Spring 2025 Workshops
Select a title below to view more details on that workshop and to RSVP.
Join Sofia Brizuela Obando in la series of dance classes: salsa, merengue, cumbia, reggaetón, etc. This workshop is designed for beginners, but all levels are welcome!
Offered on Fridays in FDC 118 beginning February 7 and ending April 9.
Do you have a writing project that needs attention but struggle to find time amid your many commitments? Are you looking for a supportive community to help you stay accountable? Join us for the Faculty Writing Café, a weekly online drop-in to help you carve out dedicated time for RSCA—or any other writing project you’ve been meaning to tackle.
Whether you’re working on a research article, grant proposal, book chapter, conference talk, or creative piece, the Writing Café offers a structured yet low-pressure environment to help you make steady progress. Each session will begin with a quick check-in as participants share their projects and set goals for the session. Then it’s cameras off, timer on, and we’ll write together for 60 minutes. When the hour is up, we’ll briefly reconvene to share our progress and celebrate every small win.
No commitment required; please drop-in when you can. Come as you are, have your coffee (or tea) at the ready, and let’s write.
Our first meeting will be Tuesday, February 11th. For more information or to request a calendar invite, contact Ashley Black at ablack5@csustan.edu. Reservations appreciated but not required.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming higher education, challenging us to rethink everything from academic integrity to assessment and course design. While AI presents significant ethical and pedagogical concerns, it also offers powerful opportunities to enhance teaching and learning. This two-part workshop series will help faculty navigate both sides of this evolving landscape.
This series is open to faculty across disciplines—whether you're deeply familiar with AI or just starting to explore its implications. Join us for one or both sessions as we tackle the realities of AI in higher education. Please register to join Ashley Black in these important explorations.
Part 1: Navigating the Challenges of AI in the Classroom
- Wed. Feb 26, 1-2:30 p.m.
- OR
- Thurs. Feb. 27, 1-2:30 p.m.
Part 2: Harnessing AI’s Potential for Teaching and Learning
- Wed. April 23, 1-2:30 p.m.
- OR
- Thurs. April 24, 1-2:30 p.m.
- Online Synchronous
Join Esteban Montenegro in a workshop that introduces Quarto, an open-source and free platform for creating web-based teaching materials. As a scientific and technical publishing system, Quarto allows users to integrate R, Python, and other languages directly into HTML code, enabling dynamic, data-driven content. No prior programming experience is required to understand how to publish websites or create online books.
The goal of the workshop is to familiarize participants with automated tools for developing online resources for students, such as interactive websites and slides. Quarto’s flexibility enables the creation of interactive, accessible content, including slides that are screen reader-friendly and enhanced with JavaScript features.
The workshop will consist of four 2-hour synchronous online sessions. For more information about Quarto, visit this link: https://quarto.org/
Dates:
From 1 to 2 pm
- March: 5, 12, 19, 26
- April: 9, 16, 23, 30
The Fresh-Minds professional development program is designed to further cultivate a culture of care within Stan State's faculty community by emphasizing holistic student wellness, fostering belonging, and promoting culturally responsive communication in the advising process. This program will equip faculty to address the unique needs of first year and first-generation students from diverse backgrounds, particularly in the post-pandemic context.
Key components include the introduction of the 8 dimensions of wellness, the Culturally Engaging Campus Environment Model (CECE) to enhance belongingness and persistence, and Stepped Care method for effectively referring and connecting students to campus resources. Strategies for preventing burnout and compassion fatigue among faculty through effective self-care practices will be included as well. The program will implement active learning techniques, skill demonstrations, and case studies to ensure practical application and engagement.
Please register for this in-person event scheduled for March 13, 2025 1-3 p.m. in FDC 118.
With new Title II accessibility requirements coming next year, faculty can take some simple, proactive steps to ensure new materials they create are accessible from the start.
Register for this hands-on workshop, where we’ll explore quick, practical ways to improve accessibility using built-in tools in Microsoft Office. You’ll get a firsthand look at what it’s like to “read” a PDF using a screen reader and learn small but impactful changes that make your documents, slides, and other course materials more inclusive.
