California school revises 10 courses to include more anti-racism

University of California, Berkeley recently released 10 large-enrollment courses 'to better incorporate inclusive and anti-racist approaches to course design and teaching practices.'

These revised courses are located in the Departments of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, Integrative Biology, and Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology.

University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) recently released 10 large-enrollment courses “to better incorporate inclusive and anti-racist approaches to course design and teaching practices,” according to its website.

These revised courses are located in the Departments of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (ESPM), Integrative Biology, and Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology. 

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The effort was led by ESPM assistant professor Benjamin Blonder and PhD candidate Lucy Andrews.

Some of the courses were modified to “include language and tone changes in syllabus” and increase focus on “greater inclusion of decolonial, justice-centered, and Indigenous perspectives in course materials.” 

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Nearly $50,000 was spent on the revisions, which broke down to approximately $5,000 per course.

Graduate students partnered with faculty members to develop course plans for upcoming semesters, and used “Advancing Inclusion and Anti-Racism in the College Classroom: A rubric and resource guide for instructors” as a resource.

Campus Reform reached out Benjamin Blonder, Michael Mascarenhas, and Lucy Andrew for comment and will update accordingly.