Implementing Anti-Racism Activities in U.S. Political Science Courses

Abstract

This paper makes the case for why anti-racism pedagogy should be included and identified as anti-racism in political science courses and provides and evaluates an example of anti-racism pedagogy in an American Political Thought course. In addition, I address critics of anti-racism and ways of addressing those critics in the classroom. In evaluating anti-racism pedagogy, work from higher education research is integrated with political-science specific teaching and learning work. I detail multiple ways anti-racism has been included in the example course, student evaluation of an active learning anti-racism activity and evaluate the learning outcomes for students who completed the original and enhanced active learning versions of anti-racism in the course. I find that although students are able to partially meet the learning goals, additional anti-racism content is necessary to fully achieve the learning goals of identifying and countering racist ideas, actions, or outcomes.

Keywords:

• Anti-racism
• pedagogy
• learning goals
• learning outcomes
• active learning

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Janet L. Donavan

Janet L. Donavan is a Teaching Associate Professor and Political Science Director of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. Dr. Donavan teaches courses in American politics and American political thought. Her research areas are political communication, early American political thought and scholarship of teaching and learning. Dr. Donavan received her PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in Boulder, Colorado.