On Campus Blog

MCTC: We must have the skills to lead difficult conversations about race

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Got this late yesterday from Minneapolis Community and Technical College.

It's in response to news-media attention over a confrontation during a class discussion of structural racism.

The gist:

 At MCTC, we believe it is essential for our faculty to actively engage students in respectful discussions in the classroom regardless of topic and to create an atmosphere in which students may ask questions as an important part of the classroom experience. Questions from students in classroom discussions are an essential part of the learning process. We expect that faculty will have the professional skills to lead difficult conversations in their classrooms and will teach in a way that helps students understand issues, even when students feel uncomfortable or disagree with particular ideas.