THEME: What does DEI look like in teaching practices at SDU?
Interview with Maria Hardeberg Bach, postdoc, Department of Psychologi, The Faculty of Health Sciences, SDU (Clinical Psychology, the research group THRIVE) .
What do you think is important about incorporating diversity, equality and inclusion into your university teaching?
I believe injustice and inequality exist in all societies and in all parts of society, and that it affects, for example, someone's likelihood of engaging in research or studying and teaching at a university. I think this creates a responsibility for us as teachers and researchers to be very intentional of how we use this platform, and how we engage with our students in general.
Second, I believe no knowledge is truly objective or completely neutral. My teaching is focused on sensitive and controversial topics like sexual violence, including pedophilia, where this is particularly evident. This is a subject that has always been closely linked to wider cultural norms and narratives about minor-attracted people, which have impacted research and practice in this area, and vice versa. It is therefore not possible for me to completely transcend feelings, opinions, and cultural narratives in my teaching. It is therefore also important to me to critically evaluate and reflect on what I am communicating to my students, and what wider perspectives I am either conforming to or diverting from, and how this might affect certain people and their rights and opportunities in the world.
In many ways, this feels like a critical point in time, and I think there are situations or moments in time where we must take a stance on certain topics and have the courage to stand for something. As teachers and researcher, we must also maintain a scientific stance, of course, but I think the two can coexist as long as we are deliberate and transparent in our communication with students.
Second, I believe no knowledge is truly objective or completely neutral. My teaching is focused on sensitive and controversial topics like sexual violence, including pedophilia, where this is particularly evident. This is a subject that has always been closely linked to wider cultural norms and narratives about minor-attracted people, which have impacted research and practice in this area, and vice versa. It is therefore not possible for me to completely transcend feelings, opinions, and cultural narratives in my teaching. It is therefore also important to me to critically evaluate and reflect on what I am communicating to my students, and what wider perspectives I am either conforming to or diverting from, and how this might affect certain people and their rights and opportunities in the world.
In many ways, this feels like a critical point in time, and I think there are situations or moments in time where we must take a stance on certain topics and have the courage to stand for something. As teachers and researcher, we must also maintain a scientific stance, of course, but I think the two can coexist as long as we are deliberate and transparent in our communication with students.
Please share some examples of how you integrate DEI in your teaching and learning activities
I try to work with diversity and inclusion on multiple levels so that everyone feels welcome and safe in my class. This includes the selection of curriculum, development of slides, organization of class activities, and so forth. I used the ‘7 Steps to: Mitigating Unconscious Bias in Teaching and Learning’ as a starting point to reflect more formally on how to address and incorporate diversity into my teaching. I feel like such tools can be very helpful to identify and mitigate blind spots.
We live in a time where it can be difficult for students and teachers alike to engage in conversations about, for example, sexual violence or gender identity, because things are highly polarized. In my experience, students are therefore a little bit nervous about having to speak on such topics in class. So, I try to create a safe and positive environment for these conversations to unfold. In particular, I acknowledge that certain topics can be hard to talk about for different reasons, while also encouraging students to participate in these conversations and to speak freely as long as they are mindful of how their words might affect others. I also take responsibility for moderating the conversation so that it remains constructive. However, in my personal experience, students are generally very respectful, reflective, and professional in these situations.
In addition to setting the scene, so to speak, I include an organized learning activity in my lectures every 15 minutes or so. The activity is often some sort of plenary discussion, but it can also be a thought puzzle where students imagine and reflect in silence. I feel like engaging students in this way is not only important in terms of increasing learning in a traditional sense, but also to increase diversity and inclusion in teaching, because it gives room for more voices and points of views to emerge than lecturing alone.
I will try to give an example. I recently taught a course on transgender issues. I showed my students how related diagnostic criteria have evolved over time and differ across different diagnostic manuals. I asked the students to identify relevant differences and reflect on what such changes tell us about how psychiatrists or psychologists have perceived trans people in different times, and what implications this have had for trans people. I believe this activity supported learning and enabled constructive conversations on the topic.
We live in a time where it can be difficult for students and teachers alike to engage in conversations about, for example, sexual violence or gender identity, because things are highly polarized. In my experience, students are therefore a little bit nervous about having to speak on such topics in class. So, I try to create a safe and positive environment for these conversations to unfold. In particular, I acknowledge that certain topics can be hard to talk about for different reasons, while also encouraging students to participate in these conversations and to speak freely as long as they are mindful of how their words might affect others. I also take responsibility for moderating the conversation so that it remains constructive. However, in my personal experience, students are generally very respectful, reflective, and professional in these situations.
In addition to setting the scene, so to speak, I include an organized learning activity in my lectures every 15 minutes or so. The activity is often some sort of plenary discussion, but it can also be a thought puzzle where students imagine and reflect in silence. I feel like engaging students in this way is not only important in terms of increasing learning in a traditional sense, but also to increase diversity and inclusion in teaching, because it gives room for more voices and points of views to emerge than lecturing alone.
I will try to give an example. I recently taught a course on transgender issues. I showed my students how related diagnostic criteria have evolved over time and differ across different diagnostic manuals. I asked the students to identify relevant differences and reflect on what such changes tell us about how psychiatrists or psychologists have perceived trans people in different times, and what implications this have had for trans people. I believe this activity supported learning and enabled constructive conversations on the topic.
