Dismantling Curriculum as the Property of Whiteness: Scholar Activism and Ethnic Studies Curriculum

• In Event: Curriculum, Community, and Inter/disciplinarity: Dismantling Dominant Curricular Approaches

Abstract

The author explores how Ethnic Studies curriculum alters curriculum as the property of Whiteness. The multi-year process led to refining the pilot course, developing new Ethnic Studies courses, and impacting professional development for the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD). The Eurocentric public school curriculum represents Whiteness as property because the traditional curriculum privileges White middle class norms and values; entrenches a high value on Western knowledge, history, arts and sciences, and actors; and largely ignores the lived experiences of people of color, and their important contributions to the United States. K12 Ethnic studies programs contest curriculum as the property of Whiteness by changing the texts and resources to reflect the historic and contemporary experiences and contributions of racially marginalized groups.

Author

• Thandeka K. Chapman, University of California - San Diego