Steve Mortenson, Ph.D., Associate Professor, recommends the following approaches to ensuring an inclusive classroom environment for students:
Understand the scope and range of racial bias. Racism is bias plus the power to wield it. While all people are vulnerable to biased thinking, only some turn their bias into racism, sexism, ageism, ableism, etc. Make the distinction between racism and bias at the start. Colorism is another form of prejudice or discrimination typically occurring among people of the same ethnic or racial group. Help students realize that bias is a human phenomenon that is not limited to specific racial or ethnic groups.
Educate students on how implicit bias and privilege can influence judgments and decisions. Share articles that allow students to reflect on the effects of bias such as Maggie Scarf’s article White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. The Implicit Bias Review (Kirwan Institute, 2017) presents findings from scientific research for professionals in working in law, business, and medicine.
Support students of color. Regularly ask students of color questions about the non-race related aspects of class material. Make sure they feel seen and heard. If they do speak up about race, support their comments and be ready to defend what they say if they are challenged. Correct the use of racist or offensive terms. Acknowledge the perspective in a rational, unemotional manner. Talk to students of color after class or outside of class. Offer help if it’s needed. Call out and acknowledge your own privilege whenever possible.
Create more exclusive spaces. If you are teaching a big lecture class, invite the underrepresented students to meet and greet events and study sessions. Such events create psychologically safer spaces that encourage class participation.
Carolyn White Bartoo, a public relations instructor, has doubled the time spent on analyzing race depicted in advertising, and she has incorporated new readings and case studies. She encourages class discussions about race and social media, bias, power dynamics, and the impact of stress and anxiety on the way we filter information.
John Crowley, Ph.D., Associate Professor, is committed to effectively and responsibly facilitating controversial or sensitive discussions about diversity. “Students are more willing to self-reflect and disclose when they are confident in their instructor’s knowledge base and ability to provide a resolution,” says Crowley. In the classroom, Crowley creates an environment where diverse opinions are welcome and not subject to unwarranted criticism. To help individuals in marginalized groups cope with covert and overt discrimination, Crowley encourages students to consider how interpersonal communication concepts and theories apply to people with a diverse range of identities. “My goals are to not only encourage students to think critically about their own privileges and what that affords them, but also to help students of color and LGBTQ students in my courses access and relate with the course content in a more meaningful way.”
Morgan Ellithorpe, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, gives students the tools to critically engage with diversity issues to ensure that individuals ethically and mindfully produce media content. “Diversity must be considered in all aspects of media, from who owns media companies, to who writes and directs the content, to what channels act as conduits, to who is consuming the content,” says Ellithorpe. “The more we practice thinking about diversity in all aspects of our media system, the more equipped we will be to demand and engender change in that system.”
Lindsay Hoffman, Ph.D., Associate Professor, teaches courses on media, politics, technology, campaigns, and elections. Hoffman is keenly focused on viewpoint diversity in the classroom. “Students go through an online training as well as in-class activities to address their own biases and develop cognitive tools to inhibit those biases. I also help students develop media literacy skills to be able to critically evaluate claims in media. Current events also play a huge role in all my classes. We have news quizzes so students must stay aware of what’s happening in the U.S. and the world.” Hoffman also leads discussions for fraternity/sorority leadership, student groups, and high schools to learn how to have difficult conversations about controversial topics.
Lydia Timmins, Ph.D., Associate Professor, teaches courses on news and journalism. Diversity is a critical part of effective journalism — in terms of covering communities and focusing on individuals. Her students must consider how people are defined and portrayed in news. Diversity comes in many forms, from race to gender to disability to socio-economic.
Danna Young, Ph.D., Professor, teaches courses on media effects, media economics, and the logic and incentives of the digital information environment. Young encourages students to think about how issues of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation and identity guide messaging creation and dissemination. “I encourage students to think about how digital technologies force power to migrate downstream away from elites in ways that upend official narratives regarding racial injustices (like police brutality for example),” says Young. “I also urge students to consider how cultural, racial, and gender identities are themselves reinforced and even exploited by those seeking power and profit.”
