Week 2 Assignment: Affirmative Action Then and Now

Prior to beginning work on this assignment, read Chapter 5, Racial Stereotypes and Racism (Blaine & Brenchley, 2021), and review How to Promote Racial Equity in the Workplace: A Five-Step PlanLinks to an external site., Report: Most Companies Are ‘Going Through the Motions’ of DE&ILinks to an external site., Do Your Diversity Initiatives Promote Assimilation Over Inclusion?Links to an external site., and Distinguishing Diversity From Inclusion in the Workplace: Legal Necessity or Common Sense Conclusion?Links to an external site.

The 1960s were marked by recognition of a culture of exclusion for many Americans and swelling opposition to these exclusions. The Civil Rights Act emerged during this era and enabled what is now called affirmative action. Affirmative action policy was introduced to combat racial discrimination in the hiring process as documented in President Kennedy’s executive order in 1961 that the “contractor will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin” (Exec. Order No. 10925, 1961). Affirmative action was intended to provide equality of access but had the effect of stereotyping beneficiaries of affirmative action as being less competent and less worthy than others who were chosen outside of affirmative action policies.

In a paper of at least 1,250 words (exclusive of title, abstract, and reference pages) and citing at least three scholarly sources in addition to required readings, analyze affirmative action and the impact it has had on organizational diversity, equity, and inclusion work.

In your paper,

• Discuss the historical circumstances, both organizational and grassroots, that led to the development of the Civil Rights Act.
• Analyze the changes that have occurred in organizational diversity since the passage of the Civil Rights Act, particularly with respect to people from nonmajority racial and ethnic groups.
  • What progress has been made in the protection of civil rights for nonmajority racial and ethnic groups?
  • What groups have been most advantaged because of civil rights legislation?
  • What are some unintended negative consequences that have accompanied the implementation of civil rights legislation and specifically affirmative action hiring policies?
• Analyze whether affirmative action in hiring is still needed to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts regarding people from nonmajority racial and ethnic groups.
  • Assess what would happen if affirmative action were to be eliminated.

The Affirmative Action Then and Now paper

• Must be at least 1,250 words in length (not including title, abstract, and reference pages) and formatted according to APA StyleLinks to an external site. as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA Formatting for Microsoft WordLinks to an external site. resource.
• Must include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of paper in bold font
    • Space should appear between the title and the rest of the information on the title page.
  • Student’s name
  • Name of institution (The University of Arizona Global Campus)
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Due date
• Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic VoiceLinks to an external site. resource for additional guidance.
• Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
  • For assistance on writing Introductions & ConclusionsLinks to an external site. and Writing a Thesis StatementLinks to an external site., refer to the Writing Center resources.
• Must use at least three scholarly sources in addition to required resources.
  • The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible SourcesLinks to an external site. table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source.
  • To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, view the Quick and Easy Library ResearchLinks to an external site. tutorial, which introduces the University of Arizona Global Campus Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.
• Must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your PaperLinks to an external site. guide.
• Must include separate abstract and references pages that are formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center. See the Writing an AbstractLinks to an external site. and APA: Formatting Your References ListLinks to an external site. resources in the Writing Center for specification.

Carefully review the Grading RubricLinks to an external site. for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Tutorial for Affirmative Action Then and Now