Papers by Lilach Marom
Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. , 2024
his study centers the voices of 50 disabled students in higher education institutions in North Am... more his study centers the voices of 50 disabled students in higher education institutions in North America, to unpack systemic ableism and its manifestation in misconceptions toward them. Drawing on the field of critical disability studies, the article discusses overt and subtle manifestations of ableism in higher education by challenging four prevalent misconceptions toward disabled students. These include disabled students as absent, deficient, burden/lazy, and tokens. The students’ counter-narratives call higher education institutions to move away from individual accommodations, toward addressing systemic barriers and creating inclusive environments that recognize and value the diversity of experiences and positioning. They suggest an inclusive epistemology of education that stretches the norm to the margins.
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Higher Education, 2024
This study explores accessibility barriers in higher education (HE), by centering the voices of 5... more This study explores accessibility barriers in higher education (HE), by centering the voices of 50 disabled students. Drawing on the frameworks of critical disability studies (CDS) and in particular disability justice, we argue that access without belonging is not enough; disabled students need to be fully included in institutional life. Weaving these two frames allows us to simultaneously examine individual experiences and the impacts of systemic ableism within institutions and social structures. From the standpoint that all people have strengths, knowledges, challenges, and barriers and that accessibility and disability are constructed, we examine whose bodies and knowledges are included, whose bodies and knowledges are excluded, and whose bodies and knowledges are dependent on institutional approval and accommodations to be included. We see the participants as knowledge holders, whose experiences give them a perspective that might be hidden from those who design and run HE institutions. This is reflected in the structure of the paper in which, after each section that identifies barriers to access, the participants share their ideas and suggestions. We focus on four main issues of access to (1) receiving and (2) implementing accommodations, (3) physical accommodation, and (4) pedagogy and curricula. This study argues that it is not enough to grant disabled students access to HE by providing limited academic accommodation; rather, it is necessary to listen to disabled students to re-imagine all facets of HE with inclusion in mind.
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Higher Education
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Canadian Journal of Education (CJE), 2023
Equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonizing (EDI/D) have gained discursive centrality in Canad... more Equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonizing (EDI/D) have gained discursive centrality in Canadian higher education (HE) yet are criticized as performative. Donald's work on "ethical relationality" understands colonialism as a denial of relations. Drawing on this work I analyze EDI/D in HE through a lens of relationship building. The study maps three institutional layers of EDI/D. The external layer is centred on confronting overt critique, with discourses about EDI/D as threatening academic freedom becoming more prevalent. The second layer focuses on the "mainstream" adoption of EDI/D. EDI/D became central in terminology, but HE culture is more resistant to change. The inner layer includes those engaged with EDI/D. It is grounded in collaboration, but also in containment and fragmentation of EDI/D initiatives. These layers reveal institutional gaslighting tactics that derail meaningful engagement with EDI/D. For EDI/D to be transformative, HE institutions must ground EDI/D in the difficult process of relationship building.
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Higher Education, 2022
This study explores the experiences of Punjabi (i.e., from the Punjab region in India)
internati... more This study explores the experiences of Punjabi (i.e., from the Punjab region in India)
international undergraduate students (hereafter PS) attending Canadian higher education through a case study of a teaching university in British Columbia. The primary focus is on unpacking how PS’ experiences were underlined by labor mobility, immigration policies, and the marketization of international higher education. To recruit international students, many lower-tier Canadian universities apply a business model that relies heavily on agents. The outcome is that educational considerations are not central to admission
and retention processes. The findings critique the Canadian education-migration model by identifying the complicity of Canadian higher education in lower-skill immigration and the negative educational and professional outcomes for PS that result from this complicity. The study highlights PS’ voices and experiences that can go overlooked in the context of market-driven higher education.
