Introduction

This section of the handbook was derived from course audits and a student community focus group led by UTSC Psychology alumni Farzana Jahan and Mehvish Islam under the supervision of Dr. Debra Bercovici. This work was funded by the UTSC Pedagogies of Inclusive Excellence Fund.

Based on specific courses offered through our department, we present a curated list of recommendations for addressing instances of racism in the classroom and White supremacy in the discipline of Psychology (e.g., through systematically prioritizing White voices and holding White communities as baselines; see Fuentes et al., 2023).

Racist Themes in Course Content and How to Move Forward

Harmful Language

Many psychology textbooks used at UTSC incorporate harmful language surrounding racialized groups or individuals (Jahan et al., 2024).

Two examples of harmful language commonly used in UTSC Psychology courses:

• Using ‘Indian’ to refer to Indigenous Peoples (PSYC10, PSYC85, PSYC14 textbooks)
• Using ‘Blacks’ to refer to Black people (PSYB10 and PSYC85 textbooks)

When unaddressed, racialized students reported that:

• They feel ostracized by how their community is being disrespectfully and/or derogatorily presented in their courses
• They are led to believe that harmful language is acceptable in academic spaces
• They are led to believe that the field of Psychology centres on learning about White privileged men (Gillborn et al., 2023; Jahan et al., 2024)

Racialized UTSC students request that their instructors take action by addressing instances of harmful language use in their course lectures, assigned readings, and textbooks.

Instructors can take the following actions:

• Replace harmful language with more respectful language during lectures
• Acknowledge and apologize for the unintentional use of harmful language
• Provide corrections for harmful language in course readings
• Make time during classes to discuss the origins of harmful language found in course content

Inaccurate or Shallow Representation of Racial Groups

Racialized UTSC students encounter many instances of inaccurate and/or shallow representations of their racial groups in their Psychology courses (Jahan et al., 2024). Students may feel stereotyped and othered by this content (Gillborn et al., 2023; Jahan et al., 2024).

Racialized UTSC students request that instructors teach psychological concepts about their communities holistically and accurately (Jahan et al., 2024).

Some instructional approaches for honouring these requests include:

1. Integrating racialized groups into each lesson
2. Centering researchers and scholars from racialized backgrounds
3. Acknowledging the limitations of current research in psychology
4. Discussing inaccuracies or shallow explorations of racialized groups

1. Integrating racial groups into each lesson

Psychology courses at UTSC often confine discussions of race and cross-cultural psychology to a single textbook chapter, a standalone lecture, or a separate elective course (Jahan et al., 2024). Treating the subject of race and culture in psychology as separate from the rest of the study of psychology leads to tokenism, where racialized groups are superficially included without being fully integrated into the broader curriculum (Kowalski, 2000).

Conversely, an integrated approach embeds race and cross-cultural psychology throughout (1) all psychology courses and (2) all topics within each course.

This approach addresses racism and White supremacy in the classroom by:

• Emphasizing that these topics are central to all discussions and relevant across all psychological domains (Kowalski, 2000; Tinsley-Jones, 2001).
• Challenging the default assumption of a White middle-class norm, and the overgeneralization of data from White communities (Kowalski, 2000; Roberts & Mortenson, 2023).
• Teaching students to recognize and question biases inherent in traditional psychological theories and practices (Kowalski, 2000).
• Encouraging students to think about the complexities of operationalizing constructs like race and culture and differentiate between social and biological constructs (Kowalski, 2000; Fuentes et al., 2021).
• Countering historical biases and stereotypes that have been perpetuated in psychological research and theory by providing a more balanced and historically accurate perspective (Jahan et al., 2024; Whitten, 1993).

2. Centering racialized scholars and diverse samples

Students state that the majority of the studies presented in their psychology courses were written by White scholars and made up of predominantly White samples (Jahan et al., 2024). Incorporating psychological literature with racially diverse samples and centering studies by racialized scholars is essential for providing a holistic and nuanced understanding of psychology. For instance, including foundational work by other ethnic scholars and frameworks (e.g., Black psychology, Indigenous psychology). This approach (1) challenges ethnocentric views, (2) ensures multiple perspectives, and (3) addresses gaps left by traditionally WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) research.

Note: It is important to recognize that racialized scholars do not represent a single viewpoint, so incorporating diverse works and fostering critical class discussions is essential.

