White Men on Campus ― Transforming Learning About Privilege, Diversity, and Responsibility for Social Change

Despite some social gains, the 21st Century continues to be marked by persistent disparities between members of different classes, races, genders, and sexual orientations in the US. White men in the workforce and on college campuses hold the most privilege, enabling them to advance to positions of power and influence. Yet, few White men are engaged in discussions, courses, or programs on diversity and social justice. Indeed, many White men say that they have "no place" in these discussions, and more commonly, assert that "diversity is not about them." Meanwhile, most campuses have largely left diversity education to faculty, students of color, or members of the LGBT+ and genderqueer communities.

In White Men on Campus, Jörg Vianden reports the results from a nationwide qualitative study of how White college men experience or perceive campus and community diversity issues. Using tenets of transformative learning and pedagogy for privileged learners, the author provides stories from White men about diversity, privilege, oppression, masculinity, and social change. Uniquely, this book also pairs white privilege with the counter stories of traditionally marginalized college groups, including women, students of color, and students who identify across different gender and sexual orientation spectra.

These stories lead to a renewed understanding of how white disengagement constrains progress toward a just society. White men think about, avoid, or engage in diversity or social justice efforts in college and what their counterparts from less dominant social groups expect from them. This book offers strategies for enhancing college teaching and learning, developing identity development theory, improving campus climates, fostering social change advocacy, and re-designing programs promoting understanding of human differences.

Dr. Jorg Vianden is Associate Professor for Student Affairs Administration (SAA) at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Aside from teaching graduate-level courses in student affairs and higher education, Jorg is a researcher, speaker, and consultant. He has 15 years of experience teaching in college settings and more than 10 years experience as a student affairs professional at four different large public research universities.