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SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

Summer Session 1999

EDUC 381 - 4

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K. Keliipio

ST: Comparative Multicultural, Anti-Racist

Office: MPX 9507

Education: BC & Quebec ?

Tel: 291-4236

*FO100 ?

E-mail: keliipio@sfu.ca

PREREQUISITE

*For PDP Quebec Program Students

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The racism that is embedded in our educational systems continues to poison the lives and the learning experience of

all our students......Too many of our students suffer as a result of the assumption that our traditional Canadian

systems are good for everybody. In many ways, they are not good for anybody. How can an education be goodfor

anyone if it teaches, implicitly and explicitly, that one culture, one religion, and one colour deserve the most and the

best?

(Allingham, Nora Dewar. 'Anti-racist Education and the Curriculum-A Privileged Perspective." Racism and

Education: Different Perspectives and Experiences. Ottawa: Canadian Teachers' Federation 1992)

Much of traditional curriculum focuses on the values, experiences, achievements and perspectives of

white-European members of Canadian society and excludes or distorts those of other groups in Canada and

throughout the world.

(Ministry of Education and Training. Antiracist and Ethnocultural Equity Education Toronto: Ontario Ministry of

Education and Training. 1993)

COURSE FOCUS AND EXPECTATIONS

A course on Anti-Racism Education makes it necessary to critically examine the concept of race, the history of

Western views on race, the nature of racism, as well as the basic principles of anti-racism education. Sound

pedagogy suggests that learners who participate in the development of a course of study will gain a sense of

'knowledge ownership', 'empowerment', and 'relevancy' while acquiring important decision making and group

work skills. These principals have gone into the development of this course.

Through some interesting learning experiences, some of which many of you have already experienced, we will

demonstrate our individual and collective understandings of the practical and theoretical applications of Anti-Racism

Education.

All students enrolled in this course should expect to read daily, engage in research, contribute actively, respectfully

and intelligently to discussions and in-class tasks, participate in field experiences, assess and evaluate your own

progress throughout the course, and demonstrate understanding of concepts covered.

LEARNING GOALS

The learning goals include the following:

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To

promote critical thinking with regards to the root causes of racism through the study of exemplars of racism in

the history of Canadian and British Columbia society.

•

To

examine the characteristics of curriculum bias and the assumptions embedded in traditional curriculum practices

and philosophies.

• To develop an understanding and working knowledge of the basic principles of anti-racism education.

•

To

become aware of the community resources available to support anti-racism education work.

ASSIGNMENTS

Several assignments have been developed to meet the goals of the course. They may, in turn, also be used to

evaluate your good efforts. The restraints of a system of grading that this university requires looms as a dark

shadow that will not go away, however, I hope the assignments you do for this course will illuminate your path as

you make your way back into the schooling system in September.