
CURRICULUM
MULTICULTURAL AND ANTI-BIAS COURSE MATERIALS CHECKLIST
COURSE
TEXT
Dept./Number (i.e. ENGL 56)
The textbooks and other materials to be used in this course have been reviewed for their multicultural and anti-bias
qualities. In choosing materials for this course, every effort has been made to select materials, which represent
women, minorities, and the disabled in roles, which challenge common misconceptions and stereotypes.
Stereotypes
* Avoids labels or role stereotyping which demean women, minorities, and the disabled.
* Features minorities, women, and the disabled in non-traditional roles.
* Shows equal socioeconomic classes for men, women, minorities, and the disabled.
* Includes contributions and achievements of women, minorities, and the disabled.
Tokenism
* Features women, minorities, and the disabled in active rather than passive roles and in a range of
occupations.
* Shows women, minorities, and the disabled in leadership roles.
Representation as Novelty
* Avoids inaccurate or inappropriate depictions of other cultures.
* Avoids "quaint-natives-in-costume" illustrations.
* Avoids depicting differences in custom as undesirable.
Loaded Language
* Avoids using demeaning adjectives when referring to ethnic minorities (e.g. "backwards people", "primitive
cultures").
* Uses the word "disabled" in place of the word "handicapped".
* Employs gender neutral language (e.g. "humankind" in place of "mankind").
Author's Perspective
* Presents a world view which is neither ethnocentric nor patriarchal.
Hidden Assumptions
* Employs word problems and/or case studies, which attempt to reverse stereotypical gender roles.
* Includes word problems which are not based exclusively upon knowledge of traditionally male
activities (e.g. large numbers of questions based upon knowledge of sports).
* Includes multi-ethnic names when using word problems and case studies (e.g. In places, a name
such as "Amiri" is used instead of "John").
Copyright Date
* Shows a recent revision which demonstrates sensitivity to diversity.
Reviewed by
Name
Date
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SELECTING ANTI-BIASED TEXTBOOKS
Throughout their education, many students are unknowingly exposed to a number of sexist and racist attitudes. These
attitudes which are repeatedly expressed in textbooks and other media eventually distort students' perceptions until
stereotypes and myths about all minorities, the disabled, and women are accepted as reality. Recently, college textbook
companies have joined the ranks of those that wish to challenge and eradicate such misleading perceptions. Textbook
changes in representation of minorities and women through pictures, profiles, and language offer an instructor the
opportunity to dispute these entrenched attitudes without having to make major changes in curriculum. The following
recommendations, developed form the parameters many publishers are using when evaluating textbooks for publication,
are offered as a starting point in looking for an anti-biased text.
1. Look for Stereotypes - Stereotypes are oversimplified, sometimes positive but usually disparaging, generalizations
about a particular group (sex, race, and so on). Stereotypes are not always presented blatantly, so you need to look for
variations, which demean because of race, sex, or disability.
2. Look for Tokenism - If minorities are featured in illustrations and photos, are they depicted in passive roles or in
active leadership roles? Are the disabled included? Do whites and males in the text assume all the power roles? Are
only whites and males depicted as the decision-makers and doers? Do women and minorities essentially function as
subservient observers and supporters? A good text will not only include women, minorities, and the disabled, it will
also challenge common stereotypical roles by presenting people in non-traditional roles.
3. Look for Representation as Novelty - Look for inaccurate and inappropriate depictions of other cultures. Watch for
the "quaint-natives-in-costume" syndrome, which can extend to behavior and personality traits as well. Global
representations and contributions should not be reduced to pictures of stereotypical "Hollywood" style portraits of other
cultures.
4. Look for Loaded Language - Loaded language is language, which has offensive overtones. Examples of racist
adjectives would be words such as "savage", "primitive peoples", "backward", and so on. Most textbooks have
curtailed the use of the word "handicapped" in favor of the word "disabled". Examples of sexist language include
language that demeans or excludes women. Look for texts that avoid using the male pronoun to refer to all people;
words such as "mankind" can be replaced with "humankind", and the male pronouns "he" and "him" can be replaced
with "s/he" or "her/him". Many texts eliminate problems with gender by changing singular nouns into plural nouns; for
example, the generic "his" is replaced by "their". Most publishing companies strongly advise their textbook authors to
eliminate all sexist language, but a few "dinosaur" texts still exist.
5. Look at the Author's Perspective - No author is entirely objective. All writers write from a cultural as well as from a
personal context. Textbooks in the past have traditionally been written from a white middle class perspective, and this
single ethnocentric outlook has dominated most college textbooks. It can be helpful to ask these questions when
evaluating a book: Is the perspective essentially patriarchal? Is it Eurocentric or global in presenting world views?
Look for texts, which usher forth many world views.
6. Look at the Copyright Date - The more recent the book or the revision the more likely that it will be sensitive to
diversity.
7. Look for Hidden Assumptions - Many books particularly in math, science, and technology tend to assume a
common frame of reference, which might not be applicable to all students. For example, many word problems are
written using a context more compatible with a male world view. Very often these problems use sports as the
framework when asking a question, assuming that everyone using the book understands certain basic principles about
baseball, hockey, basketball, and so on. Pro-diversity texts feature word problems or case studies that often reverse
stereotypical gender roles, or they write word problems in a way that does not depend upon inherent knowledge of
traditionally male activities. Such changes help to breakdown both barriers to success for some students and to
"normalize" the inclusion of underrepresented (women, ethnic minorities, and the disabled) groups in non-traditional
roles.