Ashley Black and Glenn Pillsbury will facilitate the workshop twice: Wed. March 19, 1:00-2:30pm and Thurs. March 20, 10:00-11:30am via Zoom
Register for this interactive workshop presented through a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, highlighting the potential for gamification (adding game-like elements) and game-based learning (using actual games in teaching) to engage and support a wide range of learners. We will introduce small, practical changes you can make to implement these strategies in your own classrooms and provide an opportunity to workshop ideas tailored to your courses. And since we believe in practicing what we preach, we’ll play some games together to experience these strategies firsthand!
Ashley Black and Karen Zandarski will facilitate this workshop twice: Wed. April 30, 2:00-3:30 and Thurs. May 1, 11:30-12:30 via Zoom
Past Workshops
CSU Student Success Dashboard
Facilitated by Drs. Dai Li, Betsy Eudey, and Shradha Tibrewal
Wednesday, April 26, 3:00-5:00 pm
The CSU Student Success Dashboard (Requires SSO Login) is an easy-to-navigate data dashboard that visualizes institutional student data in new and powerful ways. The CSU Student Success Dashboard has been developed to help faculty, staff, and administrators to use data to better understand barriers to graduation, diagnose factors that impede student success, and target responses based on these discoveries.
Earn a credit towards the Certificate in Inclusive Teaching!
Transforming Hispanic-Serving Institutions for Equity and Justice (2023) by Dr. Gina Garcia
Facilitated by Betsy Eudey, Carolina Alfaro, andShradha Tibrewal
Friday, April 28 & May 5, 2:00 am- 3:30 pm
Join us in a reflection and discussion of Transforming Hispanic-Serving Institutions for Equity and Justice using Dr. Garcia’s new book!
Earn 1 credit: Certificate in Inclusive Teaching (if you attend both sessions)
Facilitating Critical Conversations: Addressing Microaggressions
Facilitated by Drs. Mary Roaf, Betsy Eudey, and Shradha Tibrewal
Wednesday, November 2, 2022, 1:00pm-3:00pm
This workshop will help participants define/understand the concepts of Implicit Bias and Microaggression that can impact classroom, work, and social environments and introduce participants to different frameworks/strategies to address microaggressions
Faculty Advisors Workshop: Using Warrior Connect to Schedule, Document, and Streamline Your Advising
Facilitated by Faculty Fellows for Advising
Wednesday, November 2, 2022, 10:00am - 11:00am OR Thursday, November 3, 2022, 9:30am - 10:30 am
Join this workshop to learn more about the Warrior Connect advising tool, which has valuable features that make academic advising easier and more student–centered for faculty advisors.
To RSVP, please send an email to Dr. Keith Nainby, knainby@csustan.edu
Supporting Men of Color Students
Facilitated by Drs. Juvenal Caporale, Devon Graves, Arturo Nevarez
Monday, November 7, 2022, 10:00am-12:00pm
This workshop will support faculty with understanding theories and pedagogies that inform relationship-building and teaching practices for students who identify as men of color and propose strategies faculty can employ to foster student success from an equity-minded perspective. Participants will engage in group activities that workshop how to best engage and support men of color students.
Earn 1 credit towards Certificate in Inclusive Teaching
Formative Assessment
Facilitated by Drs. Karen Zandarski, Betsy Eudey, Dianne Vargas, and Shradha Tibrewal
Wednesday, October 19, 2022, 9:30am-11:00 am
In this workshop, we will discuss different practices for developing, implementing, and using assessment for learning. Formative assessments are designed to facilitate learning and improve teaching, curriculum/course design, and learning progress.
Earn 1 credit towards Certificate in Inclusive Teaching
Critical Conversations Part 2: Managing "Hot" Moments in the Classroom
Facilitated by Drs. Mary Roaf, Betsy Eudey, and Shradha Tibrewal
Wednesday, October 19, 2022, 1:00pm-3:00pm
The Facilitating Critical Conversations Part 2 workshop builds on the foundation laid during Part 1 by going deeper into how to facilitate conversations one-on-one and manage hot moments and challenging situations in the/classroom. We will learn about and apply Marshall Rosenberg's Non-Violent Communication (NVC) approach as well as Kathy Obear's PAIRS process. Do come prepared with a situation that you might want to role-play using these techniques.
