Including Underrepresented Perspectives in Your Course

Acknowledgment and Transparency are key. Acknowledge there is a problem in academia, higher education, and publishing. If those problems around exclusion and inequity are reflected in your course materials, this is not about making apologies or shying away from a difficult conversation. You might address the problem by providing a written statement on your syllabus or having a discussion with your class or both. Regardless of how you choose to engage with students about this, be transparent about steps you have taken and steps you plan to take to make your syllabus better in the context of diversity and representation.

The nature of research is rooted in complex social, political, and economic factors. Talking about such issues can bring up strong emotions for some people. Here are some resources to help you have those difficult conversations in your classroom: