Increase Awareness of Group Privilege With College Students: Race and Privilege in Teaching and Curriculum

• In Event: Race and Privilege in Teaching and Learning

Abstract

A qualitative study was conducted with 875 participants in 37 different classes including Child and Family Studies, Human Relations, Aviation, and Community Studies in a university in Midwest. The study conducted was based on a simulated discrimination exercise to increase awareness of prejudice and preferential treatment among white college students. Based on the reviewing and coding of the participant’s reflections, we identified the following five major themes: awareness of preferential treatment; awareness of differential application of rules based on group identity; the emotional impact of being treated unfairly; the effect of a person in power’s nonverbal and verbal behavior on participants; individual reactions within and between groups; and what makes it hard to talk about race.

Authors

• Jayne M. Lokken, Saint Cloud State University

• Fatemeh Zarghami, Saint Cloud State University

• Rose Stark-Rose, Saint Cloud State University