Developing Culturally Responsive Curriculum in Higher Education in Challenging Times

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Higher education is becoming more diverse, yet equity gaps persist, especially for historically marginalized students. Culturally responsive curriculum—which affirms student identities, histories, and knowledge—has proven critical for academic success and inclusive learning (Ladson-Billings, 1995; Rantz & McNulty, 2025). However, recent federal and state policies have created hostile conditions, restricting race-conscious teaching and threatening funding (Knox & Weissman, 2025). This symposium offers a space for faculty to reflect on and strengthen culturally responsive practices. Presenters, all contributors to Developing Culturally Responsive Curriculum in Higher Education, will share strategies for critical and inclusive curriculum, pedagogy, and practices that affirm students from diverse backgrounds. Through presentations, discussion, and shared insights, the session aims to advance socially just teaching across diverse higher education contexts.

Sub Unit

• Division J - Postsecondary Education / Division J - Section 4: Faculty, Curriculum, and Teaching

Chair

• Lauren R. Contreras, Northern Arizona University

Papers

• Centering Latine/Hispanic, Native American, and Indigenous Students' Ways of Knowing in Curriculum and Pedagogy - Lauren R. Contreras, Northern Arizona University; Renee White Eyes, Northern Arizona University; Susana H. Hernandez, Northern Arizona University; Alana Aiko Uilani Kennedy, Northern Arizona University; Cynthia D. Villarreal, Northern Arizona University

• Teaching and Learning for Wholeness and Wellness in Higher Education - Maryann Krikorian, Loyola Marymount University

• Validating Student Identities Through Culturally Responsive Curriculum - V Simone May, Florida State University; Sarah Fucillo, Lindsey Wilson College; Patrick Murphy, Lindsey Wilson College

• Decolonizing the Curriculum in the Age of Digital Structural Violence - Laura Harrison, Ohio University; Samba Bah, Ohio University

Session Organizer

• Lauren R. Contreras, Northern Arizona University

Discussants

• Rick Rantz, Allan Hancock College

• LeeAnne McNulty, Allan Hancock College