Challenges of Multicultural Education: Teaching and Taking Diversity Courses - Softcover

"A first-of-a-kind book for all educators working for real democracy in an increasingly multicultural society. Three dozen faculty and students at colleges from the East Coast to the Southwest provide real-world accounts of using critical multiculturalism strategies in the classroom. Enlightened by extensive collaboration and innovative experimentation, they offer concrete advice on teaching diverse, often naïve students about difficult matters of stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, and conflict. These savvy educators press us all to implement a critical college-level pedagogy that takes sexism, racism, classism, and homophobia seriously."

-Joe R. Feagin, Ella C. McFadden Professor of Liberal Arts, Texas A&M University and author of The Agony of Education and Liberation Sociology.

The voices of college students and teachers vividly enlighten readers about the real-world challenges of multicultural education. Courses on diversity abound in American universities today. But open classroom discussion of racial and gender differences can evoke discomfort as much as new understandings. Negotiating these courses takes a toll on both faculty and students as classrooms become filled with emotion. Based on student and teacher experience in a range of American colleges and universities, this book shows how to meet these challenges and create a truly open and beneficial environment. The authors demonstrate pedagogical strategies and new approaches. A vital resource for teachers, students, college administrators, and university libraries. Contents: Introduction. Dialogue on Diversity Teaching. From Silence and Resistance to Tongues Untied. The Racial Experiment. Starting with a Story and Sharing the Discussion Leading. Irritating, Supporting & Representing. Identity Matters in Class. What Lies Beneath. Conclusion.