Diversifying your Course Materials: Getting Started

This guide was created for the Diversify Your Syllabus session of the Summit on Inclusive Teaching in August 2019.  It compiles some resources and strategies to get you started on ways to increase the diversity of your course readings. 

This guide is not comprehensive and I welcome the chance to learn and add more to it.  There is a form for suggestions at the bottom of this page.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

Some reflection questions to consider as you think about your syllabus

There are no right or wrong answers here. These questions are offered as prompts to get you thinking about your course.

From Tufts The Syllabus as a Tool for Setting a Climate

• Why do I select the content I do?
• What assumptions have I made about the learners in my class?
• Do I use examples and text throughout that are representative of my students?
• Do I encourage and present alternative perspectives?

From The University of Kansas Creating an Inclusive Syllabus

• Who is represented in the readings in terms of topics covered? Is there a reason why one group or another is not represented or represented frequently? 
• Who is represented in the readings in terms of authors? Is there a reason why one group or another is not represented or represented frequently?
• Do texts support deficit models that blame marginalized groups for the inequality they experience? Can asset-based reading and readings that address institutional and systemic discrimination replace or complement deficit model readings?
• Can course topics and content be adjusted to speak to diversity and inclusion? Can examples used to illustrate concepts, theories, or techniques also present a variety of identities, cultures, and worldviews?