Diversity and Teaching When Disciplines Burn

From anthropogenic climate change to the resurgence of xenophobic authoritarian politics to a world still in the throes of a pandemic that has magnified long-existing social inequalities—academic disciplines are confronting a world that is often literally on fire. What’s more, in this moment in history, many disciplines are reckoning with the ways in which their fields may have contributed to (and contribute to) these ongoing crises. In some cases, the question is not only what a discipline should do, or be; the question is also how to confront the imperialist and racist ideologies that often rest at the very foundation upon which a discipline sits and thus how (and where) to activate decolonizing alternatives. While these discussions can at times feel abstract, for instructors working to design classes, construct syllabi, and teach students, the syllabus and the classroom provide opportunities to put these questions into practice. Join us for a panel discussion to be held on March 29, 2021 (at 3:30 p.m.) where we will discuss diversity and teaching when disciplines burn. Panelists include: Myrna Perez Sheldon and Don Opitz (chairs of the History of Science Society’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee), and Sebastián Gil-Riaño, Ramah McKay, Elly Truitt.