Syllabus Review Guide for Equity-Minded Practice
2017
Syllabi can either reinforce and reproduce racial norms and rules, or counter them in a way that supports racial/ethnic minority students. Faculty can leverage syllabi to demystify student "success", create a welcoming classroom environment, validate student potential, and reflect student experiences. This guide from the University of Southern California offers a systematic approach for engaging in thoughtful syllabus review, with an eye toward "equity-mindedness." "Equity-mindeness" acknowledges that individual beliefs and institutional policies can disadvantage racial/ethnic minority students even if the intention is to be race-neutral.
Thus, a syllabus review is both an opportunity to inquire into a document that captures teaching beliefs and values, as well as an chance to reflect one's teaching practices more broadly. The guide includes five parts:
- What is the rationale for doing syllabus review?
- Do I know my syllabus?
- Who does my syllabus serve?
- How does my syllabus demonstrate equity for racially minoritized students?
- What will I do now?
Educators can print out the guide and respond to reflection questions as they review their syllabus. The worksheets are designed to bring specific attention to norms, language, and practices that might be embedded in the syllabus. The guide culminates with real examples of equity-minded syllabi.
Syllabus Review Guide for Equity-Minded Practice
Source:
Syllabus Review Guide for Equity-Minded Practice. Center for Urban Education, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California 2017. https://www.cuesta.edu/about/documents/vpaa-docs/Syllabus_Review_Protocol_CUE.pdf.