TBD
This session is designed especially for employees at the University of Montana and will be built around participants’ examples of puzzling, frustrating, or misunderstood encounters with clients/students who may come from different cultural backgrounds than the participants. The basics of different cultural contexts will be briefly explained and participants will workshop the scenarios they have self-generated based on the notion of contextual values that impact behaviors and communication styles. Finally, there will be time for debriefing and discussion of the cultural issues raised during the workshop.
Presented by: Mary Groom-Hall, Ed.D - Academic Advisor and Coordinator, Multicultural Programs
"Whiteness is like The Matrix," she said with amazement, "It's everywhere and we don't even know it." This interactive workshop will explain what this past participant meant by exploring how white privilege and whitening conflicts work in Montana. Rather than focus discussion on how racism affects people of color, this workshop will examine the often invisible ways in which systems and institutions shape and influence those who have come to be called white. One of the complexities of the human experience in North America is racial formation. This workshop will examine the ways in which white people are socialized through culture, systems, and institutions in an interactive format that invites participants to examine history, contemporary realities, and popular culture.
Presented by: Dr. Tobin Miller Shearer, African-American Studies
Communication is the most common activity humans use to interact, yet most of us receive no training in how to be effective. We often end up communicating “from the hip” rather than from understanding and intention. Communication techniques can help one understand the emotions and needs driving their own interactions and those of others. Learn techniques to become aware of and work to change the way you communicate so it is more compassionate, accountable and respectful. This model will also help you understand yourself and others better and build bridges of understanding to address potential and real conflicts. Opportunities to practice are provided
Presented by: Betsy Mulligan-Dague, Jeannette Rankin Peace Center
Tic-Tac-Privilege is an interactive session that guides individuals with various levels of knowledge about privilege and diversity through an open, non-judgmental dialogue. Systemic inequalities impact each and every one of us by shaping how we view the world, how we interact with others, and how we are perceived by those around us. By participating in this activity, attendees are given the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the experience of others and get a chance to share their own stories. This exercise in open, honest discourse is vital for developing the infrastructure necessary to create relationships across group lines and build a more inclusive campus and community.
Presented by: Kim Spurzem, NCBI Missoula
Utilizing clips from two documentaries: "Tough Guise" and "Hip-Hop Beyond Beats and Rhymes" both participants and facilitator will take a critical examination at the concept of masculinity and the construction thereof and engage in thoughtful discussion about the topic of masculinity. Critically examining the notions of masculinity will afford participants an opportunity to dialogue about the notion of constructed masculinity. It also will help to illustrate the complexity of identity by focusing on how many experiences help to shape it.
Presented by: Jamar Galbreath, UC Diversity Coordinator
This session will discuss how access to the civil justice system affects our state, particularly those in lower income populations. The presentation creates dialogue about the people who are left out of the civil justice system, how the recession has affected access to justice, and ways the legal community is helping to bridge the gaps in justice as well as what individuals can do. This session not only offers an educational component, but includes a call to action to speak to legislators and spread the word about the importance of civil legal aid. This issue is a hot topic in the nation, and this presentation will help to expand the conversation in our own communities.
Presented by: Ashley Makowski & Kate Kuykendall, MT Justice Foundation
Accommodating the challenges of today's changing workplace starts with cultivating solid cross-cultural dialogue, knowledge and skills. This session will allow the participants to understand the origin of stereotypes, how they are perpetuated in societies, and comprehend the concept of ethnocentricity, as well as sociotypes and cultural relativism. The presenter will introduce ways to overcome cultural misperceptions and misunderstandings. Exposure to the presentation material, specific examples, and audience-presenter interaction will reduce levels of ethnocentricity in session participants, thus allowing a movement beyond stereotypes and communicating and collaborating effectively with individuals of diverse cultural backgrounds.
Presented by: Udo Fluck, Ph.D. Director, Multicultural Learning Solutions, International Programs
This session will analyze the rhetoric surrounding sexual assault both in the local media and nationally. We will discuss how rape culture operates in our society and the ways to combat it through an awareness of the ways we talk about it in our society, both in the media and in our everyday lives. The professors presenting the session have expertise in the history of violence against women, the rhetoric of gendered violence, and media representations of women. They will draw on their areas of expertise to offer visions of hope for the end of violence against women. Our ultimate aim is to be a part of ending the re-victimization of survivors of sexual assault that often occurs in our media and justice system.
Presented by: Elizabeth Hubble, Ph.D.; Sara Hayden, Ph.D.; and Anya Jabour, Ph.D.
