Skip to Main Content
“Brandeis

Multicultural Teaching and Learning: Inclusion and Belonging In and Outside the Classroom

Embedding and Contextualizing Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination in Research, Pedagogy and Policy

Project Description

A course syllabus is the foundation of a transformative classroom experience for both the instructor and the students. Course materials that reflect a diversity of thought and experience can lead to robust discussions and a deeper understanding of learning objectives.

It can be challenging to navigate the many articles, books, and multimedia options to ensure your syllabus has an inclusive and varied representation of perspectives. In this guide, we've collated and developed self-assessment exercises to help you identify areas where content can be shifted, and provided contact information for campus experts to help you do this exploration. Subject specialist librarians are available through Brandeis Library to work with you on search strategies and to help you obtain the materials you've selected.

Whether you are creating a course from scratch or revising an existing course, we are here to support you as you design a more diverse and inclusive syllabus.

The Brandeis Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has developed a page of Social Justice Definitions.

Sequence for Fostering Inclusion and Belonging In and Outside the Classroom

  1. Engage in Self-Reflection –  Promoting self-awareness and care around engaging with diverse populations.
  2. Transform Your Reading List – Learning how to create inclusive pedagogy reflective of the wider world.
  3. Equity-Minded Teaching – Building skills in structuring classroom engagement that advances equitable opportunities for academic achievement for ALL students.
  4. Measure Efficacy and Formulate an Evaluation Plan – Track and report progress in creating equity and excellence in the classroom through faculty activity reports, course evaluations, and climate surveys.