Teaching.IU

Context

Many instructors are interested in finding ways to diversify their syllabi in order to bring in a broad range of perspectives and ideas. At the same time, students oftentimes go with the default assumption that the authors they read are white men. Using pictures of authors can both help professors visually audit the authors they assign while at the same time offering greater context to students. 

Step-by-Step Implementation

1. Begin by taking the list of course readings for your class and collecting a list of authors. 
2. Using an internet search engine, create a folder that contains images of all of the authors that you use in your class.
   • You may notice that the majority of the authors you employ are white men. If this is the case, this presents you with a few opportunities. 
     • You should probably work to include more authors who are female or nonbinary and from nonwhite racial and ethnic groups.
     • You might also use this as an opportunity to discuss the creation of canons in particular fields, and why certain individuals dominated the literature in certain fields.
3. Post the images of your authors in a place that students can see them. I have found that using author images in PowerPoint slides is an ideal way to let students see these images. You might also consider putting them in the syllabus or on worksheets depending on the context of your class. 

Effectiveness

Students who are in classes where images of authors are used are much less likely to misgender authors (usually by assuming that authors are men by default). I have found discussions of the gender and racial makeup of canons to be highly productive. For instance, discussions of the racial and gender makeup of the canonical authors have led to great conversations about epistemology and theoretical lacunae in my Social Theory courses. We have, for example, discussed why early sociological theorists in Europe might not have had much to say about race as a concept, and why that makes the work of W.E.B. DuBois such an important addition to the canon.