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Seton Hall University

Faculty Seminar on Challenging Racism and Teaching for Inclusivity


"You are all brothers (and sisters)… for you have one Father who is in heaven."
— Matthew 23:8-9

Purposes of Seminar

The issue of racial justice in various areas of social life—law enforcement, educational attainment, political participation, economic opportunity, health care access and quality, and environmental protection—is, understandably, being given ever heightened attention today. It is incumbent on us in a Catholic university to fully and meaningfully engage in advancing the cause of racial equality and inclusion in our society, given our professed and heartfelt commitment to the dignity, value, and worth of each and every human being (see Matthew 23:8-9 above). The purpose of this faculty seminar is four-fold: 

  1. for participants to become agents for change in their departments, schools/colleges, and/or discipline;
     
  2. to familiarize participants with major theoretical frameworks employed by social/behavioral scientists and other academics/intellectuals/pundits involved in these discussions in analyzing and addressing racism/exclusion, interpreting current controversies, and advancing productive dialogue on such sensitive and polarizing issues;
     
  3. for participants to reflect on the implications of racial disparities and racial injustice on higher education curricula, pedagogical strategies, and classroom management;
     
  4. to provide participants with an opportunity to develop a new course, or revise one that has been offered in the past, in a way that demonstrates a more acute sensitivity and commitment to teaching for inclusivity in their disciplines.  

Participants will receive a certificate at the end of the program and will commit to share what they learn within their College/School, becoming active liaisons for the school/college they represent. 

Overview of Topics and Seminar Format

There will be a total of fourteen sessions. After the initial session, in which seminar objectives will be reviewed, seminar participants will introduce themselves, seminar norms will be agreed to, and basic data on racial disparities will be presented, we will move on to Part 1 (Sessions 2-7), in which we will examine the Anti-Racism framework, the Color-Blind framework, and how these frameworks are employed in empirical research and commentaries on substantive racial issues; how productive dialogue on race/inclusion can be fostered; the phenomenon of implicit bias; and the educational achievement gap. (Dr. Anthony Haynor will serve as primary facilitator for Part 1.) In Part 2 (Sessions 8-14), we will consider the issue of disciplinary canons; pedagogical issues related to race and teaching; curricular and classroom implications; and provide an opportunity for seminar participants to present work-in-progress on their course development/revision and their plans as liaisons. (Dr. Mary Balkun will serve as primary facilitator for Part 2.) There will be readings and/or video clips assigned each week, with a seminar participant leading the discussion. Each participant will be expected to lead a discussion of one reading. There will also be several guest presenters over the course of the seminar.

Seminar Learning Objectives

By the conclusion of this seminar, participants will be able to:

  1. Appreciate the historical genesis of racial inequities and assess current manifestations, in individual bias (implicit and explicit), institutionalized barriers to full equality and inclusion, and enduring cultural/ideological supports for racial inequality, based on the best empirical evidence
     
  2. Engage in (potentially uncomfortable) self-interrogation of one’s biases and assumptions with respect to race and inclusion, fostered by productive dialogue with alternative perspectives
     
  3. Embrace as Seton Hall educators their role as agents of transformation both within the classroom and in the institution as a whole, animated by a spirit of mutual respect and a commitment to civil discourse  

Eligibility for Seminar Participation

Participants must be full-time faculty members.

Compensation for Seminar Participation

Participants will receive a $500 stipend at the successful completion of the seminar, including submission of a completed course syllabus and plan for carrying forward the work of the seminar.

Schedule of Seminar Sessions

The seminar will meet weekly, on Tuesdays in the fall and Wednesdays in the spring, 4 – 6 p.m.

For more information, contact Mary Balkun, mary.balkun@shu.edu and Anthony L Haynor, anthony.haynor@shu.edu.

Syllabus for Faculty Seminar On Challenging Racism And Teaching For Inclusivity


Part I: Frameworks and Controversies

Session 1: Getting Started

Overview

  • Seminar learning objectives
  • Norms of seminar etiquette
  • Participant and facilitator introductions
  • Generative and transformative dialogue
  • Seton Hall University and Race

Reading/Video

Resources

Session 2: The Anti-racist Framework

Overview

  • Importance of entrenched inequalities (white supremacy, systemic racism)
  • Historical continuity thesis and the rejection of color-blindness
  • Role of explicit and implicit bias
  • Equality of outcomes as moral tenet & challenging of meritocratic values
  • Assessment: Anti-Racist framework as science and as value system
  • Influence: Action and policy implications

Readings

Resources

Session 3: The Color-blindness Framework

Overview

  • Defense of color-blindness, humanistic and communitarian deep story
  • Rejection of racial essentialism
  • Unfinished historical progress thesis
  • Equality of opportunity as moral tenet; disparities of outcomes not necessarily reflective of systemic discrimination
  • Assessment: A "post-racial" society – worthwhile goal or supportive of white privilege?

 
Reading/Video

Resources

Session 4: Studying Race:The Role of Political Identity

Overview

  • The "Moral Intuitions Theory" of Jonathan Haidt
  • How knowledge production is shaped by membership in moral/emotive communities
  • Findings from Horowitz, Haynor and Kickham study (2018) on the degree to which political orientation is predictive of how sociologists study race
  • Implications of the social psychology of knowledge: the critical importance of self-interrogation and viewpoint diversity

Reading/Video

Resources

Session 5: Implicit Bias

OVERVIEW

  • Understanding implicit bias
  • The Implicit Association Test (IAT)
  • Critiques of implicit bias research
  • Addressing implicit bias through generative and transformative dialogue

Exercise/Video

Resources

March 9, Spring Break

Session 6: The Achievement Gap

Overview

  • The data on black-white educational disparities
  • Explanations for the achievement gap
  • Anti-racist vs. Color-blind perspectives on the achievement gap
  • Strategies for narrowing the achievement gap

Readings

Resources

Part II: Pedagogy and Curriculum


Session 7: The Debate Over Disciplinary Canons

Overview

  • The curriculum as an exclusively white discourse?
  • An enrichment/balancing strategy: Adding voices of color to the existing curriculum
  • A dismantling/decolonizing strategy: Purging the "white gaze"
  • Critiques of the movement to radically transform the canon

Readings/Video

SESSION 8: The Pedagogy of Inclusive Teaching- Part 1

Overview

  • How Freire's ideas can help us rethink our pedagogy
  • What it means to teach the whole person
  • Challenges to/critiques of Freire’s theories

Readings

Session 9: The Pedagogy of Inclusive Teaching – Part II

Overview

  • What does it mean for education to be a "practice of freedom"?
  • Practical methods to make teaching more inclusive

Readings

Resources

SESSION 10: Classroom Practice

Overview

  • Examining current classroom practice
  • Structuring class time to encourage dialogue
  • How to make instruction more inclusive

Reading

Resource

Session 11: Classroom Management Strategies

Overview

  • Engaging discussions of race in the classroom
  • Fostering civil discussion of difficult topics

Readings

Resources

  • "Fostering Civil Discourse: A Guide for Classroom Conversations" (posted under "Content")
  • "Navigating Difficult Moments in the Classroom"
    https://bokcenter.harvard.edu/navigating-difficult-moments
  • "Civility in the Classroom – References"
  • https://www.sjcc.edu/PresidentOffice/Documents/Civility_References_Bibliography_1.pdf

Session 12: Conclusion

Overview

  • Sharing Teaching/Course Plans; Seminar Evaluation; Final Thoughts