SDU joins the second LERU gender conference
In June 2018, LERU, the League of European Research Universities, held its second gender conference.
At the University of Zürich, 100 attendees engaged in presentations and lectures focused on implicit bias in academia. SDU’s Gender Equality Team participated with a poster presentation of their approach to unconscious bias.
In January 2018, LERU published an advice paper on “Implicit bias in academia”, and the conference elaborated on this theme.
The paper authors launched the two-day event’s program on June 14th, and presentations by, among others, Naomi Ellemers, followed.
Particularly inspiring was the presentation by the theatre group CRLT Players from the University of Michigan on the second conference day. The group started the day by leading the conference attendees through a more interactive approach to seeing, feeling and interrupting bias. Acting out scenes demonstrating various evaluation and assessment scenarios, the CRLT Players in a lively and constructive manner illustrated the workings of bias in how we all experience and make of e.g. qualifications, potential etc.
The second day also saw poster presentations from a variety of universities, including SDU. SDU’s Gender Equality Team presented their approach to working with unconscious bias, with examples form a recent (April 2018) workshop they facilitated for SDU’s Executive Board. Attendees were especially interested in and asked questions about the team’s hands-on approach to working with unconscious bias as well as the small-scaled and tangible “nudging” of change.
It was two intense, inspiring and eye-opening days in Switzerland for SDU's Gender Equality Team, and they bring home new insights and approaches to the ongiong gender equality endeavors at SDU.