Table of Contents

Foregrounding Diverse Perspectives

Syllabus Statement

Foregrounding Diverse Perspectives

In this course, we’re going to push to open ourselves up to new ways of seeing the world and its people. Each unit will be begin with an outside reading that will help us center the current unit’s conversation from a perspective that you might not otherwise encounter in a standard textbook. Our goal in doing this is to encourage you to think outside of your normal approach to problems, issues, and culture, and to help us all understand the value that diversity and diverse perspectives bring to our work and lives.


Suggested Reading Ideas

Below you'll find some readings that have been taught by faculty and staff in the past or suggested. This is not a mandated reading list, but is provided to give you somewhere to start in your reading selection. These are readings that have been suggested by faculty and staff of the department, as well as by teaching assistants. These readings are in no way endorsed by us, but are instead offered as helpful suggestions from members of our department.

Readings and Context

When writing and readings content from cultures outside of your own, you need to take care to treat content fairly and within the proper context. Some of the texts below have special contextualization notes that have been provided by faculty, staff, or others to help teachers and readers understand the larger context that these texts take place within.

Readers

Racism in America: A Reader, from Harvard University Press (free download)

https://www.brandeis.edu/investigate/race-justice/busing-desegregation.html

Prose

//Africa and the Global South Readings// compiled by Jean Hugues Bita'a

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehsi Coates

Educated by Tara Westover (click for contextual note)

The Management of Grief by Bharati Mukherjee

Rules of the Game by Amy Tan

Poetry

Short Stories

Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience by Rebecca Roanhorse

Videos

"I'm Not the Indian You Had in Mind"

Technical Writing Texts

General Discussions and Culture

The Black Experience in Graphic Design

Instructions

The Negro Traveler's Green Book

Caring for Your Biracial or Black Child's Hair

Archival Materials

If requested, we can share PDFs from Dr. Don Unger of the University of Mississippi that document community work by Black farmers in that state.