Free Access Here: https://rdcu.be/cHfuf
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Globalisation, Societies and Education, 2021
This study explores the experiences of Punjabi international undergraduate students (PIS) at a Ca... more This study explores the experiences of Punjabi international undergraduate students (PIS) at a Canadian university (KPU). Many PIS choose to study at KPU because of its proximity to one of the largest Punjabi communities in the Indian diaspora. By drawing on the concept of ‘intraethnic othering’, the article demonstrates that while the proximity of an ethnic community of the same origin was an important source of support, the large influx of PIS created new tensions with the older, more established community. It highlights the need for universities to move beyond business models when recruiting international students in order to consider the ways in which international students’ intraethnic relations might impact their academic trajectory and adjustment to the host country.
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Teaching and Teacher Education, 2020
This paper draws on Honig’s (1994) concept of dilemmatic space to analyze the teaching practicum ... more This paper draws on Honig’s (1994) concept of dilemmatic space to analyze the teaching practicum and
to frame the ethical dilemmas that teacher candidates experience during it. The dilemmatic space
highlights the wider context in which dilemmas occur, replacing the practice of analyzing ethical dilemmas
as specific disconnected incidents. The practicum is the first opportunity for teacher candidates
to spend a significant period of time in the classroom during their certification process. The supervised
environment is important in supporting and mentoring teacher candidates; yet the hierarchical structure
of the practicum can lead to ethical dilemmas that emerge in the gap between TCs’ desire to explore their
professional identity and the need to please their supervisors and “pass the practicum.” Analyzing the
practicum as a dilemmatic space is important not only to better support teacher candidates, but also to
critically reflect on the structures of teacher education programs and the intersection of theory and
practice in teacher education.
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Critical Studies in Education, 2019
This paper focuses on the meaning of education for reconciliation in the context of Canadian sett... more This paper focuses on the meaning of education for reconciliation in the context of Canadian settler-colonialism. It captures an attempt to delve into the meaning of reconciliation as an experiential process, through learning on the land with the Tahltan People. We focus on reconciliation not as a theory or political discourse, but rather as a meeting point of theory and experience. We identify and discuss four main components of education for reconciliation: Land as educator, Indigenous knowledge and pedagogy, reciprocity, and sovereignty. We argue for the need to shift from superficial and theoretical discourses of reconciliation in the classrooms to deep engagement with Indigenous knowledge and ways of living on the land.
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Alberta Journal of Educational Research , 2018
This article argues that discourses of “professionalism” can be used in K-12 teaching and tea... more This article argues that discourses of “professionalism” can be used in K-12 teaching and teacher education, both in the service of neoliberal pressures and to push back against such pressures. By itself, the term “professionalism” is not evidence of either the spread of or resistance against neoliberalism, but considered in the context of a broader discourse, it may be used for both. The argument draws from Derrida’s discussion of the pharmakon, and Bourdieu’s discussion of symbolic capital. We argue that the concept of professionalism functions as a pharmakon in that it can be both toxic and medicinal, depending on how it is used, by whom, and to what ends. We take up Schinkel and Noordegraaf’s (2011) suggestion of enhancing Bourdieu’s framework of symbolic capital with that of professional capital. Considering professionalism as a kind of symbolic capital provides a critical lens on discourses of professionalism as both a help and a hindrance in K-12 teaching and teacher education. Both theoretical perspectives enable a critical questioning of discourses of professionalism, including for their constraining effect on greater diversity in professions.
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Teaching and Teacher Education, 2019
Internationally educated teachers' (IETs) ability to recertify and find employment in a new cou... more Internationally educated teachers' (IETs) ability to recertify and find employment in a new country is an important concern for the successful diversification of the teaching profession internationally. In order to understand the challenges that IETs face, I build on Bourdieu's work and in particular on the concept of professional capital. Through an extended case study of a recertification program for IETs in Canada, I highlight the cultural specificity of the professional capital of teachers. The recertification process overlooks the diverse knowledge and perspectives that IETs have, and thus limits their potential to enrich and diversify the teaching profession.
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Race Ethnicity and Education, 2019
This study focuses on manifestations of racism and colonialism in
teacher education. I build o... more This study focuses on manifestations of racism and colonialism in
teacher education. I build on the theoretical framing of Critical Race
Theory and decolonization in order to expose racist and colonial
assumptions at the core of teacher education. I highlight in particular
the work of covert racism under the cloak of teachers’ professionalism.
