Diversity, Equity and Intercultural Understanding

See also: Living Lab and Global Citizenship.

The Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) strives to support the UBC teaching community in creating learning environments that embrace diversity and enhance equity and intercultural understanding. “Mutual respect and equity” is one of the values addressed in the UBC Plan, which was announced in December 2009 to make the University an exceptional learning environment. The UBC Plan states:

The University values and respects all members of its communities, each of whom individually and collaboratively makes a contribution to create, strengthen, and enrich our learning environment.
- Vision and Values, The UBC Plan

Further, to realize the vision and values of the UBC Plan, the University identifies “intercultural understanding” as one of the areas where the University needs to grow the most. The UBC Plan declares the University’s commitment to “intercultural understanding” as follows:

The University engages in reflection and action to build intercultural aptitudes, create a strong sense of inclusion, and enrich our intellectual and social life.
- Commitments, Goals, and Actions, The UBC Plan

In this section of the CTLT website, you will find what kinds of opportunities and resources are available to enhance your teaching and learning on the issues of diversity, equity and intercultural understanding at UBC and beyond.

Programs and Workshops

Please come to our programs and workshops to join our commitment to creating an equitable and inclusive learning environment at UBC as well as to learn about how you, as an educator or student, may be able to address and engage in the issues of diversity, equity, and intercultural understanding in your classroom and beyond. Those programs and workshops serve you not only as learning opportunities but also as networking opportunities to meet and share ideas with colleagues who are interested in similar issues:

Living Lab: Living Lab develops and performs short interactive theatre sketches that involve members of the UBC community in conversations about the complexities and challenges that arise in diverse and multicultural teaching and learning environments. Learn more.

Global Citizenship: We offer a variety of programs, workshops, and resources to assist the UBC teaching community in meeting our goals of fostering global citizenship. Learn more.

To keep you posted with upcoming events, please go to Stay Connected & Contact Us.

Resources

Related UBC Offices and Centres

For more information on UBC’s effort to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, please go to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Resource Hub at UBC.

Teaching/Learning Materials

The list below contains some tools and tips for teaching in a diverse classroom environment or teaching about the issues of diversity, equity, and intercultural understanding. What is provided here is not necessarily one-size-fits-all tools or a quick fix for deep-seeded issues of inequality and marginalization in society, including educational settings. You may however use these resources as a springboard to develop your teaching content and render your teaching practices more inclusive and equitable.

Anti-oppression web tool
- By Ontario Public Interest Research Group at McMaster University.
- Information and learning resources about privilege, and how to prevent discrimination through gender, sexual orientation, disability, race, religion, age or class.
Diversity and complexity in the classroom: Considerations of race, ethnicity, and gender
- From Davis, B. G. (1993). Tools for Teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
- Strategies for diversity in the classroom and tactics for overcoming stereotypes and biases.
Diversity toolkit
- By University of Calgary
- Includes web-based diversity resources for BC and Canada
Handouts on equity, diversity, multicultural education, social justice
- By EdChange
- Printable handouts for a variety of different workshops, trainings, and classes.
Multicultural Pavilion: Diversity, equity, and social justice education resources
- By Paul C. Gorski, EdChange
- Resources for a critical approach to multicultural education
Start talking: A handbook for engaging difficult dialogues in higher education
- By University of Alaska, Anchorage
What I learned in class today: Aboriginal issues in the classroom
- The classroom discussion topics and advice are included.
- Available online, but the DVD is also available at the UBC Library.
Race: The power of an illusion
- The online companion to a three-part documentary video series about race in society, science, and history by Public Broadcasting Service. The videos (VHS) are available at the UBC Library.
- The website includes teaching plans, discussion guide, and a list of learning resources on race.

Academic Bibliography

There are a wide range of scholarly work on the issues of diversity, equity, and intercultural understanding in educational settings. This bibliography is by no means a complete list, but they may help you start exploring on the issues. Please see the end of this list for more related bibliographies provided by different sources.

Allan, E. & Estler, S. (2005). Diversity, privilege, and us: Collaborative curriculum transformation among educational leadership faculty. Innovative Higher Education, 29(3), 209-232.

Anderson, S.K., MacPhee, D., & Govan, D. (2000). Infusion of multicultural issues in curricula: A student perspective. Innovative Higher Education, 25(1), 37-57.

