Recently, I led a discussion in my School’s Diversity and Equity Committee on ways to encourage inclusiveness in course syllabi and content, including: using gender neutral language in lectures, materials and assignments; asking students to pronounce their name and provide any preferred methods of address; not making assumptions about students’ identities, cultures or backgrounds; using course material from diverse sources; and related steps.
Here are some resources I found and shared with my faculty colleagues:
- Diversity Checklist: Guidelines for Course Planning (Penn State)
- Diversity Statements (Brown)
- Example of Inclusive Statements for Syllabi (Texas A&M)
- Sample Syllabi Statements (Chico State)
- Suggested Syllabus Statements (St. Olaf)
Let me know if you have others that I should add to the list.
MichaelZimmer.org 