Reflection: The Diversity of your Syllabus (20 mins)

Instructions

This exercise is designed to help you reflect on your current materials.

This reflection focuses on printed materials, but don't hesitate to broaden it to include examples, images, photos, and language used in course lectures and discussions. Thank you for taking a close look at your syllabus in light of diversity and inclusion.

Step 1: Reflect

For this exercise, use the following questions to guide your reflection: 

1. 1. How can you strive to present diversity based on gender, race, ethnicity, and point of view?
   2. What purpose does this item serve in your course? Is it the best source for that purpose? 
   3. What do each of these voices add to the class?
   4. Have you discussed this resource with others who teach the same course or colleagues in your department? If not, is there a venue where it would be possible?
   5. What are alternatives to these materials?
   6. Are scholars the only experts who can contribute meaningfully to this topic? Would people with first-hand knowledge provide valuable insight? How might you bring these experts together?

Step 2: Post your Reflection

Select the reply button below and post a brief reflection on some of the above questions. What were your main takeaways? You will be assessed using the Diversity Rubric. Please view it before beginning your post. Feel free to read through and reply on your colleagues' posts.

Dive Deeper (Optional)

You may also find it very beneficial to analyze your course materials and reflect in the following ways: 

• • Who is the author? What are the credentials and affiliation or sponsorship of any named individuals or organizations?
  • Is the information current?
  • Is the information routinely updated if appropriate?
  • Where else can the information provided by the source be found?
  • Is this information unique or has it been copied?
  • Does the author or publisher have an an agenda beyond education or information?
  • Is anything being sold?
  • Is the information provided by the source in its original form or has it been revised to reflect changes in knowledge?

Adapted from: George Mason University Info Guide: Finding Diverse Voices in Academic Research.

Next

 In the next section, you will have the opportunity to discover ways to search for resources that are representative of diverse groups of people.