Respect. Consent. Equality: here’s how to turn words into action
How confident are you about navigating your personal and professional relationships? Do you have a good understanding of issues like respect, consent, diversity and gender equality?
As part of your education at Deakin, we want you to think about more than just your coursework. Consider also how can you make a positive contribution and be a force for good, both at uni and in the wider world.
One thing you can do is to complete the Respect at Deakin module – a short online unit that discusses some important issues you may encounter during your studies, in the community, at work and at home. Encouraging everyone to think about these topics helps us to maintain the Deakin standard of a safe, respectful and inclusive learning and working environment.
It’s also beneficial to show future employers that you understand these issues and have developed practical skills to deal with them in the real world. Plus, you can include the module on your LinkedIn profile or CV!
What you’ll learn
The module explores some interesting topics, including:
- what ‘respect’ means in our everyday lives
- what diversity looks like in our community
- why gender equality is important
- what makes a healthy relationship
- the importance of consent in our intimate relationships.
While these are challenging topics, we encourage you to engage with them in an open-minded way and to learn from the perspective of others, just like second-year Biomedical Science student Halima Abdul Aziz did when she completed the module:
The ‘power and privilege’ part of the intersectionality section stood out to me the most because there were statistics I didn’t know about. It made me reconsider and realize how quickly an individual can be discriminated against and hurt just by being themselves.
You’ll find some practical suggestions of what to do if you see someone being disrespectful or abusive. We’ve also included links to some helpful resources and free professional services.
There’s seven main topics, which should take you about 20 minutes to complete – but there’s no ‘pass’ or ‘fail’. Once you get to the end, you check a box to trigger a completion email and receive your certificate of completion.
Who should complete the module
Everyone! While it’s voluntary (unless you’re an HDR student – please see below) and there’s no credit points attached, we encourage all students to spend 20 minutes educating themselves on these important issues.
If this is your first trimester at Deakin, we suggest you do the module as part of your Orientation and before classes start. But it will be available year-round, so you can access it any time that suits.
Access the module now or find it at any time in DeakinSync under ‘Course sites and useful extras’.
If you’re a Higher Degree by Research (HDR) student
It’s compulsory for all new and continuing HDR students to complete a 50-minute module that – in addition to the ‘Respect at Deakin’ section – also incorporates a new ‘HDR Respectful Supervisory Relationships’ section. This examines key factors that affect the HDR working relationship, including:
- power, authority and intersectionality
- respectful and constructive feedback
- support for candidates and supervisors.
You’ll be automatically enrolled in the combined module, which you’ll find on CloudDeakin, under ‘Course sites and useful extras’. You won’t be able to submit your thesis until you’ve completed the module.
Content warning
The Respect at Deakin module discusses different types of harm, but there’s no explicit material or images included. If you wish to ‘opt out’ of these specific sections or have any feedback, questions or concerns, please email [email protected].
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual harm or family violence, contact Deakin’s Safer Community service or 1800RESPECT.