Diversity, equity and inclusion

Inclusive teaching and learning in history

Wayne State University brings diverse faculty, staff and students together in the heart of Detroit. The history department is dedicated to providing a safe and inclusive environment for all members of our departmental community, making the study of history accessible and welcoming for all. To support our students and provide an inclusive and safe educational experience, this page also connects faculty and students with resources to report suspected abuses for conflict resolution.

Improving our classroom environment

We're committed to cultivating educational spaces where students from all backgrounds can learn and explore. Here's a selection of resources to support faculty who are interested in further developing their knowledge and skills to create and support a welcoming classroom environment for students.

• Wayne State resources
  • Learn more about accessibility and standards at Wayne State for students and faculty who may need disability accommodations.
  • Self-enroll in the OTL Canvas class teaching about how to be more inclusive in the classroom. Subjects include anti-racist pedagogy, supporting LGBTQIA+ students, handling difficult discussions, pedagogy of kindness, trauma-informed pedagogy, teaching on days after, universal design for learning and accessibility.
  • Explore the resources and events available through the Office of Multicultural Student Engagement and connect with them for consultations and training opportunities.

  Additional resources and support are available through the Office for Teaching and Learning.

• External resources
  • Learn more about how micro-aggressions can present themselves in the classroom and how these aggressions can stunt the learning environment for students.
  • Soraya Chemaly writes about the impact of unexamined teacher biases on student learning.
  • Carnegie Mellon has created a self-guided teaching skill-building tool for instructors, teachers and professors to evaluate and better incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) skills into their teaching process.
  • The Wabash Center has collected a blog series from a wide range of professors after the Ferguson uprising prompted by the killing of teen Michael Brown in 2014. This blog series focuses on how and why understanding what role race and diversity have in the classroom and their importance in curriculum and teaching practices
  • Yale's Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning has assembled resources and examples for supporting an inclusive classroom environment.
  • The American Historical Association created a new "Teaching History with Integrity" initiative to expand conversations about teaching more diverse and inclusive histories of the American past.
  • The Chronicle of Higher Education hosted a virtual panel of experts on teaching and learning to discuss creating inclusive classrooms in traditional, hybrid and virtual settings.
  • Historian Cate Denial talks about the pedagogy of kindness. Explore other pedagogical resources to support accessible and inclusive classrooms available on her blog.
  • Faculty development expert, Karen Costa, provides training and support for trauma-informed pedagogy and effective online teaching.
  • Historian Kevin Gannon shares resources related to social justice teaching on his blog. Learn more about his book, "Radical Hope."
• Curriculum-building resources

  We understand that many of the actors in history about whom we teach have actively oppressed other groups. The resources below are designed to help craft curriculum around distressing topics that honor both the topic at hand and the well-being of the students being taught.

  • What does it mean to culturally "other" someone? How does this shape or skew our approach to a subject? What impact does "othering" have in the classroom?
  • This interactive site by Carnegie Mellon University's Eberly Center provides a variety of assessment and course revision tools to help your curriculum, from evaluating negative or ahistorical stereotypes to inclusive methods in teaching.
  • American Historical Association (AHA)
    • Reacting to the Past is a collection of teaching resources evaluated by others in the AHA and those with a history degree for a variety of grade levels that explore difficult topics
    • Resources and projects from the AHA's Teaching Division: History Gateways Project, Globalizing the U.S. History Survey and Tuning the Disciplines.

  Explore teaching ideas and resources on historian Cate Denial's blog and historian Kevin Gannon's blog.

Improving office interactions

Faculty and staff interact not only with students but with each other. We continually strive to create a workplace built on respect and support for our colleagues. Here are some resources on how to respectfully interact with others under DEI principles and where to report misconduct.

• What do micro-aggressions look like in the workplace? How can they inhibit productive relationships?
• What role can DEI play in improving office relationships and environments?
• Diversity and inclusion exercises can help faculty implement DEI principles in the workplace to better professional relationships in a multicultural environment.
• Wayne State has a number of faculty and staff engagement groups that can provide community support.

Reporting resources

The Office of Inclusive Excellence on campus is committed to creating a nurturing environment on campus for students, faculty and staff.

• Disability/access needs and issues reporting
• Office of Equal Opportunity
• Student support and intervention
• Title IX reporting for sexual harassment issues