5 Systemic Issues with Pedagogy and Instruction

While the university proclaims campus-wide multiculturalism and diversity, the centralization of whiteness moves beyond interpersonal and instructional components in the classroom to all areas of campus life. Across the cumulative projects that have informed our site is the sentiment that students of colour need to be better represented and reflected in curriculum. A lack of representation in faculty, curriculum, administration, and social support programming and groups were some of the “places” identified to be missing racial and ideological reflection. Below, we have summarized some of the ways in which representation, reflection, diversity, and intentionality are lacking within pedagogy and the structure of the classroom:

In faculty: 

• Lack of diversity amongst faculty and instructors
• Racialized instructors are often expected to teach courses or provide lectures on topics related to race, racism, and racialization only, regardless of their research expertise or areas of interest outside of these topics
• Lack of resources from white professors and faculty to pull from to support students of colour and their initiatives
• Lack of paid, consistent, and mandatory training and education around race, racism, and racialization inside and outside of the classroom
• Lack of mentorship around race-specific issues in the classroom
• Lack of paid guest speakers on topics of race or other topics white faculty feel uncomfortable addressing due to lack of personal and professional knowledge

Curriculum: 

• Lack of representation and inclusion of literature, discourse, commentary, and materials from the margins
• Critical courses focused on race are not mandatory, thus allowing students to engage optionally
• Lack of interrogation into social location and whiteness beyond basic or rudimentary exercises (e.g. power flower)
• Lack of attendance to and recognition of the socio-economic and socio-political contexts that students of colour are living in
• Performative advocacy: ie. surface-level, lofty land acknowledgments, brief statements on racial issues in the community, etc.
• Educational tools on race often involve “trauma porn”; ie. heavy violence perpetrated against people of colour and other depictions of traumatic present-day and historic events

Administrative: 

• Lack of diversity amongst administration and university leadership
• Lack of accessible, clear, and trauma-informed conflict resolution pathways for students of colour
• Lack of partnership with racialized communities and anti-racist community organizations to support students in the community
• Lack of intentional intervention when racist discourse happens publicly on campus; i.e. failure to intervene under the guise of honouring “free speech”
• Knowingly employing and supporting community members known to be discriminatory and racist against people of colour, thus furthering a general lack of safety on campus
• Lack of intentionally crafted/dedicated and funded physical safer spaces on campus for students of colour, caucus groups, and clubs
• Lack of diversity in school marketing, design (ie. wall of whiteness), and awarding/recognitions

Siloed Social Support Programming: 

• Lack of formalized peer support
• Few opportunities to collaborate with other racial caucus groups across disciplines and faculties
• Lack of support, financially and personally, from faculty to ensure successful peer support services, caucus groups, or clubs
• Lack of intentionality around connecting caucus groups/clubs to additional resources
• Lack of diversity among student representatives on core committees and in meaningful faculty conversations

Altogether, the lack of representation and support creates instances where students of colour need to learn, make meaning, navigate conflict, and heal in isolation. Acknowledging a lack of representation also involves acknowledging the lack of supportive pathways that assist students in working through and unpacking these harmful experiences of violence and marginalization. This feeds into larger systemic issues, such as lack of conflict resolution pathways, accessible counseling and resources, and pedagogical support, which are significant gaps that need to be filled in order to create and maintain safety in the pedagogy in formalized ways.