This session addresses universal themes of justice/injustice, good/evil, truth/illusion, and forgiveness/condemnation using the work “Death and the Maiden” (1991) by Chilean playwright Ariel Dorfman as the basis for discussion. Attendees will hear a summary of the play and see clips of the eponymous movie directed by Roman Polanski which stars Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley and Stuart Wilson. The majority of the session will be spent discussing the play/movie in the context of human rights. This play by Dorfman is not merely Chilean in scope; it addresses problems that can be found all over the world.
Presented by Clary Loisel, Ph.D. – Modern and Classical Languages and Literature
Today, Native people experience poverty, violence and health disparities at far greater rate than other underrepresented groups in the United States. Nationally, Natives are not well-represented within academia. Academia requires that Native students work to overcome these challenges while navigating higher education pathways. Native identity development and preservation within the scholarly context can be a complex and rigorous process for Native scholars to successfully navigate. Successful Native scholars develop skills adapted for two different worlds: tribal and academic. The purpose of this seminar is to provide an opportunity for inclusive discourse regarding American Indian and Alaska Native scholars.
Presented by: Ruth Short Bull, Forestry Department; Annie Belcourt-Dittloff, Department of Pharmacy; Vernon Grant, Department of Health and Human Performance
This multimedia presentation will show the contrast between the origin stories of indigenous peoples world-wide about where the first people came from, and the race concept that was imposed on us by the European colonialists. The session will include some indigenous origin stories, photos of diverse peoples from all over the earth and the diverse human skin-like colors of the earth (dirt and rocks) itself, and a short video of diverse children mixing skin colors with paint. This session will raise vital questions about human identities, both biological and cultural, and about the power of human social beliefs and traditions.
Presented by: George Price, Ph.D.
This discussion will explore the role of dialogue in higher education by considering such questions as: What do forums for discussion add to the university or college experience? How is this different from just taking notes and studying? Are some subjects appropriate for discussions, while others are not? How can we use dialogue as a skill for democratic citizenship and problem solving? A panel comprised of faculty and staff will initiate the discussion by offering several perspectives on the role of interpersonal dialogue within the university environment and in the classroom setting. Students and other attendees will then be invited to offer additional perspectives or raise questions as we invite a larger conversation.
Presented by: Sue Bradford, Ed.D.
This panel discussion with HIV positive individuals living in Missoula will give session attendees a chance to see the world through a different lens and to understand what our friends and neighbors who live with HIV/AIDS go through every day. Each panelist will have the opportunity to tell their story and then there will be time for questions and discussion. This session will also address the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, dispel myths, and inspire audience members to remain free of HIV and to better understand the transmission and prevention of HIV.
Presented by: Stephanie Cole, Open Aid Alliance
The presentation will outline research findings from the Missoula Interfaith Collaborative regarding specific service opportunities within Missoula. This will be followed by round table and panel discussions with campus and community faith leaders and social service leaders. Discussion will be participatory research asking: If we are to build trusting partnerships among the faith community and between the faith community and social service organizations, what are the barriers and challenges that we need to address and how do we do that? What are the values that lead us to service and where do they come from? Where do those values align with others, and where do they differ? Asking these questions and creating open dialogue will help facilitate the goal of increasing collaboration toward engaging social issues in Missoula.
Presented by Rev. John Lund; Casey Dunning, Emmaus Campus Ministry, Missoula Interfaith Collaborative
Bullying has been big lately. The topic has been big in newspapers, big in research articles and on the big screen as well. Elementary schools, middle schools and high schools are receiving the most attention, but bullying on college campuses deserves a look. This session invites everyone to participate in team building and discussion to examine bullying in higher education: who is engaging in it; who is targeted; who is battling it, and how it can and should be addressed. The facilitators will initiate dialogue with video clips and statistics on bullying and will provide methods for mobilization on campus.
Presented by: Fredrika Hunter, Director of AISS; Maria Cole, Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Office
MontanaTDOR presents an exploration of gender diversity in our community. What does it mean to live your life outside the gender binary? What obstacles do gender variant individuals face that their cisgender peers don’t ever think about? And what does cisgender mean? Join a gender diverse panel for a discussion on what it means to be transgender/genderqueer/bigender/two-spirit in Missoula, and to get some tips on how to be an ally.
Presented by: James Warwood, Tristyn Kellner, & Bree Sutherland from Montana TDOR
In this session, we will present the documentary film "Telling Amy's Story" which offers insight into one woman's experience with domestic violence in order to educate about the complexities involved in such a situation. Dr. Fiore will then lead a guided discussion based on her expertise and years of research in the field of psychology and family violence. Additional perspectives will be offered by a local detective and a crime victim's advocate. The goal of this session is to promote understanding about the difficulties faced by victims (and their friends and loved ones) of domestic violence and offer practical resources to attempt to alleviate those difficulties.
Presented by: Christine Fiore, Ph.D.; Jamie Merifield, MCPD; Tanya Campbell
