When discussing topics surrounding race and ethnicity, there will be uncomfortable, or even heated, moments. Again, keep in mind that students come from a variety of backgrounds and some may feel personally connected to a given topic. On highly politicized topics, students have obtained contradictory information from the news, which may produce contention within the classroom. The following are some resources for dealing with such situations:
Here are some suggestions for transforming uncomfortable or even provoking moments in discussion to valuable teaching opportunities. This is an important transformation as leaving a heated or uncomfortable moment unaddressed by simply changing the subject can leave students feeling angry or alienated. One such instance can make the discussion space into an unsafe space for that student, preventing a future of productive and collaborative discussion.
Leading a discussion about race, racism, privilege, etc. can be difficult when students believe that racism is really a matter of opinion. It is therefore important to rely heavily upon evidence based teaching, providing students with resources to understand the empirical research that develops theories and understandings of race and ethnicity. However, for undergraduate students, it can be daunting to read lengthy journal articles. With this in mind, Naomi Clark, Assistant Professor of English at Loras College curated this list of undergraduate accessible evidence-based resources for teaching about race.
Affirmative Action is a contentious topic that many students feel affect their lives directly, as they have all relatively recently undergone the college application process. Many fallacies and misunderstandings about the topic persist and will arise in the classroom. University of Michigan’s CRLT has a useful list of Guidelines for Discussion of Affirmative Action that includes both how to plan a structured discussion of affirmative action as well as how to deal with situations in which a student may ask a question about affirmative action unexpectedly.
Even the best-planned lesson can deviate unexpectedly with a well-intentioned comment from a curious student. Most of the students taking classes about race and ethnicity are genuinely curious about the topic as our society tends to offer few opportunities to have such in depth discussions. Each question and comment from students is therefore an invaluable learning opportunity, even when those comments or questions are phrased in ways that make the TA or instructor uncomfortable. A “Toolbox for Teaching Race” (produced for the 2017 Race and Pedagogy Workshop) is a valuable resource for preparing for the expected.
Managing Anger and Confrontation by Rick Reis at Stanford University.