Participants must attend both Parts 1 & 2 to earn 1 credit towards Certificate in Inclusive Teaching
Active Learning
Facilitated by Drs. Dianne Vargas, Karen Zandarski, Betsy Eudey, and Shradha Tibrewal
Thursday, October 20, 2022, 9:30am-11:00am
Earn 1 credit towards Certificate in Inclusive Teaching
Measures of Teaching Effectiveness
Facilitated by Drs. Keith Nainby, Betsy Eudey, and Shradha Tibrewal
Thursday, October 27, 2022, 11:00am-12:30pm
This session will offer an expanded view of what constitutes teaching effectiveness and will explore resources and guidelines for evaluating teaching. We will discuss different possible measures teaching effectiveness, including student feedback and ratings, peer review/observation of teaching, peer review of course materials, teaching and course portfolios, administrator/external expert ratings, advice from mentors, scholarship on teaching and learning, self-evaluation, learning outcomes measurement, exit and alumni interviews, and the use of videos
Trauma-Informed Pedagogy
Facilitated by Drs. Mary Roaf, Betsy Eudey, and Shradha Tibrewal
Friday, October 28, 2022, 12:00pm-2:00pm
This workshop will address trauma and the physiological impact of traumatic experiences and the kinds of traumas experienced by students prior to starting college and while attending college. Participants will gain an in-depth understanding of how trauma affects individuals and teaching and learning along with strategies to mitigate this impact and improve teaching and learning.
Earn 1 credit towards Certificate in Inclusive Teaching
Actualize Your Purpose and Legacy for Early-Career Faculty
Facilitated by Jennifer Askey of Academic Impressions
Thursday, April 21, 2022, 10:30am-1:00pm
Actualize Your Purpose and Legacy for Mid-Career Faculty
Facilitated by Jennifer Askey of Academic Impressions
Thursday, April 28, 2022, 10:30am-1:00pm
Facilitating Critical Conversations : Addressing Microaggressions
Drs. Mary Roaf, Betsy Eudey, Shradha Tibrewal
Wednesday, Nov. 17, 11 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Racism without Racists
Drs. Mary Roaf & Betsy Eudey
Friday, Oct. 29, 10-11:30 a.m. and Friday, Nov. 5, 10-11:30 a.m.
How to be Less Stupid about Race
Drs. Mary Roaf & Betsy Eudey
Friday, Oct. 1 and Friday, Oct. 8, 10-11:30 a.m.
Facilitating Critical Conversations Part 1: How to Create "Brave" Spaces
Drs. Mary Roaf, Betsy Eudey, Shradha Tibrewal
Wednesday, Oct. 13, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Facilitating Critical Conversations Part 2: Managing “Hot” Moments in the Classroom
Drs. Mary Roaf, Betsy Eudey, Shradha Tibrewal
Wednesday, Oct. 20, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Working with First Generation College Students Parts 1
Drs. Keith Nainby & Betsy Eudey
Thursday, Oct. 21, 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Trauma-Informed Pedagogy
Drs. Betsy Eudey, Mary Roaf, Shradha Tibrewal
Wednesday, Oct. 27, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Racism without Racists
Drs. Mary Roaf & Betsy Eudey
Friday, Oct. 29, 10-11:30 a.m. and Friday, Nov. 5, 10-11:30 a.m.
Cheating Lessons: Learning from Academic Dishonesty
- Tuesday, March 30
- Tuesday, May 4
- Tuesday, May 11 (if the group decides)
Facilitator: Dr. Curtis Pro
James M. Lang wasn’t planning to do research into why, how, and for how long college students have cheated. Dr. Lang, a professor of English and director of the D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence at Assumption College, just wanted to know what to do when he encountered the occasional incidence of cheating. Fortunately, he was already doing research on cognitive theory and brain and memory functioning. He writes, “...I realized that if I looked at...cheating through the lens of cognitive theory and tried to understand cheating as an inappropriate response to a learning environment that wasn’t working for the student, I could potentially empower...faculty members to respond more effectively to academic dishonesty by modifying the learning environments they constructed,” (p. 2). Based on his provocative research indicating that students often cheat because their learning environments give them ample incentives to try, he offers strategies that make cheating less worthwhile and that can improve student learning.
Working with First Gen College Students 4
- April 12
- April 13
Facilitators: Drs. Betsy Eudey and Keith Nainby
- Consider students’ funds of knowledge and previous experiences and how they shape the ways in which they engage in the learning community.
- Explore strategies for designing and fostering active learning through collaboration.