I focus on what I call ‘professional microaggressions’: subtle forms
of racism and colonialism hidden beneath professional definitions.
By interviewing graduates of a well-established Indigenous teacher
education program in British Columbia, Canada, I examine the
mechanisms that still hinder the success of Indigenous teacher
candidates in teacher education and in the school system. The study
highlights the resilience, resistance, and strategic planning that
Indigenous teachers use to challenge the system while advancing
their position within it. Lastly, I suggest ways to support Indigenous
teacher candidates in teacher education.
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Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies , 2017
This article is grounded in both Ellsworth and Milner’s arguments, while
demonstrating the con... more This article is grounded in both Ellsworth and Milner’s arguments, while
demonstrating the connections and intersections of their claims in the current
terrain of teacher education. I demonstrate the tension between the prevalent
forms of academic critique and the increasing diversity in pre-service teacher
education programs in Canada and argue that critical discourses may limit the
creation of inclusive educational spaces in diverse teacher education programs.
Such analysis is timely in light of the recent academic debates around
“safe spaces,” “cultural appropriation,” and “trigger warnings” (on which I
will elaborate in the next sections; Boysen 2012; Etzioni 2014; Lukianoff
and Haidt 2015).
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Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 2017
This paper examines the recertification process of internationally educated teachers (IETs) in Br... more This paper examines the recertification process of internationally educated teachers (IETs) in British Columbia (BC). In order to teach in Canada IETs have to go through a recertification process. The recertification process varies between provinces and is a full-time training process, following an assessment of IETs’ foreign credentials. Through interviews with IETs and professionals, I explored the prevalent conceptions of the “good teacher” in one IET recertification program. I argue that while Western-Eastern conceptions of the “good teacher” differ, they could complement and strengthen each other, particularly in the multicultural space of BC. Yet in the recertification process, Eastern conceptions of the “good teacher” were viewed as deficient, and thus, spaces for IETs to bring their experiences and voices to bear on reconstructing their professional identity in Canada were closed down.
KEYWORDS: “good teacher”, internationally educated teachers, teacher education, diversity
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Canadian Journal of Education , 2017
In this article I examine the structural barriers in the recertification trajectory of internatio... more In this article I examine the structural barriers in the recertification trajectory of internationally educated teachers (IETs) in British Columbia (BC). By applying the Bour-dieuian concept of field, I extend from IETs' experiences in the recertification process to institutional and political factors that affect these experiences. I demonstrate how policies and regulations that govern the field as well as the interplay between its main institutional players, namely, the Teacher Regulation Branch, teacher education programs, and school districts, result in unequal opportunities for IETs to be certified and hired as teachers. As a result, IETs' potential contribution to diversifying the teacher force in BC is diminished.
Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l'éducation 40:3 (2017)
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Canadian Journal of Higher Education , 2016
In this article, which is grounded in my own experiences, I discuss the responsibilities of new i... more In this article, which is grounded in my own experiences, I discuss the responsibilities of new immigrant teacher educators when teaching courses related to diversity and multiculturalism in Canada. I highlight the complexities that underlie discourses of multiculturalism in teacher education, and the important role that new immigrant teacher educators have in locating themselves within the frame of settler colonialism in Canada. I argue that there is a need for genuine dialogue and critical reflexivity that encourage teacher educators and teacher candidates to locate themselves within a complex web of privileges and oppressions, and I explore possible new directions for teaching multiculturalism and Indigenous content in teacher education. Résumé Dans cet article fondé sur mon expérience personnelle, je discute des responsabilités des formateurs en enseignement pour nouveaux immigrants lorsqu'ils donnent des cours sur la diversité et le multiculturalisme au Canada. Je mets en lumière la complexité inhérente aux discours sur le multiculturalisme dans la formation des enseignants et le rôle important que tiennent les formateurs en enseignement pour nouveaux immigrants quand ils se positionnent dans le contexte du colonialisme au Canada. Je maintiens qu'il est nécessaire d'établir un dialogue véritable et une réflexivité critique qui encourage les formateurs en enseignement et les étudiants aux programmes de formation en enseignement à se positionner à l'intérieur d'un tissu complexe de privilèges et d'oppressions. J'explore aussi de nouvelles avenues pour enseigner le multiculturalisme et les contenus autochtones dans la formation en enseignement.
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. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Civic and Political Studies , 2015
This article examines the contradictory space of Canadian multiculturalism through the examinatio... more This article examines the contradictory space of Canadian multiculturalism through the examination of
provincial policies relating to immigrant teachers (commonly referred to as internationally educated teachers – IETs) in
British Columbia. Whereas language of diversity is prevalent in educational policies regarding K-12 students, the
concrete challenge of diversifying the teaching force still persists, as bureaucratic procedures pose barriers to the
integration of IETs. The author uses critical discourse analysis of key educational policies and regulations in British
Columbia to demonstrate this discrepancy.
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The topic of this article is the organization known as Aktion
Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste (Actio... more The topic of this article is the organization known as Aktion
Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste (Action Reconciliation
Service for Peace; ARSP). The main emphasis will center
on the founding values of the organization, its modus operandi
from the time it was established in 1958 to the 1990s,
and, especially, its activities in Israel. The development of the ARSP is examined in light of the parallel processes of how memory of the Nazi past and the Holocaust was shaped over the years in German society. At certain times the ARSP constituted a minority group that bucked the dominant wave in the shaping of German memory; at other times it fit into a broader trend. Either way the position that the organization adopted was formed in reference to the prevalent state of mind in Germany at each given time.
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Book Chapters by Lilach Marom
Promoting Inclusion and Justice in University Teaching, 2024
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India Migration Report , 2023
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The Routledge International Handbook of Equity and Inclusion in Education, 2024
Equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization (EDID) is central to address the ongoing barrier... more Equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization (EDID) is central to address the ongoing barriers to achievement gaps and inequities in K-12 and higher education post-pandemic. In this chapter, using the Canadian K-12, teacher education, and higher education systems as an illustrative case, we demonstrate the vast variations in the ways EDID principles have been taken up in international, national, and local educational policies and the diverse theoretical frames that guide the EDID work at different education levels (e.g., K-12, higher education, teacher education) in different systems across diverse national and geographical locations. While there are many promising practices in EDID work on the ground, there are also persistent challenges to transformative changes in educational systems which are manifested through simplistic and performative view of EDID, inconsistencies in policies and between institutions, and divisiveness and resistance to EDID initiatives. We conclude by suggesting ways to move toward mainstreaming EDID work with an intersectionality lens to create more just educational institutions in global contexts.
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Papers by Lilach Marom
international undergraduate students (hereafter PS) attending Canadian higher education through a case study of a teaching university in British Columbia. The primary focus is on unpacking how PS’ experiences were underlined by labor mobility, immigration policies, and the marketization of international higher education. To recruit international students, many lower-tier Canadian universities apply a business model that relies heavily on agents. The outcome is that educational considerations are not central to admission
and retention processes. The findings critique the Canadian education-migration model by identifying the complicity of Canadian higher education in lower-skill immigration and the negative educational and professional outcomes for PS that result from this complicity. The study highlights PS’ voices and experiences that can go overlooked in the context of market-driven higher education.
Free Access Here: https://rdcu.be/cHfuf
to frame the ethical dilemmas that teacher candidates experience during it. The dilemmatic space
highlights the wider context in which dilemmas occur, replacing the practice of analyzing ethical dilemmas
as specific disconnected incidents. The practicum is the first opportunity for teacher candidates
to spend a significant period of time in the classroom during their certification process. The supervised
environment is important in supporting and mentoring teacher candidates; yet the hierarchical structure
of the practicum can lead to ethical dilemmas that emerge in the gap between TCs’ desire to explore their
professional identity and the need to please their supervisors and “pass the practicum.” Analyzing the
practicum as a dilemmatic space is important not only to better support teacher candidates, but also to
critically reflect on the structures of teacher education programs and the intersection of theory and
practice in teacher education.
teacher education. I build on the theoretical framing of Critical Race
Theory and decolonization in order to expose racist and colonial
assumptions at the core of teacher education. I highlight in particular
the work of covert racism under the cloak of teachers’ professionalism.
I focus on what I call ‘professional microaggressions’: subtle forms
of racism and colonialism hidden beneath professional definitions.
By interviewing graduates of a well-established Indigenous teacher
education program in British Columbia, Canada, I examine the
mechanisms that still hinder the success of Indigenous teacher
candidates in teacher education and in the school system. The study
highlights the resilience, resistance, and strategic planning that
Indigenous teachers use to challenge the system while advancing
their position within it. Lastly, I suggest ways to support Indigenous
teacher candidates in teacher education.
demonstrating the connections and intersections of their claims in the current
terrain of teacher education. I demonstrate the tension between the prevalent
forms of academic critique and the increasing diversity in pre-service teacher
education programs in Canada and argue that critical discourses may limit the
creation of inclusive educational spaces in diverse teacher education programs.
Such analysis is timely in light of the recent academic debates around
“safe spaces,” “cultural appropriation,” and “trigger warnings” (on which I
will elaborate in the next sections; Boysen 2012; Etzioni 2014; Lukianoff
and Haidt 2015).
KEYWORDS: “good teacher”, internationally educated teachers, teacher education, diversity
Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l'éducation 40:3 (2017)
provincial policies relating to immigrant teachers (commonly referred to as internationally educated teachers – IETs) in
British Columbia. Whereas language of diversity is prevalent in educational policies regarding K-12 students, the
concrete challenge of diversifying the teaching force still persists, as bureaucratic procedures pose barriers to the
integration of IETs. The author uses critical discourse analysis of key educational policies and regulations in British
Columbia to demonstrate this discrepancy.
Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste (Action Reconciliation
Service for Peace; ARSP). The main emphasis will center
on the founding values of the organization, its modus operandi
from the time it was established in 1958 to the 1990s,
and, especially, its activities in Israel. The development of the ARSP is examined in light of the parallel processes of how memory of the Nazi past and the Holocaust was shaped over the years in German society. At certain times the ARSP constituted a minority group that bucked the dominant wave in the shaping of German memory; at other times it fit into a broader trend. Either way the position that the organization adopted was formed in reference to the prevalent state of mind in Germany at each given time.
Book Chapters by Lilach Marom
international undergraduate students (hereafter PS) attending Canadian higher education through a case study of a teaching university in British Columbia. The primary focus is on unpacking how PS’ experiences were underlined by labor mobility, immigration policies, and the marketization of international higher education. To recruit international students, many lower-tier Canadian universities apply a business model that relies heavily on agents. The outcome is that educational considerations are not central to admission
and retention processes. The findings critique the Canadian education-migration model by identifying the complicity of Canadian higher education in lower-skill immigration and the negative educational and professional outcomes for PS that result from this complicity. The study highlights PS’ voices and experiences that can go overlooked in the context of market-driven higher education.
Free Access Here: https://rdcu.be/cHfuf
to frame the ethical dilemmas that teacher candidates experience during it. The dilemmatic space
highlights the wider context in which dilemmas occur, replacing the practice of analyzing ethical dilemmas
as specific disconnected incidents. The practicum is the first opportunity for teacher candidates
to spend a significant period of time in the classroom during their certification process. The supervised
environment is important in supporting and mentoring teacher candidates; yet the hierarchical structure
of the practicum can lead to ethical dilemmas that emerge in the gap between TCs’ desire to explore their
professional identity and the need to please their supervisors and “pass the practicum.” Analyzing the
practicum as a dilemmatic space is important not only to better support teacher candidates, but also to
critically reflect on the structures of teacher education programs and the intersection of theory and
practice in teacher education.
teacher education. I build on the theoretical framing of Critical Race
Theory and decolonization in order to expose racist and colonial
assumptions at the core of teacher education. I highlight in particular
the work of covert racism under the cloak of teachers’ professionalism.
I focus on what I call ‘professional microaggressions’: subtle forms
of racism and colonialism hidden beneath professional definitions.
By interviewing graduates of a well-established Indigenous teacher
education program in British Columbia, Canada, I examine the
mechanisms that still hinder the success of Indigenous teacher
candidates in teacher education and in the school system. The study
highlights the resilience, resistance, and strategic planning that
Indigenous teachers use to challenge the system while advancing
their position within it. Lastly, I suggest ways to support Indigenous
teacher candidates in teacher education.
demonstrating the connections and intersections of their claims in the current
terrain of teacher education. I demonstrate the tension between the prevalent
forms of academic critique and the increasing diversity in pre-service teacher
education programs in Canada and argue that critical discourses may limit the
creation of inclusive educational spaces in diverse teacher education programs.
Such analysis is timely in light of the recent academic debates around
“safe spaces,” “cultural appropriation,” and “trigger warnings” (on which I
will elaborate in the next sections; Boysen 2012; Etzioni 2014; Lukianoff
and Haidt 2015).
KEYWORDS: “good teacher”, internationally educated teachers, teacher education, diversity
Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l'éducation 40:3 (2017)
provincial policies relating to immigrant teachers (commonly referred to as internationally educated teachers – IETs) in
British Columbia. Whereas language of diversity is prevalent in educational policies regarding K-12 students, the
concrete challenge of diversifying the teaching force still persists, as bureaucratic procedures pose barriers to the
integration of IETs. The author uses critical discourse analysis of key educational policies and regulations in British
Columbia to demonstrate this discrepancy.
Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste (Action Reconciliation
Service for Peace; ARSP). The main emphasis will center
on the founding values of the organization, its modus operandi
from the time it was established in 1958 to the 1990s,
and, especially, its activities in Israel. The development of the ARSP is examined in light of the parallel processes of how memory of the Nazi past and the Holocaust was shaped over the years in German society. At certain times the ARSP constituted a minority group that bucked the dominant wave in the shaping of German memory; at other times it fit into a broader trend. Either way the position that the organization adopted was formed in reference to the prevalent state of mind in Germany at each given time.
Tensions and Intersections of Self and Subject: A New Settler's Perspective on Teaching a Course in Aboriginal Education
● What does it mean to say someone is educated?
● What does it mean to live well with and for others? (both human and more-than-human others)
● What roles do race, class, gender, religion, and ability play in education?
● What role does (or should) education play in identity formation and identity politics?
● What does it mean to take critical theory critically?
● What limits (if any) ought there to be to free speech on university campuses?
● What are our ethical responsibilities to and for the past?
Understand contemporary thought on schooling and pedagogy
• Formulate their own pedagogical philosophy
• Deconstruct how personal beliefs and values regarding education and instruction may influence one's instructional practice
• Identify emerging issues in best teaching practices
• Carry out a lesson plan and analyze what improvement can be made to instructional methods, learning activities, and assessment practices
• Design different types of assessments (e.g. diagnostic, formative, and summative) • Plan a lesson using the framework of UDL
This 3-credit course provides an entry for students to inquire into the implications of diversity and social justice in
policy, theory, and practice. Students will identify key features of different conceptions of social justice, diversity, and
multiculturalism, and their educational implications. We will not only explore the theoretical questions but also our
own relationship to diversity and social justice, as a learner, community member, and prospective educator.
The course is designed to provide learning opportunities that will assist participants to develop:
Ø Knowledge about specific aspects and examples of diversity in Canada
Ø Reasoned positions on various issues in educational diversity, through exploration and discussion of concrete
cases,
Ø Skills of reflection and analysis with respect to one’s own positioning and socialization on a range of diversity
issues
Ø Educational research and writing skills that are informed by these other competences
Students will develop an understanding of the purpose of post-secondary education and the ways in which be-coming educated can enhance the quality of their lives and their communities. They will explore their place in the university through examining the history and functions of education (e.g., the exclusion of certain groups, the relation of education to living in a democratic society). Students will also begin to develop abilities neces-sary to maximize their education including the ability to participate in scholarly discourse, recognize connec-tions between disciplines, and understand the world and act within it in new and creative ways through discus-sions, group work, special events, and service learning projects.
COURSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The course is highly experiential and will require all students to reflect deeply on why they are in university and what they hope to gain from the experience, as well as to work actively to achieve their personal and academic goals.
This course is designed to help students:
➢ Understand the purpose and values of higher education in a Canadian context;
➢ Begin to cultivate the skills, strategies, abilities, and traits that can enable success in postsecondary edu-cation and beyond; and
➢ Feel more confident in their university studies.
This course provides students entering the teacher education program opportunities to inquire into the context and nature of schooling as a key institution in a society. This course aims to illustrate how schooling is a site of competing ideologies about the role of education in society and the work of teachers.
As well, the course examines the intersections between education and politics, the economy and culture as well as the social institution of the media. The course is organized around various themes: (1) the relationship between schooling and society and the competing purposes of schooling; (2) what role do schools play in shaping the assumptions underpinning diversity and multiculturalism in Canada; (3) educational policies, neoliberalism and corporate involvement in schools; (4) conceptions of social and ecological justice and the applicability of these conceptions to the understanding of contemporary schooling; (5) what does it mean for teachers to teach for social justice; (6) the possibilities and limitations of teachers as inquirers and activists; (7) popular media as informal public pedagogies of citizenship and consumer culture; and (8) the role of language and discourse in media constructions of identities. The course will involve a combination of mini-lectures, presentations held by students, small group in-class activities, and discussion of assigned readings.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
EDST 401 is designed to provide learning opportunities for students to:
1. Explore the relationship between society, education, schooling, and media;
2. Develop an understanding of the competing purposes that public schools serve in Canadian society and the implications for teachers;
3. Identify and critically assess key assumptions underpinning discussions of diversity and the different conceptions and practice of social justice in schools;
4. Understand the connection between politics and policy and the competing interests involved in the educational policy arena;
5. Explore relevant and current educational policy debates;
6. Develop an understanding of the current media and the implications for teaching in schools;
7. Define key concepts in media literacy and media education, including the strengths and limitations of critical media education, and discuss the major approaches used to study education and media;
8. Explore how identities are constructed and negotiated through engagement with media; and
9. Examine why and how popular media might be used as a pedagogical resource.
Canadian universities fail to address antisemitism as part of their growing commitment to EDI. This omission is even more concerning given the heightened levels and acts of antisemitism on campuses, and the otherwise active approaches toward EDI issues. I suggest that this has to do with a simplistic and misguided construction of Jewish people in the EDI framework.
https://theconversation.com/university-equity-and-racial-justice-strategies-urgently-need-to-address-antisemitism-217343
This clip describes a four-day experience for young change-makers from diverse locations in Canadian society that was intended to build bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth. We used Canada’s 150th birthday as an opportunity to ask the question:
How can we build new relationships for the next 150 years?
Through experiencing Tahltan traditional ways of living on Tahltan land, the participants explored this question in the context of reconciliation, diversity, and inclusion.
The project was geared toward engaging and inspiring youth to carry forward the legacy of reconciliation, while connecting with nature and with each other.
The four-day gathering concluded with a wide celebration for Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities of the Stikine region.
** The project was supported by the Tahlan Band Council and done collaboratively with Tahltan educators.
** The project was a collaborative initiative hosted by Groundswell, Edziza Trails and the Tahltan Nation.
Videographer & Editor: Cody Dawson
This talk suggests that the omission is not accidental. Prevalent conceptions of race (grounded in Whiteness) and decolonizing (grounded in settler-colonialism) in EDI/D discourses are insufficient in addressing the historical, institutional, ideological, and cultural underpinnings of antisemitism. Acting against antisemitism does not mean justifying Israeli state politics or shielding Israel from critique. Yet the complexity of distinguishing between antisemitism, anti-Zionism, and political pressures from the left and right might discourage universities from incorporating antisemitism in EDI policies and action plans. The consequences of this omission became urgently apparent following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and the following cycle of violence. Questions about how universities address antisemitism are tangible for Jewish students, faculty, and staff who are facing hostility on campus because of their Jewish identity. This talk unpacks the reasons for omitting antisemitism from EDI discourses and suggest ways to move forward.