"I'm a White Guy, So Can I Say This?" The Inescapability of Whiteness in Engineering

• In Event: 28.091 - Sheraton Roundtable Session Two - Grand Centre
  In Roundtable Session: 28.091-1 - Pathways to Equity in STEM: Considering the Role of Identity

Abstract

Drawing on Critical Whiteness Studies and research on colorblind racism, this study focuses on the inescapability of whiteness in engineering learning spaces (e.g., classroom, laboratories, and study spaces). We look at how undergraduate students within a computer and electrical engineering department speak of diversity and engaging with diversity in their classes and how these perceptions may inform interactions among students in these learning spaces. Without a clear understanding of the overt and covert power of whiteness within these spaces, ongoing efforts to better serve historically underserved students may continue to fall flat.

Authors

• Rachel Friedensen, St Cloud State University

• Erin Doran, Iowa State University

• Sarah Rodriguez, Texas A&M University - Commerce