- Become more aware of campus resources and supports
- Obtain new strategies for supporting social and community integration
Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning
- Wednesday, March 17
- Wednesday, April 14
- Wednesday, May 5
Facilitators: Drs. Mary Roaf and Shradha Tibrewal
Join us to discuss alternatives to traditional grading. Using Susan Blum's book, Ungrading (and what to do instead), we will try to unpack how grades intersect with motivation and learning and its impact on student success and explore a variety of assessment and evaluation approaches.
FLC: Online and Hybrid Teaching and Learning Showcase
Friday, April 16TH
Facilitators: TBA
Description: TBD
Presumed Incompetent
- Thursday, March 25th
- Thursday, April 29th
Facilitators: Drs. Mary Roaf and Betsy Eudey
Description: The courageous and inspiring personal narratives and empirical studies in Presumed Incompetent II: Race, Class, Power, and Resistance of Women in Academia name formidable obstacles and systemic biases that all women faculty—from diverse intersectional and transnational identities and from tenure track, terminal contract, and administrative positions—encounter in their higher education careers. They provide practical, specific, and insightful guidance to fight back, prevail, and thrive in challenging work environments. This new volume comes at a crucial historical moment as the United States grapples with a resurgence of white supremacy and misogyny at the forefront of our social and political dialogues that continue to permeate the academic world
Facilitating Critical Conversations: Managing Hot Moments in the Classroom Part 2
Monday, March 1 OR Thursday, March 4
Facilitators: Drs. Mary Roaf, Betsy Eudey, Shradha Tibrewal
Description: Conflict in classrooms can be embedded in our curriculum, or it may occur spontaneously regardless of the subject matter. If you want to develop pedagogical practices that can transform controversy, discomfort, and/or resistance into meaningful learning opportunities, come join us! We are offering this workshop as a 2-part series. This is Part 2 of the workshop and the first one is required to participate in this.
Formative Assessment
Friday, March 5
Facilitators: Dr. Catherine Haras
Description: Instructors committed to inclusive teaching can revolutionize student learning using formative assessment. We will model in real time the 7 formative techniques and their related activities. Formative thinking helps students take responsibility for their own learning (a precondition for improvement) and challenges our assumptions about what "assessment" looks like in any environment. We will demonstrate multiple, creative activities that can be integrated into a class session-- or over the entire term-- whether teaching online or face-to-face.
Working with First Gen College Students Part 1
Monday, March 15 OR Tuesday, March 16
Facilitators: Drs. Betsy Eudey and Keith Nainby
Learn more about:
- Encourage students to set goals
- Incorporate student reflection, self-assessment, and peer-review activities.
- Help students relate course objectives to their lives
- Make feedback an important part of class
- Point students to other resources on campus
Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning
- Wednesday, March 17
- Wednesday, April 14
- Wednesday, May 5
Facilitators: Drs. Shradha Tibrewal and Mary Roaf
Join us to discuss alternatives to traditional grading. Using Susan Blum's book, Ungrading (and what to do instead), we will try to unpack how grades intersect with motivation and learning and its impact on student success and explore a variety of assessment and evaluation approaches.
Presumed Incompetent
- Thursday, March 25th
- Thursday, April 29th
Facilitators: Drs. Mary Roaf and Betsy Eudey
Description: The courageous and inspiring personal narratives and empirical studies in Presumed Incompetent II: Race, Class, Power, and Resistance of Women in Academia name formidable obstacles and systemic biases that all women faculty—from diverse intersectional and transnational identities and from tenure track, terminal contract, and administrative positions—encounter in their higher education careers. They provide practical, specific, and insightful guidance to fight back, prevail, and thrive in challenging work environments. This new volume comes at a crucial historical moment as the United States grapples with a resurgence of white supremacy and misogyny at the forefront of our social and political dialogues that continue to permeate the academic world
Summative Assessment
Friday, March 26
Facilitator: Dr. Catherine Haras
Description: Writing test questions, also known as item writing, is art and science. A well-constructed MC question is versatile, reliable-- and reusable, while a good essay question can measure creativity and reasoning. Did you know that smart test questions are also an equitable way of reaching students? Learn when to ask what type of question, and why. We will review the steps to writing equitable tests, including aligning questions with learning outcomes.
