Research Guides: Resources for Social Work Faculty: Diversifying your course

Diversifying Your Course

Diversifying your course involves a comprehensive approach that includes incorporating course materials from diverse sources, teaching a range of student identities, and creating inclusive course policies. Here are some steps you can take:

Reflect on Course Content

Analyze the books, articles, and readings selected for your course. Ensure they include diverse perspectives and voices, particularly those of marginalized and underrepresented groups.

Consider some of the reflection questions in these two articles:

Embrace an Inclusive Teaching Approach

Embrace an Inclusive Teaching Approach: Make the syllabus student-centered and challenge traditional ideas of teaching. Allow students to have input in shaping content and co-creating community rules outlined in the course syllabus. Check out this inclusive teaching guide and its related article.

Evidence-Based Teaching Guides: Inclusive Teaching
Inclusive Teaching, CBE--Life Sciences Education Dewsbury, B. and Brame, C. J. (2019). Inclusive Teaching. CBE - Life Sciences Education, 18(2). https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.19-01-0021

Incorporate knowledge from BIPOC individuals and communities

Include Indigenous knowledge, skills, and values in all aspects of the curriculum policy, practice, values and ethics, diversity, human behavior in the social environment, and research. Look to projects like the ones below.

Cite Black Women "On the surface, "Cite Black Women." is a very simple phrase. However, our simplicity is deliberate and calculated: we use one simple phrase with no ifs, ands, buts, qualifiers, euphemisms or informalities to require all of us to be unwavering and unequivocal in our politics of citation. It's simple: Cite. Black. Women."
Diversifying the Social Work Syllabus "This project was developed by a group of Social Work librarians to aid instructors of Social Work courses as they work to include nonwhite voices into their curricula. As search experts, we are aware of how difficult it can be to find relevant articles authored by people of color. No search filters exist for this category."

Commit to Decolonization

As an educator, commit to decolonizing the academy. This involves acknowledging the history and lasting legacy of settler colonialism and working towards dismantling these harmful systems of oppression.