Incorporating racialized research and scholars can take the form of:

• Supplementing textbook readings with diverse journal articles
• Inviting guest speakers
• Presenting or assigning videos of scholars and professionals discussing their research in seminars, interviews, or educational videos

When selecting racialized content for courses:

• Aim to include in-depth representations of race which are layered and account for multiple contextual factors (e.g. socioeconomic status, demographic and historic variables, political environments)
• Do not shy away from the complexities of the topic or oversimplify findings

If racialized content is absent on a topic, invite students to discuss:

• How future research can address this gap
• The implications within the field of psychology
• The real-world implications.

3. Acknowledging the limitations of current research in psychology

When racial, ethnic, and cross-cultural variables are absent for a given topic, racialized UTSC psychology students invite instructors to acknowledge these limitations during their courses (Jahan et al., 2024).

This approach addresses racism and White supremacy in the classroom by:

• Helping students to regularly evaluate the applicability of findings across diverse populations and psychological phenomena (Fuentes et al., 2021; Neville et al., 2013).
• Recognizing areas of psychology where the complexities of cultural and racial factors have yet to be considered in psychological practice (APA, 2013, 2017).

Students advise instructors to acknowledge these limitations by:

• Specifying the demographics of the sample populations used in studies
• Stating any factors that may intersect with the literature’s findings (e.g. social class, socio-political environments, historical elements, etc.)
• Discussing further research that will address gaps in understanding about more diverse populations.
• Emphasizing that racial and ethnic diversity is not just about between-group differences but also includes significant within-group variability (Fuentes et al., 2021; Kowalski, 2000; Tinsley-Jones, 2001).
• Include case studies or real-world examples to demonstrate how psychological theories apply to diverse populations and contexts. This grounds theoretical concepts in practical situations and underscores the limitations of applying findings universally (Bleidorn et al., 2013; Chandler, Shama, & Wolf, 1983; Enns, 1994).

4. Discussing inaccuracies or shallow explorations of racialized groups

In cases where assigned material such as textbooks feature inaccurate and/or shallow explorations of racial representation within psychology, racialized students feel that it is vital to address it so that their White peers are aware that these perspectives may not be comprehensive or accurate (Jahan et al., 2024).

Instructors can address these cases by holding the following discussions with students:

• Alternative explanations for conclusions or results drawn from studies
• Contextual variables that may impact the results of research findings
• The generalizability of psychological studies globally
• The field’s historical role in scientific racism and its ongoing impact (Winston, 2022)
• Challenging language that may be rooted in White supremacy
• Challenging whether shallow conclusions have sufficient data to back up generalized claims
• The relationships between shallow explorations or inaccuracies and the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes
• Clarifying that race is not a biologically meaningful construct, and that racial differences do not reflect fundamental biological differences

Example: Students identified an example from one of our course textbooks. The text explains code-switching by claiming that immigrant children’s “hearts and minds” align more with their peers than their parents or cultural heritage. However, no study is cited to support this assumption, which seems to suggest that because their peers represent the dominant culture, it is preferred. This oversimplified view could be challenged by highlighting the lack of evidence and addressing how it may reinforce harmful stereotypes about immigrant children devaluing their heritage.

Overgeneralizations Based on Popular Paradigms

Psychology textbooks used in courses at UTSC often teach about one popular cross-cultural paradigm, overemphasizing and portraying it as the only/primary paradigm, rather than one of many paradigms for understanding cultural differences (Jahan et al., 2024).

Example: The Collectivistic/Individualistic Paradigm condenses individuals into members of one of two groups while disregarding other factors that may affect behavioural outcomes (Kowlanski, 2000).

Overemphasizing such paradigms in course content:

• Perpetuates nonspecific and simple explanations for complex cultural dynamics.
• Makes overbearing assumptions on behavioural differences.
• Disregards intersectionality and engagement with other factors that affect behaviour including inequality, power structures, and oppression (Duran, 2019).

Instructors can address overgeneralizations by:

• Presenting paradigms as one of several ways to understand cultural differences
• Discussing the ways that single paradigms lead to overgeneralizations about cultural groups
• Identifying the gaps in paradigms as they relate to intersectionality (Fuentes et al., 2021). 

Racially Inclusive Teaching Practices

Course Syllabi

The syllabus allows instructors to make it known to students that race and ethnicity are considered in their courses.

