Diversify your Syllabi

Diversify your Syllabi is a Library service to help RRCC Faculty and Instructors integrate diverse content into courses.

1. Send Karen Neville an email with your syllabus or course outline (Karen.Neville@rrcc.edu)

2. A RRCC Librarian will contact you to schedule a one hour meeting.

3. Meet with a Librarian and discover ways you can Diversify your Syllabi!

The RRCC Librarians will help you find subject and discipline specific diverse content. Materials may include: books, ebooks, articles, essays, streaming video, DVDs, internet resources and databases.

In addition to guiding you to diverse course content, the RRCC Librarians can also help you find resources, best practices, and even examples of how to incorporate different types of assignments and assessments.   

• Why do I select the content I do?
• Who is represented in the readings in terms of topics covered?
• Who is represented in the readings in terms of authors?
• Do I use examples and text throughout that are representative of my students?
• Do texts support deficit models that blame marginalized groups for the inequality they experience? 
• Do I encourage and present alternative perspectives?
• Can course topics and content be adjusted to speak to diversity and inclusion?
• What assumptions have I made about the learners in my class?

Adapted from University of Minnesota Diversify your Syllabus, The University of Kansas Creating an Inclusive Syllabus, and Tufts The Syllabus as a Tool for Setting a Climate

A Syllabus’ Worth of Difference suggests “points of entry” for making a syllabus more inclusive (Georgetown University)

In The Danger of a Single Story, novelist Chimamanda Adichie warns about the danger of a singular representations of groups of people. This is useful to understand the importance of diversifying course content.

Change your Syllabus, Change your Life by Elizabeth Sherowski, Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill