Antiracist Pedagogy in Direct Advocacy Courses

Abstract

Even though the need is great, there are too few resources available to political science faculty who seek to integrate antiracist pedagogy into their courses and curriculum. To date, there are no publications that focus on the special considerations that must be taken into account when teaching political science courses in an antiracist way due to the relationship between our discipline and the political actors and institutions we study. In this article, I discuss some of the foundational principles in antiracist pedagogy and consider how they can be implemented in political science courses that involve direct advocacy. Following hooks, Kandaswamy, and Kishimoto, I argue that that antiracist teaching requires instructors to engage in critical reflection on their own positionality—both as individuals in a society structured by racial capitalism, and as faculty members in particular departments, within an academic discipline. Further, that the course design process must take into consideration whose perspectives are being centered in the course design process and how students’ emotional needs are reflected in our teaching practices. Finally, that when it comes to antiracist pedagogy how we teach is as much or more important than what we teach.