Students suggest that instructors:

• Include an EDI statement that discusses how racialized content and identities will be respected, highlighted, and incorporated into course content
• Include course learning objectives that consider cultural, racial, and ethnic competencies (Fuentes et al., 2021).

Create Opportunities for Critical Engagement

Racialized psychology students at UTSC would like to see a deeper engagement with cultural course material in their classes (Jahan et al., 2024). Students feel that merely acknowledging the lack of diversity without exploring the underlying reasons reinforces the notion that race and ethnicity are secondary rather than fundamental variables in psychology.

Instructors can create opportunities for critical engagement by:

• Incorporating opportunities for discussion and reflection about course material from a personal and peer perspective (Gallor, 2017; Hartwell, 2017).
• Encourage reflection on course material by making connections with other source materials (e.g., books, advertisements, lived experiences, etc.; Hartwell et al., 2017). 

Diverse Instructor Representation

Racialized psychology students wish to be taught by more diverse instructors, especially when discussing topics related to race and culture (Jahan et al., 2024). Students feel that instructors with lived experience and expertise on such topics are better suited to provide holistic, in-depth content in courses, rather than the shallow, monolithic, and one-dimensional representations they have come to expect.

When instructors lack lived experience they can:

• Invite guest speakers to teach and discuss topics relating to race, culture, and psychology
• Present perspectives from racialized researchers and professionals in the form of videos, lectures, and recorded seminars

Check Your Understanding

References

Bleidorn, W., Klimstra, T. A., Denissen, J. J., Rentfrow, P. J., Potter, J., & Gosling, S. D. (2013). Personality maturation around the world. Psychological Science, 24(12), 2530–2540. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613498396

Fuentes, M. A., Zelaya, D. G., Delgado-Romero, E. A., Butt, M., & Grigorenko, E. L. (2023). Open science: Friend, foe, or both to an antiracist psychology? Psychological Review, 130(5), 1351–1359. https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000386

Fuentes, M., Zelaya, D., & Madsen, J. (2021). Rethinking the Course Syllabus: Considerations for Promoting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Teaching of Psychology, 48(1), 69–79. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628320959979

Gallor, S. (2017). A Social Justice Approach to Undergraduate Psychology Education: Building Cultural Diversity, Inclusion, and Sensitivity into Teaching, Research, and Service. Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research, 22(4), 254–257. https://doi.org/10.24839/2325-7342.JN22.4.254

Gillborn, S., Woolnough, H., Jankowski, G., & Sandle, R. (2023). “Intensely White”: Psychology curricula and the (re)production of racism. Educational Review (Birmingham), 75(7), 813–832.

Hartwell, E. E., Cole, K., Donovan, S. K., Greene, R. L., Burrell Storms, S. L., & Williams, T. (2017). Breaking Down Silos: Teaching for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Across Disciplines. Humboldt Journal of Social Relations, 39(39), 143–162.

Jahan, F., Islam, M., & Bercovici, D. A. (2024). EDI principles and the curricula: An in-depth analysis of racialized content in undergraduate psychology courses [Unpublished manuscript]. Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Canada.

Kowalski, R. M. (2000). Including Gender, Race, and Ethnicity in Psychology Content Courses. Teaching of Psychology, 27(1).

Neville, H. A., Awad, G. H., Brooks, J. E., Flores, M. P., & Bluemel, J. (2013). Color-Blind Racial Ideology: Theory, Training, and Measurement Implications in Psychology. The American Psychologist, 68(6), 455–466.

Roberts, S. O., & Mortenson, E. (2023). Challenging the white = neutral framework in psychology. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 18(3), 597–606. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916221077117

Tinsley-Jones, H. (2001). Racism in our midst: Listening to psychologists of color. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 32(6), 573–580. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.32.6.573

Whitten, L. A. (1993). Infusing Black Psychology into the Introductory Psychology Course. Teaching of Psychology, 20(1), 13–21.

Winston, A. (2022). Why mainstream research will not end scientific racism in psychology. Theory & Psychology, 30(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354320925176

Contributions

Roles follow the CRediT Taxonomy. Names are listed in alphabetical order.

Conceptualization, Data Curation, Formal Analysis, Methodology, and Writing – Original draft: Mehvish Islam, Farzana Jahan

Writing – Review and editing: Debra Bercovici, Amman Khurana

Supervision: Debra Bercovici

Funding Acquisition: Debra Bercovici, Kyle Danielson (UTSC Pedagogies of Inclusive Excellence funding)