The Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts at The Ohio State University is committed to cultivating accessible and inclusive environments in which all people can feel valued and empowered. We value—and defend—free expression, open inquiry, and viewpoint diversity, and we condemn any discrimination based on race, color, gender, sexuality, culture, religion, ancestry, nation of origin, economic status, caste, disability, age, membership to a particular group, political opinion, or other categories of social identity. These commitments are guided by respect and appreciation for diversity on and around the stage, on and off screen, and across mediated environments.
We believe that another world might be possible. However, we are concerned that appeals to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice are not enough. We are concerned that, despite the best of intentions, they cannot address or challenge the institutionalized homogeneity, inequity, exclusion, and injustice that is foundational to the university system.
We also believe that theatre, film, and media arts can be sites for radically imagining new, better worlds and ways of being. We hope that, through various registers of performance and analysis, we can make such worlds more tangible and actionable, and thus better understand the revolutionary task that liberatory futures demand of us. In this way, our work is informed by a shared dedication to liberation of all people and energized by critical questions about how such liberation might be defined and realized.
The department's Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion puts out a newsletter each semester with information on DEI-related events and programming within the department and across campus. (March 2024)