Diversity and Your Department

Resources for addressing diversity and inclusion

Tag: Inclusivity

Dance

Robinson, D., & Domenici, E. (2010). From Inclusion to Integration: Intercultural Dialogue and Contemporary University Dance Education. Research in Dance Education, 11(3), 213-221. (PDF)

In this essay, Robinson and Domenici seek to dispel numerous myths and false notions that continue to make modern dance more exclusive and less multicultural. This article is helpful because it articulates those myths, which often go unsaid, and argues against them.

Gender

Wilson, N. (2014). Making Space for Diversity. College Composition and Communication, 66(1), 31-33. (PDF)

In this short essay, Wilson details the changes that she made to her college's writing center website and the challenges she received from colleagues because of this. While she does not offer up many solutions to the faculty conflicts she presents, this article is useful for suggesting different ways to make a literature department's "virtual space" more diverse and inclusive.

General (Mathematics and Natural Sciences)

Bricker, L. A., Reeve, S., & Bell, P. (2014). "She Has to Drink Blood of the Snake": Culture and prior knowledge in science|health education. International Journal of Science Education, 36(9), 1457–1475. (PDF)

In this study, Bricker et al. advocate for science education that engages with students' cultural background and prior knowledge. This would aid in retaining students that may otherwise find science excludes them. While this study focuses on elementary-aged students, it continues to be important at every level of education.

Language

Hoecherl-Alden, G., & Griffin, S. (2014). Media Literacy at All Levels: Making the Humanities More Inclusive. NECTFL Review, 74, 15-33. (PDF)

The primary focus of this essay is to examine the ways in which language (and literature) courses can better integrate digital humanities to be more conducive to study by digital natives. While this article does not focus on a specific type of diversity, it works towards a teaching style and classroom environment that is better suited overall to be sensitive towards the students' own level of literacy towards the world.

Ilett, D. (2009). Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Secondary and Postsecondary German Textbooks. Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German, 42(1), 50-59. (PDF)

This source is a specific inquiry into how textbooks display diversity through their use of graphics, and how these images display numerous ways in which textbooks can demonstrate (possibly problematic) difference. Ilett concludes with a series of questions that can aid the professor in selecting a racially and ethnically inclusive textbook for their course.

Music

Clements, A. (2009). Minority Students and Faculty in Higher Music Education. Music Educators Journal, 95(3), 53-56. (PDF)

This essay examines various problems and solutions to the recruitment of minority students to music programs in college. This essay would be very helpful to organizers of musical groups and programs on campus.

Fitzpatrick, K. R., Henninger, J. C., & Taylor, D. M. (2014). Access and Retention of Marginalized Populations within Undergraduate Music Education Degree Programs. Journal of Research in Music Education, 62(2), 105-127. (PDF)

This study interviews several intersectional minority students in collegiate music programs in order to discover what challenges they have faced in order to be a part of these programs. This essay is of general interest; it speaks to the challenges of marginalized groups in academia as a whole.

Kinzer, J. (2014). Students Speak: Diversity in the Pedagogical Practices of Music in Higher Education. CMS Forums, 54.

This article features contributions from ten post-secondary music students on how to increase diversity in the music classroom. The short piece is composed of many different smaller sections that all look at the issues of music education diversity in different ways.

Philosophy

Dotson, K. (2011). Concrete Flowers: Contemplating the Profession of Philosophy. Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy, 26(2), 403-409. (PDF)

In this essay, Dotson finds that philosophy silences diverse voices, by which they mean any voice that goes against the "monochromatic" nature of academic philosophy. To combat this, Dotson argues that we should push against the adversarial/critical methodology as the only suitable methodology of philosophy, and refocus around an inclusive pluralism. The essay also tackles the idea of "academic passing," in which a philosopher must expend an unnecessary amount of energy on making sure their projects fit within the parameters of mainstream philosophy. Overall, this essay is a good place to start thinking about the ways that the field may be exclusionary.

