Taj Smith Headshot

Taj Smith

Executive Director for Culture and Diversity Education

Community, Belonging, and Diversity Education
Diversity and Inclusion
Adjunct Faculty

585-475-2224
Office Location

Taj Smith

Executive Director for Culture and Diversity Education

Community, Belonging, and Diversity Education
Diversity and Inclusion
Adjunct Faculty

Bio

Dr. Taj Smith's role at RIT is to help train faculty and staff on their journey to cultural competency and humility. He also partners with staff and students across the university to facilitate high-impact workshops or high-level experiential learning opportunities for students. 

He considers himself an educator, curriculum developer and facilitator specializing in intercultural engagement, intergroup dialogue and program assessment. Taj earned his doctorate in Social Justice Education from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, an M.A. in Africana Studies from Cornell University, and a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Media Studies from Rutgers University.   

For fun, Taj enjoys trying out new restaurants, online shopping, fashion, sports and watching the Walking Dead. 

585-475-2224

Currently Teaching

WGST-230
3 Credits
Who and what defines a man? What challenges might the process of manhood present? How does one’s masculine expression align or not align with family or societal definitions? How are men harmed by unattainable ideas of manhood? What advantages and privileges come along with embodying maleness? What impacts does masculinity have on men’s relationships (with women, with other men, as fathers, as sons)? What does it mean to be a man of color, a working-class man or a gay man? Is masculinity innately violent or aggressive? This course uses a critical approach to examine individual, institutional, and societal understandings of what it means in general to be a man. It explores models of masculinity in conjunction with analyses of race, class, disability, and sexuality. It analyzes the common and diverse experiences of how some human beings are socialized and/or choose to express their masculinity in healthy, unique, hegemonic and sometimes problematic ways. It probes how some models of (toxic or hegemonic) masculinity promote hierarchies of power and privilege in groups, organizations, and institutions. And it investigates ways in which toxic forms of masculinity can be broken down and rewritten to work toward a healthier, more just (and less oppressive) society for all.

In the News

  • October 10, 2024

    orange and yellow arrows on a black background with the words Together R I T.

    Third annual Together RIT coming up on Oct. 25

    Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to join in a day of conversation, panels, and presentations intended to offer the opportunity to engage in intentional and honest dialogue about diversity and inclusion topics.

  • October 9, 2023

    graphic with the words, Together R I Y, day of dialogue on gender and sexuality.

    Second annual Together RIT to focus on gender and sexuality

    The second annual Together RIT: A Day of Dialogue is set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, with this year’s programming centered on gender and sexuality. Together RIT gathers the campus community and creates space to ask questions, empathize, build solidarity, and give recognition to the current and future social issues.