Difference, Power, and Discrimination Faculty Seminar
Summer 2008
Susan Shaw
Course Description
The DPD faculty seminar helps faculty members transform their curricula around issues of
difference, power, and discrimination through critical examination of systems of oppression,
group process, curriculum transformation, and pedagogy. This three-week intensive seminar will
draw both on a wide variety of readings from experts in diversity and social inequality and
participants’ own experiences and knowledge and will model a range of pedagogical practices
that help students examine and understand difference, power, and discrimination. Because of the
powerful and often controversial nature of the seminar content, we hope to build a classroom
community that is open, engaged, respectful, challenging, interesting, and enjoyable.
Our learning together will be very interactive, giving participants opportunities to experience the
sorts of liberatory pedagogical practices best suited to the DPD classroom. For each session,
participants should read the articles outlined in the syllabus as background and catalysts for
discussion.
Course Objectives
As a result of having taken this seminar, faculty members should:









Understand key concepts of difference, power, and discrimination
Critically evaluate their own disciplines from a diversity perspective
Examine their own issues and prejudices
Develop a critical pedagogy for their courses
Understand learning styles and be able to utilize various teaching styles to address
students’ learning needs
Be able to manage difficult classroom conversations about diversity issues
Become more attentive to issues faced by diverse students in their classrooms
Transform at least one course to be reflective of their new perspective on
difference and power
Be able to develop and use experiential learning activities in their courses
Course Texts
Cudd, Ann. Analyzing Oppression. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
Reading Notebook. Available on Blackboard.
For our second class, please read all of Ann Cudd’s Analyzing Oppression.
For our June 26 class, please write a brief autobiography of your own experiences dealing with
issues of gender, race/ethnicity, social class, sexual identity, ability, age, and religion, as a
member of both the dominant and subordinate groups within each category of difference.
Course Schedule and Readings
Week 1
June 23
Introduction to DPD
Choose 1:
Mayhew, Matthew J. and Heidi E. Grunwald. 2006. “Factors Contributing
to Faculty Incorporation of Diversity-Related Course Content.” The
Journal of Higher Education 77.
Schmitz, Betty. 1991. “Diversity & Collegiality in the Academy.” Liberal
Education 77.
Gurin, Patricia, Biren A. Nagda, and Gretchen E. Lopez. 2004. “The Benefits of
Diversity in Education for Democratic Citizenship.” Journal of Social Issues 60.
Ropers-Huilman, Becky. “Social Justice in the Classroom.” College Teaching 43.
June 24
Analyzing Oppressions
Cudd, Ann. Analyzing Oppression.
Recommended Readings (online)
Ore, Tracy. 2000. “Constructing Differences.”
Frye, Marilyn. 1983. “Oppression.” The Politics of Reality. Crossing Press.
Pharr, Suzanne. 1988. “The Common Elements of Oppressions.” Homophobia: A
Weapon of Sexism. Little Rock: The Women’s Project.
Hill Collins, Patricia. 2000. “Toward a New Vision.” The Social Construction of
Difference and Inequality. Ed. Tracy Ore.
McIntosh, Peggy. 1998. “White Privilege and Male Privilege.” Race, Class, and
Gender: An Anthology. Ed. Margaret Andersen and Patricia Hill Collins.
Wadsworth.
Lorde, Audre. 1984. “Age, Race, Class, and Sex.” Sister Outsider. Crossing Press.
June 25
Religion in a Liberal Democracy
Kuh, George and Robert M. Gonyea, “Spirituality, Liberal Learning, and College
Student Engagement,” Liberal Education, Winter 2006.
Stern, Marc D. “Is Religion Compatible with Liberal Democracy,”
http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/csrpl/Religion%20and%20Liberal%20Democracy
/relibdem.htm
Tisdell, Elizabeth J. 2007. “In the New Millennium: The Role of Spirituality and
the Cultural Imagination in Dealing with Diversity and Equity in the Higher
Education Classroom.” Teachers College Record. 109.
June 26
Understanding & Resisting the Oppressions: Race & Racism
Rebollo-Gil, Guillermo and Amanda Moras. “Defining an ‘anti’ stance:
key pedagogical questions about engaging anti-racism in college
classrooms.” Race Ethnicity and Education 9 ( December 2006): 381–
394.
Yamato, Gloria. “Something about the Subject Makes It Hard to Name.” Race,
Class, & Gender: An Anthology. Ed. Margaret Andersen and Patricia Hill
Collins. Wadsworth, 1998.
Kernahan, Cyndi and Tricia Davis. 2007. “Changing Perspective: How Learning
about Racism Influences Student Awareness and Emotion.” Teaching of
Psychology 34.
Kandaswami, Priya. 2007. “Beyond Colorblindness and Multiculturalism:
Rethinking Anti-Racist Pedagogy in the University Classroom.” Radical
Teacher 80.
June 27
Sex, Gender, & Sexism
Copp, Martha and Sherryl Kleinman. Practicing What We Teach: Feminist
Strategies for Teaching about Sexism. Feminist Teacher 18 (2008): 101124.
Kimmel, Michael. “Inequality and Difference.” Oppression, Privilege, &
Difference. Ed. Helke and O’Connor.
Recommended:
Angelou, Maya. “Phenomenal Woman.” Women’s Voices, Feminist Visions. Ed.
Susan M. Shaw and Janet Lee. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004.
