Intro to Diversity Studies Unit 1 Terms

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A preference or inclination that inhibits impartial judgement; a tendency to believe that some people, ideas, etc., are better or worse than others; often results in treating some people unfairly.

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Bias

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A category of people based on skin color and/or shared physical traits or ancestry. Although racial groupings lack a basis in modern biology, they continue to have a strong influence over contemporary social relations.

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Race

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How genetic and environmental influences come together to create an organism's (person’s) physical appearance and behavior.

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Phenotype

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The sum total of genes transmitted from parent to offspring. Humans are 99.9% genetically the same. We are all the same species with less genetic diversity than exists in other species (including other primates who have 10x the variations as exist between humans).

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Genotype

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An ethnic group; a social group that shares a common and distinctive culture, religion, language, and heritage. Often based on where a person’s family once lived.

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Ethnicity

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A concept or perception of something based on the collective views developed and maintained within a society or social group; a social phenomenon or convention originating within and cultivated by society or a particular social group, as opposed to existing inherently or naturally.

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Social Construct

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Preconceived judgment or opinion that is not based on reason or reality; an unfair feeling of dislike for a person or group because of race, sex, religion, etc.; a feeling of dislike for someone or something due to perceived membership in a group.

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Prejudice

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Actions carried out by members of dominant groups that have a differential and negative impact on members of subordinate groups; the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.

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Discrimination

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A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or group. Stereotypes may be positive or negative but are based on generalizations.

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Stereotype

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Any of various crimes (such as assault or defacement of property) that was motivated by hostility to the victim because of their membership in a particular group (such as one based on color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation).

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Hate Crime