Marcous, C. M. (2014). How to Solve the Diversity Problem. American Philosophical Association Newsletters: Feminism and Philosophy, 13(2), 22-27. (PDF)

In this article, Marcous advocates for an empowerment-based approach in philosophy. This approach would actively work to be inclusive of philosophies powered by underrepresented groups, like Feminist Theory and Critical Race Theory.

Olberding, A., Irvin, S., & Ellis, S. (2014). Best Practices for Fostering Diversity in Tenure-Track Searches. American Philosophical Association Newsletters: Feminism and Philosophy, 13(2), 27-36. (PDF)

In this essay, Olberding et al. methodically work through the entire job-search process and give instruction at every step to increase inclusivity and reduce biases. There are tips in this study that pretty much every department could incorporate into their hiring process.

Psychology

Domenech Rodríguez, M. M., & Bates, S. C. (2012). Aspiring to ethical treatment of diverse student populations. In R. E. Landrum, M. A. McCarthy, R. E. Landrum, & M. A. McCarthy (Eds.), Teaching ethically: Challenges and opportunities. (pp. 101-111). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association. (PDF)

In this article, Domenech Rodríguez and Bates look at the challenges facing a teacher who wants to keep with the APA guidelines on diversity. They highlight the two ways an instructor can most successfully keep diversity a part of their courses: by making it a part of the course content, and by managing classroom discussion. This article is recommended for instructors who don't know where to start researching practical applications of diversity.

Lott, B., & Rogers, M. R. (2011). Ethnicity matters for undergraduate majors in challenges, experiences, and perceptions of psychology. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 17(2), 204-210. (PDF)

This study mainly works to confirm the notion that minorities often find themselves excluded from the study of psychology. Where this article may be more useful is in its articulation of the many problems that minority students have with the existing system, and instructors may find some reasons here new and surprising.

Sánchez, O., Chism, N. F. D. P., Serafini, K., & Judd, T. (2012). Empowering culturally diverse students within a collaborative learning community: A student perspective. Psychology Learning & Teaching, 11(3), 406-412. (PDF)

In this article, Sánchez et al. offer four simple suggestions for professors to follow in order to empower minority students in their classroom. They then explicate each suggestion in understandable terms. This article is helpful not only for professors just starting their engagement with diversity, but also those who have worked towards inclusivity for a while.

Theatre

Cherne, B. (2013). Empathy as a Diversity Teaching Tool: A Performance-Based Class in Multicultural Dramatic Literature. Theatre Topics, 23(1), 69-81. (PDF)

This article explores the utility of performance in breaking down negative cultural perceptions and harmful "Othering" effects of minority students. It argues that the performance of theatrical texts outside of the western canon, done sensitively, can lead to a more rich and empathetic understanding between students of varied backgrounds.

Writing

Lovejoy, K. B., Fox, S., & Wills, K. V. (2009). From Language Experience to Classroom Practice: Affirming Linguistic Diversity in Writing Pedagogy. Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to Teaching Literature, Language, Composition, and Culture, 9(2), 261-287. (PDF)

In this article, Lovejoy et al. advocate for college writing courses that work towards acceptance of each student's native language and dialect, instead of forcing a single, monolingual writing style. To illustrate their point, each author describes certain experiences that helped them maintain an inclusive classroom environment. This is recommended for any professor that teaches writing-heavy courses.

Mitchell, D. (2008). I Thought Composition Was about Commas and Quotes, not Queers: Diversity and Campus Change at a Rural Two-Year College. Composition Studies, 36(2), 23-50. (PDF)

The type of college being discussed in this article is incredibly different from the type of institution that Reed College is. That being said, the goals of Mitchell's teaching philosophy, "to facilitate improvement in student writing while also broadening their range of cultural experiences in order to better foster diversity, making room on campus for difference —different subjectivities, different ideas, and different expectations," is a goal that can continue to be developed even at a place such as Reed.