EDU 285 Voices of Diversity in Classrooms
While U.S. school populations continue to become more and more diverse, the books read in classrooms frequently represent the majority only. The focus of this class is on representations of traditionally underrepresented groups in school curriculum (including but not limited to those of African, Asian, Latino/a, Native American, and Middle Eastern origins) with classroom applications. The critical analysis of selected texts and illustrations in multicultural children's and adolescent literature will enhance students' ability to influence all children's and adolescents' reading of diverse representations of culture, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, disability, gender, and sexuality. Strategies for incorporation of a diverse reading list in a multicultural curriculum will challenge students to explore the impact of book choices on classrooms. Concerns raised by parents and controversies such as book banning and their implications for students and classrooms also will be investigated.