IDS 400 ( week 8)

Module Eight Introduction

IDS‐400‐X5852 Diversity 23EW5 MA

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Module Eight

Learning Objectives By the end of this module, you will meet these learning objectives:

Module Overview So the paradox is that it’s much easier to imagine the end of all life on Earth than a much more modest

radical change in capitalism, which means that we should reinvent Utopia, but in what sense? There are

two false meanings of Utopia. One is this old notion of imagining an ideal society, which we know will

never be realized. The other is the capitalist Utopia in the sense of new perverse desires that you are

not only allowed but even solicited to realize. The true Utopia is when the situation is so without issue,

without a way to resolve it within the coordinates of the possible, that out of the pure urge of survival

you have to invent a new space. Utopia is not kind of a free imagination. Utopia is a matter of

innermost urgency. You are forced to imagine it as the only way out, and this is what we need today.

– Slavoj Žižek (as quoted in Taylor, 2005)

Congratulations, you made it to Module Eight! You certainly deserve to take a moment to celebrate your

success, dedication, and accomplishments. The past few weeks have challenged you to think about many big,

important questions within diversity.

The skills you have learned all lend themselves to critical analysis of any current concept or social

construction you might encounter. The core of our analysis has been understanding the ways diversity has

been central to expanding our ideas of the possible. Within that, it is recognizing that including people

different from us is what creates new ideas, new ways of doing things, and more insights into the work that

we do. 

As you complete this course, we offer one more way to think about diversity. In the larger societal

conversation, achieving diversity in a particular context often hints at the idea that things will then be �ne or

even perfect. If a group can just �nd the right balance of people to include, peace and happiness by all will be

achieved. This hints at a vision of utopia. A uuttooppiiaa is an idealized society or social system often imagined as a

future solution for a current breakdown or complication within a given social system. It is a �ne thing to wish

Describe the personal and professional value of analyzing topics in diversity

Discuss the future implications on society of a shifting awareness of diversity

Listen

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future solution for a current breakdown or complication within a given social system. It is a �ne thing to wish

for, but not one that necessarily re�ects the deeper meaning of diversity. In truth, diversity means having

differences and the tension involved in those differences, but also having the space for those differences to

be heard and understood. This is something that gets lost in discussions about diversity: If diversity is the

goal, then differences will create opportunities for new and different ideas to emerge—but that may not be a

simple process.

The more ideal way to think about diversity with utopic intentions is to consider Frederic Jameson’s idea of

the "utopian leap" (2008, pp. 632–634). When social constructs become too rigid and growth has felt

impossible, a "utopian leap" occurs. Such leaps are the unpredictable human imagination at work, creating

newly imagined ways to explore and address a seemingly unchangeable issue. In this sense, utopia is an

imagined new way of thinking, being, or living that is often developed with the imagination �rst, and then

attempted as an ideal construction. Although the constructions are never as perfect as the idea, they often

result in new possibilities previously unimagined. These new possibilities allow people to break out of the

social constructs that may have previously limited their opportunities or the ways that society could imagine

their place. 

A great example of this is the Afro-Futurist movement, which reconsiders what it means to radically rethink

what the future can look like. Nichelle Nichols and Whoopi Goldberg both played characters in Star Trek and

Star Trek: The Next Generation. They both have said that part of their desire to play their roles was to make

sure that when U.S. culture created visions of the future, particularly those hundreds of years from now, that

there would be Black people present. Their examples, along with such �lms as Black Panther (2018) and

works by Nnedi Okorafor and N. K. Jemisin, have played important roles in inspiring Black people to imagine

and create new visions for how they engage and advocate for equity and justice. 

As you wrap up this course, take some time to re�ect on how diversity changes your life. How can you apply

information from this course to your relationships, work, or academics? How might you use what you

learned to promote social change? How might you use what you learned in your day-to-day life, such as

when watching the news, scrolling through social media, or engaging in conversation?

We hope you have a deeper understanding of cultural diversity and how awareness, inclusion, and dialogue

about diversity contributes to society. We also hope you have developed a set of skills that you can use to

critically examine the wide array of topics in diversity you encounter daily. Finally, we hope that you will be

inspired by the knowledge and skills you have gained in this course.

Southern New Hampshire University’s faculty and staff congratulate you on making it through this course

and taking a large step toward completing your goals. Celebrate this accomplishment and keep moving

forward!

References

Jameson, F. (2009). The ideologies of theory. Verso.

Taylor, A. (Director). (2005). Žižek! [Film]. Hidden Driver Productions. http://www.hiddendriver.com

/projects/zizek

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Module at a Glance This is the recommended plan for completing the reading assignments and activities within the module.

Additional information can be found in the module Resources section and on the module table of contents

page.

Participate in the Module Eight discussion.11

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Reflect in ePortfolio Download Print Open with docReader

Task: View this topic

Activity Details

Read this information to get started on your module.

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