Bruch, P., Jehangir, R., Lundell, D., Higbee, J., & Miksch, K. (2005). Communicating across differences: Toward a multicultural approach to institutional transformation. Innovative Higher Education, 29(3), 195-208.

Carr, P. R., & Klassen, T. R. (1997). Different perceptions of race in education: Racial minority and white teachers. Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l'éducation, 22(1), 67-81.

Ewart-Bauer, T. (2011, January). Emotion, conflict, and culture in the classroom: Part one of two. Bridges , 9(1), 12-14. Permalink

Ewart-Bauer, T. (2011, April). Emotion, conflict, and culture in the classroom: Part two of two. Bridges , 9(3), 13-15. Permalink

Fleras, A., & Elliott, J.L. (2002). Engaging Diversity: Multiculturalism in Canada. Toronto: Nelson Thompson Learning.

Fuller, M., Bradley, B., & Healey, M. (2004). Incorporating disabled students within an inclusive higher education environment. Disability and Society, 19(5), 455-468.

Kumashiro, K. K. (2002). Against repetition: Addressing resistance to anti-oppressive change in the practices of learning, teaching, supervising, and researching. Harvard Educational Review, 72(1), 67–93.

Linse, A., Jacobson, W., & Reddick, L. (2004-2005). Teaching for diversity and inclusiveness in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Toward the Best in the Academy, 16(7). Retrieved from http://www.csub.edu/tlc/options/resources/handouts/fac_dev/Teaching%20for%20Diversity%20and%20Inclusiveness%20in%20Science.htm.

Lyakhovetska, R. (2004). Welcome to Canada?: The experiences of international graduate students at university. In L. Andres (Ed.), Student affairs: Experiencing higher education (pp. 189-216). Vancouver, Canada: UBC Press.

Marker, M. (2004). The four Rs revisited: Some reflections on First Nations and higher education. In L. Andres (Ed.), Student affairs: Experiencing higher education (pp. 171-188). Vancouver, Canada: UBC Press.

Nelson, C.E. (1996). Student diversity requires different approaches to college teaching, even in math and science. The American behavioral scientist, 40(2), 165-175.

Newton, J., Ginsburg, J., Rehner, J., Rogers, P., Sbrizzi, S., & Spencer, J. (Eds.). (2001). Voices from the classroom: Reflections on teaching and learning in higher education. Aurora, Canada: Garamond Press.

Nichols, J.C. (2003). Changing what is taught: Hearing the voices of the underrepresented. Innovative Higher Education. 27(3), 195-208.

Ouellett, M. L. (Ed.). (2005). Teaching inclusively: Resources for course, department and institutional change in higher education. Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press.

Shor, I., & Freire, P. (2003). What are the fears and risks of transformation? In A. Darder, M. Baltodano, & R. D. Torres (Eds.), The critical pedagogy reader (pp. 479-496). New York, NY: Routledge Falmer.

Spafford, M. M., Nygaard, V. L., Gregor, F., & Boyd, M. A. (2006). "Navigating the different spaces": Experiences of inclusion and isolation among racially minoritized faculty in Canada. The Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 36(1), 1-27.

More bibliographies

An annotated bibliography of print resources on multicultural education and diversity issues in higher education
- http://www.umass.edu/cft/resources/tldc.htm
- Center for Teaching, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Ethnic and gender issues in science, technology, engineering, and math courses (an annotated bibliography)
- http://www.nyu.edu/cte/ethnicgenderbib.html
- NYU Center for Teaching Excellence
Selected bibliography: Social justice, diversity, multicultural and antiracism education
- http://www.ucalgary.ca/dtoolkit/bibliography
- Diversity Toolkit, University of Calgary
- Categorized by Canadian, American, and international

Stay Connected & Contact Us

A great way to keep yourself posted with upcoming events and new resources related to the issues of diversity, equity, and intercultural understanding in teaching and learning is to join the Global Citizenship Teaching and Learning Community of Practice. In the Community of Practice, you will:

Learn about professional development opportunities
Create community with colleagues who share your interests
Talk about social justice and ecological sustainability in the curriculum and classroom
Be inspired to incorporate new ideas in your teaching

To join the Community of Practice, please go to the CTLT Communities of Practice website and sign up to the Global Citizenship Community of Practice.

For more information, please email kele.fleming@ubc.ca.

Help Develop This Resource

Help develop this resource! You only need to login with your CWL to edit this page.

Let us know if you found this resource helpful by filling out this short feedback form.

Equity, Diversity, and Intercultural Understanding