The overarching goal of the Intergroup Relations Group (IRG) is to stimulate basic and applied research that examines and fosters relationships between diverse groups in a variety of real world contexts (e.g., the workplace, education, community). This working group will create scholarship and opportunities for dialogue about the issues of, for example, race, gender, class, and identity, as socially constructed phenomena that are negotiated within and influenced by interpersonal interactions. This goal will be achieved by supporting the continued research of faculty associates of the center, which includes 1) nature and effects of various understandings of and approaches to diversity, 2) interracial communication and relationships, and 3) instruction in diverse classrooms (e.g., promoting understanding across groups and reducing achievement gaps). By extension, the IRG aims to encourage collaborative research and funding initiatives with other scholars and graduate and undergraduate students in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences who share a commitment to social justice through research and application.

Potential agencies that could fund this work include the National Science Foundation’s Social Psychology Program, the William T. Grant Foundation’s priority area related to Culture and Diversity on Development, the Charles S. Mott Foundation’s initiative related to Race and Ethnic Relations, and the Russell Sage Foundation’s research program on Cultural Contact.