops. It is expected that members of the Faculty Board and others in positions of authority and decision making in the Faculty will participate. For more information, please email the EDI Officer, Alison Hills.  

The University's Equality and Diversity Unit lists a growing number of online training courses that have been custom-built for Oxford staff. They include sessions on equality and diversity in general, race and cultural awareness, LGBTQ+ visibility, recruitment and selection, implicit bias and how to deal with challenging behaviour in the workplace.

All you need to begin the courses is your single sign-on (SSO), and each one takes between 30 minutes and 1 hour to complete.

The courses are well designed and their broader uptake across the Faculty could significantly enhance the well-being of our personnel and our students and improve the culture of our Faculty.

 

BOOK YOUR ONLINE COURSE

Equality and Diversity Briefing
https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/training#collapse1182876

Implicit Bias in the Workspace
https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/training#collapse1182886

Tackling Race Bias at Work
https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/training#collapse1182896

Challenging Behaviour: Dealing with Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace
https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/training#collapse1236586

LGBTQ+ Role Models
https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/training#collapse1183186

Recruitment and Selection
https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/training#collapse1321591

Cultural Awareness in the Workplace
https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/training#collapse3069421

 

  • In 2020, the Faculty introduced a new undergraduate paper in Indian Philosophy. You can read about its launch in this article by Jessica Frazier in the 2021 edition of Oxford Philosophy.
  • Philiminality (from philosophy + liminality) is a student-run organization promoting cross-cultural and interdisciplinary philosophy. Its aims are described in this Oxford Philosophy piece by Lea Cantor and Justin Holder (2023).
  • Joyce Mitchell Cook, the first black American woman to receive a PhD in philosophy, studied at St Hilda’s College from 1955 to 1957. The Faculty now supports an annual lecture in her name which is described in this Oxford Philosophy overview. St Hilda’s has also established a graduate scholarship fund for BAME students to come to Oxford to study philosophy, and you can find out more about this initiative here.