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Teaching Race: Pedagogical Challenges in Predominantly White Undergraduate Theology Classrooms
Author(s) -
Scheid Anna Floerke,
Vasko Elisabeth T.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
teaching theology and religion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.165
H-Index - 11
eISSN - 1467-9647
pISSN - 1368-4868
DOI - 10.1111/teth.12157
Subject(s) - white privilege , white (mutation) , cognitive dissonance , scholarship , diversity (politics) , social justice , sociology , race (biology) , pedagogy , privilege (computing) , critical race theory , racism , psychology , gender studies , social psychology , social science , anthropology , biochemistry , chemistry , computer security , political science , computer science , law , gene
While a number of scholars in the field of C hristian theology have argued for the importance of teaching diversity and social justice in theology and religious studies classrooms, little has been done to document and assess formally the implementation of such pedagogy. In this article, the authors discuss the findings of a yearlong Scholarship of Multicultural Teaching and Learning ( SoMTL ) study, which examined student learning and faculty teaching regarding race and white privilege in two theology classrooms. After a brief overview of the study's design and execution, we reflect upon our findings and draw out implications for pedagogical practices. In particular we discuss students' emotional responses to the material and the role of cognitive dissonance in student learning with respect to racial inequality via social structures. See a companion essay in this issue of the journal (Karen Teel, “Getting Out of the Left Lane: The Possibility of White Antiracist Pedagogy”) and responses by the authors of both essays, also published in this issue of the journal (“Responses: Toward an Antiracist Pedagogy”).