Social Work Commons^™

Teaching Race, Racism, And Racial Justice: Pedagogical Principles And Classroom Strategies For Course Instructors, M. Brielle Harbin, Amie Thurber, Joe Bandy

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Teaching on topics of race and racism presents unique challenges to leaders in the university classroom setting. Despite an increasing number of instructors bringing a critical analysis of racial in/justice to their curriculum, many report challenges in teaching this content effectively. In this article, we address these challenges. We define common challenges in teaching racial content and articulate four principles for course planning around topics of race, racism, and racial justice. Then, drawing on a systematic review of scholarship examining issues of difference within a diverse range of disciplinary settings, we introduce a set of five pedagogical strategies, and supporting …