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AMONG the most challenging tasks the academy confronts are creating and sustaining environments that support learning for all members of an increasingly diverse campus community. Developments such as the civil rights movement, the affirmation of women's rights, and the globalization of the economy have resulted in a more heterogeneous campus community, in which no one dominant group holds unquestioned, presumptive cultural authority. This diversity is a source of intellectual enrichment, but it can also lead to social friction. More and more, campuses are evolving into cosmopolitan worlds that students, faculty members, administrators, and staff members occupy with a disparity of personal histories, languages, cultural styles, moral and religious commitments, intellectual convictions, and experiences with the practices of scholarly exchange. The MLA Committee on Academic Freedom and Professional Rights and Responsibilities has produced this document to help teachers in English and foreign language departments who, fully alert to the conflicts and risks diversity brings, seek to make the most of the educational possibilities it offers.
Individual colleges and universities, as part of their long-held commitments to academic freedom, are responsible for creating and implementing policies and practices that support an open and inclusive environment. College and university teachers are responsible for making their classrooms places where individuals are recognized and respected and where members of the campus community feel free to engage in meaningful discussion of difficult issues. All members of the community, regardless of their status or experience, should be accorded opportunities to express their views openly, without fear, yet with the expectation that in an academic environment all viewpoints will be and should be critically interrogated. Faculty members, as the members of the campus community most practiced in the norms and usages of academic life, have a special responsibility to foster the free exchange of ideas and to model the exercise of mutual respect, as these form necessary conditions for effective learning. In assuming this responsibility, faculty members need to be prepared to perform effectively in classroom and other campus situations when norms of courtesy falter.
Some forms of bigotry are illegal, among them sexual harassment; gender discrimination; discrimination because of race, color, or national origin; disability discrimination; harassment based on sexual orientation; religious discrimination; age discrimination; and discrimination based on military status. Every college and university should have rules and procedures in place to protect students and employees from such acts.
This document uses the term bigotry in the broad sense employed in the Report of the MLA Task Force against Campus Bigotry: “an attitude resulting from unexamined stereotypes by which certain groups are stigmatized on the basis of ascribed common characteristics and leading to words and/or actions that create a hostile or intimidating environment.” Information about combating hate and promoting tolerance is available from the American Association of Colleges and Universities (www.aacu-edu.org), the Southern Poverty Law Center (www.splcenter.org), and the Anti-Defamation League (www.adl.org).
The fostering of respect begins with actions aimed at preventing or mitigating incidents of bigotry. Such actions include the adoption of proper teaching strategies and self-education on the part of faculty members. But preventive measures are not always successful. When incidents of bigotry occur, whether in the classroom or in other situations involving interaction with or among students, teachers should already be well informed about steps they and other parties may take.
Styles of teaching vary according to several factors; the subject being taught; the way instructors perceive themselves; and the composition of the classroom along such lines as race, gender, and ethnicity. No advice will therefore be appropriate for all situations:
To acquire the pedagogical means to address issues of diversity, you may consider the following actions:
Instructors and students may encounter bigotry in various forms. As an instructor, you should be aware of, and prepared to deal with, the following possibilities:
It is important neither to inflate a minor incident nor to minimize a major one. When dealing with an incident of perceived or deliberate bigotry, focus on what you are trying to accomplish rather than on what you are trying to prevent. The purpose of the fight against discriminatory language and disrespectful behavior is to create an inclusive classroom environment where differences, handled in an atmosphere of mutual respect, can contribute to a productive exchange of ideas.
Before passing judgment or taking action:
When further discussion is fruitless, take steps to address the situation in accordance with university policies and procedures.
Be careful to maintain confidentiality at all times in dealing with incidents of bigotry. Consider keeping a written record of what occurred, as it may be helpful during the process of resolving issues related to an incident of bigotry. Be aware, however, that such records may be obtained by parties you have not envisioned, through legal or other administrative procedures (for example, open record requests). Exercise judgment, then, in creating written records.
Problems among Students
It is natural for students to feel demeaned, confused, or angry after an incident of bigotry. A student who encounters bigotry may need your moral or emotional support.
Be a sympathetic listener.
Problems between Instructor and Student
It is important to discuss with the student the kind of classroom atmosphere you would both like to establish and maintain. Discuss how the recent incident may have diminished possibilities to achieve such an atmosphere.
Such matters, if not resolved in informal discussion between student and instructor or in the informal mechanisms of a department, may need to be referred to other appropriate campus offices.
Problems between Instructors and Members of Office Staff
Relations between instructors and staff members are sensitive matters in which perceived acts of bigotry can sometimes result from either instructors or staff members displaying a lack of courtesy; from a lack of understanding of cultural differences; from a lack of respect for differences of race, class, and gender; or from other sources of misunderstanding.
Problems among Colleagues
If you are the subject of a complaint:
If you bring a problem to an office in your institution:
© 2002 by the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages. All Rights Reserved.
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