A 21st century education must prepare students to become global citizens and ethical leaders who are culturally fluent. The ability to think critically and compassionately and to make ethical and healthy choices is becoming more challenging every day, as we contend with the social, political, economic and environmental issues of our time. Through the exploration of their own, and others' identities, students in this course will begin to develop competencies with regards to diversity and equity - necessary skills to thrive in our world. Students will examine the cultural lenses through which they experience the world and are perceived by others, as well as learn about the historical, social and economic contexts of oppressed and underrepresented groups, augmenting their perspective and understanding of what it means to live in a diverse community, and world. The class will focus on a different aspect of identity each week, and explore these through the reading of texts and engagement with each other. Students will be asked to respond to readings in short reflection pieces, and they will write a final paper reflecting on their personal growth over the course of the term. The class may collect these reflections and create an anthology to be shared with the community. Students will also examine the appropriate and ethical use of online forums. This course will be a place where students can ask tough questions about their own and other's identity and think critically about issues of equity in our society. It will be a 10-week process that will hopefully lead students to want to continue conversations about diversity, equity and social justice on our campus, and take future classes about similar topics in college. If possible, we will attend a conference, such as the white privilege conference, that provides specific topics for high-school age attendees. Open to uppers and seniors.