Cheating Lessons: Learning from Academic Dishonesty
- Tuesday, March 30
- Tuesday, May 4
- Tuesday, May 11 (if the group decides)
Facilitator: Dr. Curtis Pro
Description: James M. Lang wasn’t planning to do research into why, how, and for how long college students have cheated. Dr. Lang, a professor of English and director of the D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence at Assumption College, just wanted to know what to do when he encountered the occasional incidence of cheating. Fortunately, he was already doing research on cognitive theory and brain and memory functioning. He writes, “...I realized that if I looked at...cheating through the lens of cognitive theory and tried to understand cheating as an inappropriate response to a learning environment that wasn’t working for the student, I could potentially empower...faculty members to respond more effectively to academic dishonesty by modifying the learning environments they constructed,” (p. 2). Based on his provocative research indicating that students often cheat because their learning environments give them ample incentives to try, he offers strategies that make cheating less worthwhile and that can improve student learning.
Facilitating Class Environments that go Beyond the Comfort Zone Part 1
Monday, February 22 OR Thursday, February 25
Facilitators: Drs. Mary Roaf, Betsy Eudey, Shradha Tibrewal
Description: We are offering this workshop as a 2-part series, the first one is required to participate in Part-2. Conflict in classrooms can be embedded in our curriculum, or it may occur spontaneously regardless of the subject matter.
Instructional Institute Day 2021
January 26, 2021 at 11am - 1pm
Speaker: Gina Garcia
Description: Dr. Garcia provides an overview of HSIs and discusses the importance of becoming “Latinx- enhancing,” offering suggestions for how to center Latinxs and other minoritized students in the curriculum and classroom. She also provides a definition of social justice in the curriculum, stressing the need for faculty across the institution to think about equity and justice outcomes. This training is hands on, allowing faculty to evaluate their syllabi and reflect on their own pedagogical practices.
Instructional Institute Day 2021
January 27, 2021 at 9am - 12pm
Speaker: Laura Rendón
Description: During the extraordinary time of a world-wide pandemic, we are caught in a transformational middle space that Gloria Anzaldúa calls nepantla. As we experience a realm shift, we have a unique opportunity to shape a new educational vision that centers our humanity and our commitment to justice and equity. Participants will learn how to identify and transform false master narratives that work against equity and student success, employ validation theory to build caring and affirming relationships with students, and work with student assets. A holistic teaching and learning model, Sentipensante (sensing/thinking) Pedagogy, that addresses the rhythmic connection between intellectual development and aspects of our humanity will be presented along with examples of culturally-validating deep learning experiences.
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, 2 parts
- November 17, 12:00-1:30
- December 1, 12:00-1:30
Facilitated by Ms. Wendy Olmstead and Dr. Betsy Eudey
1 CIT Credit
Discussion Part 2: Preserving the relationship between plants and people through ecological restoration and the enduring power that arises from mutualism, the sharing of the gifts carried by each species.
Pages 205-379.
Pre-Election Hang Out
Monday, November 2 from 3:30-5:00pm
Facilitated by Drs. Shradha Tibrewal and Betsy Eudey
Join FCETL and CFA for Pre Election Day 2020
Creating Transformative Learning Experiences: Facilitating Critical Conversations (Part 2)
- October 30, 9:30-11:00
- November 2, 10:00-12:00
Facilitated by Drs. Mary Roaf, Betsy Eudey, Shradha Tibrewal
1 CIT Credit
Conflict in classrooms can be embedded in our curriculum, or it may occur spontaneously regardless of the subject matter. If you want to develop pedagogical practices that can transform controversy, discomfort, and/or resistance into meaningful learning opportunities, come join us! We are offering this workshop as a 2-part series, the first one is required to participate in Part-2.
Election Day Hang Out
Monday, November 3 from 6:00-9:00pm
Facilitated by Drs. Shradha Tibrewal and Betsy Eudey
Join FCETL and CFA for Election Day 2020
RPT Spring RPT Workshop
- November 4, 3:00-4:30
- November 5, 10:00-11:30
Facilitated by Dr. Heather Coughlin and Ms. Wendy Miller
This session is intended for probationary faculty undergoing review in Spring and for faculty considering applying for promotion and / or tenure. We will discuss departmental elaborations and expectations as they have evolved over your career at Stanislaus and how you might best make your case for retention / promotion / tenure. Please bring your WPAF and recommendation letters from your last review to the workshop.