Allen, Paula Gunn. “Angry Women are Building.” Race, Class & Gender. Ed.
Andersen and Hill Collins.
Week 2
June 30
Class and Classism
Langston, Donna. “Tired of Playing Monopoly?” Race, Class & Gender. Ed.
Andersen and Hill Collins.
Gorski, Paul C. “The Question of Class.” 2007. Education Digest 73.
Godinez Ballon, Estela, et al. 2006. “Are You Oppressed if You Don’t Think You
Are? Defining and Defending Prosperity among Working-Class Students in a
Public University.” Women’s Studies 35.
Yeskel, Felice. 2007. “Opening Pandora’s Box: Adding Classism to the Agenda.”
The Diversity Factor 15.
Recommended:
Jordan, June. “Report from the Bahamas.” Oppression, Privilege, & Difference.
Ed. Lisa Heldke and Peg O’Connor. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2004.
Zweig, Michael. “Why Is Class Important?” The Meaning of Difference. Ed.
Rosenblum and Travis.
Mantsios, Gregory. “Media Magic.” The Social Construction of Difference. Ed.
Tracy Ore. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 2000.
July 1
Sexual Identity, Homophobia, and Heterosexism
Flávia do Amaral Madureira, Ana. 2007. “The Psychological Basis of
Homophobia: Cultural Construction of a Barrier.” Integrative Psychological
and Behavioral Science 41.
McCarthy, Linda. “What about the ‘T’?” Multicultural Perspectives 5 (2003): 4648.
Pharr, Suzanne. “Homophobia: A Weapon of Sexism.” Oppression, Privilege, &
Difference. Ed. Helke and O’Connor.
Katz, Jonathan. “The Invention of Heterosexuality.” The Social Construction of
Difference. Ed. Ore.
July 2
Antisemitism, Anti-Arabism, and Anti-Muslim Oppression
Dinnerstein, Leonard. “The Christian Heritage.” Readings for Diversity and
Social Justice. Ed. Maurianne Adams, et al. Routledge, 2000.
Wingfield, Marvin. 2006. “Arab Americans: Into the Multicultural Mainstream.”
Equity and Excellence in Education 39.
Recommended:
Sacks, Karen Brodkin.” How Jews Became White.” The Social Construction of
Difference. Ed. Tracy Ore.
Cainkar, Louise. 2006. “The Social Construction of Difference and the Arab
American Experience.” Journal of American Ethnic History.
July 3
Ability, Disability, & Ableism, Ageism & Adultism
Overall, Christine. 2006. “Old Age, Ageism, Impairment, and Ableism: Exploring
the Conceptual and Material Connections.” NWSA Journal 18.
Anderson, Robert C. 2006. “Teaching (with) Disability: Pedagogies of Lived
Experience. The Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies 28.
Keith, Lois. “Tomorrow I’m Going to Rewrite the English Language.” What
Happened to You? New Press, 1994.
Recommended:
Puhl, R. M. and K.D. Brownell. “Psychosocial Origins of Obesity Stigma.”
Obesity Reviews 4 (2003): 213-227.
Simmons, Michael. “Eh? What? Please Speak Up.” New Statesman. November
2004.
July 4
Holiday Break
Week 3
July 7
Environmental Justice
United Church of Christ. 2007. “Toxic Wastes and Race at 20.”
http://www.ucc.org/justice/environmental-justice/pdfs/introduction.pdf
Underhill-Sim, Yvonne. 2006. “Environmental Education and Gender Justice.”
Convergence 39.
Recommended:
Couch, Jim F., Peter M. Williams, Jon Halvorson, and Keith Malone. “Of Racism
and Rubbish: The Geography of Race and Pollution in Mississippi.” The
Independent Review 8.2 (2003): 235-247.
Seager, Joni. “Rachel Carson Died of Breast Cancer: The Coming of Age of
Feminist Environmentalism.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society
28.3 (2003): 945-947.
July 8
Alliance-Building, Coalition-Building, & Reconciliation
Anzaldua, Gloria. “Allies.” Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice. Ed.
Maurianne Adams, Lee Anne Bell, and Pat Griffin. New York: Routledge,
1997, 475-477.
Hall, Jacquelyn Dowd. “The Long Civil Rights Movement and the Political Uses
of the Past.” The Journal of America History Mar. 2005: 1233-1263.
Willoughby, Anderson S. 2008. “The Past on Trial: Birmingham, the Bombing,
and Restorative Justice.” California Law Review 96.
July 9
Curriculum Transformation
Seymour, Nicole. 2007. “The Interests of Full Disclosure: Agenda-Setting and the
Practical Initiation of the Feminist Classroom.” Feminist Teacher 17.
Rich, Adrienne.1979. “Taking Women Students Seriously.” On Lies, Secrets, and
Silence. New York: W.W.
Blizzard, Deborah and Susan Foster. 2007. “Feminist Pedagogy and Universal
Design in a Deaf and Hearing World: Linking Cultures through Artifacts and
Understanding.” Feminist Teacher 17.
July 10
Syllabus Workshop
July 11
Teaching in a Just Classroom & CELEBRATION!
Simpson, Jennifer. 2006. “Reaching for Justice: The Pedagogical Politics of
Agency, Race, and Change.” The Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural
Studies 28.
Robinson, Carol F. and Peter J. Kakela. 2006. “Creating a Space to Learn: A
Classroom of Fun, Interaction, and Trust.” College Teacher 54.