Teaching about ‘Racialized Space’ on Campus

Abstract

Recent scholarship urges us to examine the physical and social spaces at universities including their historic statues, building portraits, and meeting spaces because these purported colorblind environments are often saturated with racialized meaning. This class activity enables students to make connections between race and space on their own campuses....

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Details

Subject Area(s):

Introduction to Sociology/Social Problems, Race, Class and Gender, Racial and Ethnic Relations

Resource Type(s):

Class Activity

Class Level(s):

College 100, College 200, College 300

Class Size(s):

Medium, Small

Usage Notes

1. 
   
2. Before the class, users should prepare a short lecture introducing students to the concept of a ‘racialized space’. I use Duran, Foste, Garcia, and Snipes (2022: 614) who note that “the racialization of space involves the sorting of bodies into different physical spaces that are made to appear a natural or objective state of affairs”...

Learning Goals and Assessments

Learning Goal(s):

1. Learning Goal #1: Define what is meant by a ‘racialized space’.
2. Learning Goal #2: Assess the racial/ethnic demographics of their campus and consider how it might affect students' experiences.
3. Learning Goal #3: Describe if/how different areas of campus function as racialized spaces.
4. Learning Goal #4: Describe if/how a select campus space is racialized – focusing on both the physical space and the racialized interactions within the space.

Goal Assessment(s):

1. Assessment #1: Students are asked a two-point multiple choice question on an exam to ascertain their understanding of the definition of a ‘racialized space’.
2. Assessment #2: Students will complete and turn in a low-stakes worksheet at the end of the class period. One of the questions on the low-stakes worksheet includes a table of the recent racial/ethnic demographics of the full student body at the university. Students are asked to review these aggregate racial/ethnic percentages and then speculate about how...
3. Assessment #3: The above-mentioned worksheet asks students four multi-part open ended questions about the university’s physical environment and how these environments might affect racial/ethnic relations in these spaces. The worksheets are reviewed by the professor to assess engagement and award course participation points, and they are then returned to...
4. Assessment #4: Students are asked a ten-point short answer question on an exam that prompts them to discuss if/how one campus space of their choice is racialized by applying the definition noted in the lecture to their observations of the spaces’ physical design and race or ethnicity-based interactions.