No RSVP Required
My Time Among the Whites: Notes from an Unfinished Education, 2 Parts
- October 29, 3:30-5:00
- November 5, 3:30-5:00
Facilitated by Dr. Monica Flores
1 CIT Credit
"Connecting Latinx Experiences in Pedagogy, Research, and Service: Critical Applications of Jennine Capo Crucet's My Time Among the Whites." Workshop Part 1: Participants will discuss the first part (essays 1-3) of My Time Among the Whites and reflect on the impact these essays might have on their teaching, research, and service through guided activities. Workshop Part 2: Participants will apply the knowledge gained from My Time Among the Whites to their teaching, research, or service through guided activities and develop a implementation plan that will transform knowledge into action.
Post-Election Hang Out
Monday, November 6 from 2:30-4:00pm
Facilitated by Drs. Shradha Tibrewal and Betsy Eudey
Join FCETL and CFA for Post Election Day 2020
Creating Transformative Learning Experiences: Responding to Microaggressions in the Classroom
- November 13, 9:00-11:00
- November 19, 11:00-1:00
Facilitated by Drs. Mary Roaf and Cassandra Drake
1 CIT Credit
Drs. Cassandra Drake (Liberal Studies) and Mary Roaf (Ethnic Studies) will co-facilitate a workshop on microaggressions based on Zaretta Hammond’s definition. The objective of the workshop is to build on participants’ existing practices that maintain effective and safe learning environments. The cornerstone of achieving this goal is to recognize and address microaggressions as they affect and threaten students’ academic and social development. The facilitators will walk participants through identifying and reflecting on microaggressions they have experienced and observed through scenarios. A key part of the workshop is to practice how to address microaggressions in effective and intentional ways.
Please RSVP
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, 2 parts
- November 17, 12:00-1:30
- December 1, 12:00-1:30
Facilitated by Ms. Wendy Olmstead and Dr. Betsy Eudey
1 CIT Credit
Discussion Part 1: The themes of reciprocity, the spirit of community, a gift economy versus a property (market) economy, gratitude, and the four aspects of mind, body, emotion, and spirit combined with the learning of the language of animacy.
Pages 1-204.
Faculty Mentor Program New Mentor Training
- November 18, 10:00-12:00
- Facilitated by Drs. Jennifer Whitmer and Clarissa Lonn-Nichols
0 Credit
This is a training session for faculty interested in mentoring students as part of the Faculty Mentor Program. As a part of this training, we will engage in discussion on effective mentoring and strategies for supporting first-generation college students in FMP. We will also cover information on the 34-year history of the Faculty Mentor Program, student demographics, student needs, available student services, and mentoring styles. Faculty who go through this training will gain skills that will help them in mentoring students with diverse needs. In addition to the synchronous Zoom session, some resources will be available for faculty via Canvas.
Please RSVP
Critical Conversation Series: Straddling Class in the Academy: 26 Stories of Students, Administrators, and Faculty From Poor and Working-Class Backgrounds and Their Compelling Lessons for Higher Education Policy and Practice
- Monday, November 30 from 12:30-2:00
- Facilitated by Drs. Ann Strahm
1 CIT Credit
This book brings social class identity to the forefront of our consciousness, conversations, and behaviors and compels those in theacademy to recognize classism and reimagine higher education to welcome and support those from poor and working classbackgrounds. Its concluding chapter proposes means for both increasing social class consciousness and social class inclusivity inthe academy. It is a compelling read for everyone in the academy, not least for those from poor or working class backgrounds who will find validation and recognition and draw strength from its vivid stories.
Critical Conversation Series: Sentipensante
- October 1, 9:00-11:00
- Facilitated by Drs. Matt Cover and Betsy Eudey
1 CIT Credit
Welcome to our Critical Conversations Series. This is a space in which to discuss the systematic structures of racism and the work we can do individually and community wide to dismantle them.
