Valuing the 'Race Card': Teaching Employment Discrimination Using Culturally Proficient Instruction

Abstract

This Article is my reflection of my efforts over the last several years to incorporate the tenets of culturally proficient instruction into my Employment Discrimination class. While I discuss specific teaching methods and exercises herein, this Article is not simply about teaching methods. My intention in this space is to describe the ways cultural proficiency has influenced my engagement with my students, my recognition of the diversity of culture in my classroom, my valuing of the cultural differences of my students, and the ways I try to leverage cultural difference with the course. It is as much about who I aspire to be as a culturally proficient educator, as what I do during class.

Keywords: cultural competence, cultural proficiency, inclusive teaching methods, diversity, inclusion