English and Related Literature
Department Wins Athena Swan Bronze Award
Posted on 29 October 2018
The Athena Swan Charter was established in 2005 to promote and recognise a commitment to gender equality in STEM subjects. In 2015, it was expanded to Arts and Humanities departments.
As part of our application, the Department developed an Action Plan which we will be implementing over the months ahead, in order to ensure that we are doing everything we can to create equality of opportunity and success for all of our students and staff.
While the Athena Swan framework has sex and gender as its central focus, our commitment to equality and diversity is wide-reaching, taking in all protected characteristics. Our departmental Self-Assessment Team has taken an intersectional approach, considering questions of disability, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, and age. The department is also pleased to be working closely with the Students’ Union on an innovative pilot project to give our students a greater voice in ensuring diversity and representation in our curriculum and teaching.
We are proud to be an open and inclusive department, and we remain firmly committed to giving all of our students the support and structures that will allow them to excel.
If you have any questions or concerns about gender equality that you would like to raise, please contact the Athena SWAN Chair, Freya Sierhuis, the Departmental Equality and Diversity Representative, Deborah Russell, or the Undergraduate Equality and Diversity Representative, Paige Henderson.