Dr. Laura Rendón shares the realization that she, along with many educators, had lost sight of the deeper, relationship-centered essence of education, and lost touch with the fine balance between educating for academics and educating for life. Her purpose is to reconnect readers with the original impulse that led them to become educators; and to help them rediscover their passion for teaching and learning in the service of others and for the well being of our society. She lays the framework and provides the rationalization for the need for higher education professionals to embrace and integrate the concepts of “wholeness, consonance, social justice, and liberation” (p. 2) in teaching and learning. She offers a transformative vision of education that emphasizes the harmonic, complementary relationship between the sentir of intuition and the inner life and the pensar of intellectualism and the pursuit of scholarship; between teaching and learning; formal knowledge and wisdom; and between Western and non-Western ways of knowing.
Please RSVP
Creating Transformative Learning Experiences: Facilitating Class Environments that go Beyond the Comfort Zone (Part 1)
- September 28, 10:00-11:30
- October 2, 9:30-11:30
Facilitated by Drs. Mary Roaf, Betsy Eudey, Shradha Tibrewal
1 CIT Credit
If you want to develop pedagogical practices that can transform controversy, discomfort, and/or resistance into meaningful learning opportunities, come join us! We are offering this workshop as a 2-part series (Part 1 required to attend Part 2).
Please look out for Part 2:
Friday, October 30, 9:30-11:30am or Monday, November 2, 10:00-noon
In this interactive workshop, faculty will learn how to facilitate, meaningful conversations about difficult topics in the classroom. This first part of the workshop will focus on strategies for creating a supportive and brave classroom environment where students are willing to engage in discussions about diversity, oppression/anti-oppression, inclusion and social justice, as well as activities for helping faculty/students to develop greater awareness of intersectionality and their personal identities, biases, and privileges.
Please RSVP
Critical Conversation Series: How to be an Antiracist
- Thursday, October 8 from 10:00-12:00
- Facilitated by Drs. Mary Roaf
1 CIT Credit
In his memoir, Kendi weaves together an electrifying combination of ethics, history, law, and science-- including the story of his own awakening to antiracism--bringing it all together in a cogent, accessible form. He begins by helping us rethink our most deeply held, if implicit, beliefs and our most intimate personal relationships (including beliefs about race and IQ and interracial social relations) and reexamines the policies and larger social arrangements we support. How to Be an Antiracist promises to become an essential book for anyone who wants to go beyond an awareness of racism to the next step of contributing to the formation of a truly just and equitable society.
Critical Conversation- Caste: The Origin of our Discontents
- September 18, 10:00-11:30 and October 16, 10:00-11:30
- Facilitated by Dr. Mary Roaf
1 CIT Credit
Poetically written and brilliantly researched, Caste invites us to discover the inner workings of an American hierarchy that goes far beyond the confines of race, class, or gender. Caste explores, through layered analysis and stories of real people, the structure of an unspoken system of human ranking and reveals how our lives are still restricted by what divided us centuries ago. “Modern-day caste protocols,” Wilkerson writes, “are often less about overt attacks or conscious hostility. They are like the wind, powerful enough to knock you down but invisible as they go about their work.” Wilkerson rigorously defines eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, heredity, and dehumanization. She documents the parallels with two other hierarchies in history, those of India and of Nazi Germany, and no reader will be left without a greater understanding of the price we all pay in a society torn by artificial divisions.
RSVP Closed
Creating Transformative Learning Experiences: Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
- October 21, 10:00-12:00
- October 22, 1:00-3:00
Facilitated by Drs. Mary Roaf and Cassandra Drake
1 CIT Credit
Drs. Cassandra Drake (Liberal Studies) and Mary Roaf (Ethnic Studies) will facilitate two workshops on culturally responsive teaching CRT). This workshop will provide participants with a working definition of culturally responsive vs. culturally relevant teaching practices. This workshop will also focus on providing participants with workshopping of their course materials to integrate one-four CRT practices into their curriculum. The objective of this workshop is to develop the ability to implement CRT strategies in areas of practice based on the established theories and frameworks from Gloria Ladson-Billings and Zaretta Hammond.
My Time Among the Whites: Notes from an Unfinished Education, 2 Parts
- October 29, 3:30-5:00
- November 5, 3:30-5:00
Facilitated by Dr. Monica Flores
1 CIT Credit
Creating Transformative Learning Experiences: Facilitating Critical Conversations (Part 2)
- October 30, 9:30-11:00
- November 2, 10:00-12:00
Facilitated by Drs. Mary Roaf, Betsy Eudey, Shradha Tibrewal
1 CIT Credit
Updated: March 14, 2025