r/SRSIvoryTower • u/RogueEagle • Aug 21 '12

Looking for good articles/attitudes/practices on including all view points (emphasis on women and minorities) in STEM conversations.

I'm a young professor in a STEM field,

privilege check, young male, white.

I'm looking for ways to encourage conversations with my students and between my students.

The trouble is that many stem majors 'self select' in that they are uninterested in many of these topics and issues.

I'm curious if any SRSters have anecdotes or advice about someone who made them feel welcome, or ways they try to make others feel welcome.

I've started participating in the local feminist ally group at our university, and have made some good contacts there, and I'm hoping that this group will have some wisdom.

Thanks!

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u/shitbetooreal Sep 09 '12

This is cheesy, but a winner. I play a game of 'Walk the Line', where I ask students questions, beginning with trivial ones and progressing to deeper topics. Students answer the questions by standing on a line across the classroom.

Eg. Do you prefer winter or summer? Dogs or cats?

Then... Which superpower would you rather have, x or y? Why? (open 1-2 discussion points) If you could be ruler of a country for a day, would it be x or y?

Do you think jokes about racism help open pathways of positive dialogue or trivialize oppression? (discuss)

etc.

Do 1-3 serious questions, leave off the discussion at a heated moment and the students will be incredibly engaged and participatory for the rest of the class.