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Group of students walking on a field

Diversity and Inclusion

The School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science (SAGES) - comprising the Departments of Archaeology, and Geography and Environmental Science - aims to create a supportive, fair and inclusive working and learning environment for the benefit of all its students and staff.

The School has worked actively to improve wellbeing, equality and diversity. We promote flexible working and good working practices, mentoring and coaching, mandatory unconscious bias training for those involved in recruitment, and offer support in relation to both promotions and professional behaviour.

The School holds an Athena SWAN Silver award. 

The Diversity and Inclusion Committee

Our terms of reference

  • Organise events that celebrate diversity and work to create an inclusive environment within SAGES.
  • Undertake projects and initiatives to investigate and/or address issues of diversity and inclusion in SAGES.
  • Coordinate efforts to apply for or contribute to applications for benchmark diversity and inclusion awards such as Athena SWAN, Stonewall, Race Equality Charter Mark.
  • Oversee the implementation of the Athena SWAN action plan and other relevant action plans emerging from applications for recognition.
  • Advise the School Management Board on decisions and/or actions which have implications for diversity and inclusion.
  • Liaise with SAGES UG, PGT, and PGR students via the relevant committees (such as SSPG and the School PGR Committee).
  • Support SAGES Programme Directors, DTLs, DATs, Recruitment and Admissions Officers, and Exams Officers to review diversity data and experience.
  • Liaise with other Schools, particularly through participation in the University D&I Community of Practice, and external organisations including Royal Geographical Society (RGS) to share best practice.

Special projects and initiatives

Staff and students have undertaken several special projects and initiatives over the past couple of decades to support wellbeing, diversity, and inclusion across the school. We showcase key examples on this page:

Decolonising the Curriculum

In 2022/23, the ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø's Partnerships in Learning & Teaching (PLanT) project funded a team led by Prof. Hong Yang, comprising both domestic and international students. This project has decolonised the curriculum within the Department of Geography and Environmental Science, using the Air Pollution module as an example. This collaborative effort involved staff and students in diversifying the reading list, assessment methods, and learning content. The students praised the module for presenting a wide array of perspectives. This work was presented at the Decolonising Teaching and Learning Environments Showcase during Black History Month in October 2023. This project has also been recognised and included in the ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø's Decolonising the Curriculum resource 2023. 

Enabled fieldwork

This ongoing project seeks to break down any barriers, physical or mental, that prevent our students and staff from being fully included within and enjoying fieldwork. The goals are to (1) promote inclusivity in fieldwork; create a place for discussion about issues and concerns; and (3) provide information and resources to enable everyone to partake in fieldwork. You can contact the project at enabledfieldwork.sages.uor@gmail.com, and find out more about what Enabled Fieldwork means for our students from Jenny Harris and , who discusses his experiences at ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø on and