by Nicole States, Instructional Developer, Reinert Center
Back in February, in Bedelia Richards’ “Teaching RaceTalk as a Skill” workshop, we had a great discussion on creating counter narratives to stereotypes from our fields. This discussion led me to reflect on the persistent image I see of scientists as primarily white, cisgender men. So how can we help change this narrative? It seems like a daunting task, but I think I have an idea that I have already used in my teaching that could be tweaked to your specific classroom context.
If you look up top scientists or top chemists via a search engine, AI assisted or not, results will lead you to lists generated by LinkedIn, blogs, and other sources. These lists are curated in different ways and include a variety of scientific backgrounds and time periods, but these lists all have one thing in common: they are overwhelmingly people who primarily were/are white, cisgender, straight, and men. Additionally contemporary chemistry textbooks still primarily show white men doing science and women and people of color doing activities that perpetuate stereotypes. These narratives not only reflect but perpetuate a limited view of scientific achievement and contribute to a climate of exclusion and discouragement for aspiring scientists who do not fit into this narrow paradigm.
These narratives that science is only for a select few is still prevalent today. My first college level chemistry course in 2014 still started with “look around, most of you won’t be here by the end of the semester”. Interactions like this continued all throughout my undergraduate and graduate degrees. I was told that I couldn’t do it, that I didn’t fit, and I would see that chemistry was not for me.
In my teaching, I wanted to do something to combat this narrative that science is only for certain people and that basically only cisgendered white men can be successful in science. However, I was limited in how I could make changes in my teaching because the course had a very large enrollment with approximately 1500 students. Because we had a band of 3 full-time professors and 12 graduate teaching assistants, we adhered to a standardized curriculum to help keep instruction consistent. I led six discussion sections with about 30 students each where my only directive was “get students working in groups”. So, I implemented what I called “Scientist of the Week”, where I highlighted a scientist from a different background, explained who they were and what they have contributed to their field.
I taught general chemistry, where students come from a variety of majors, so I did not focus specifically on chemists. I started all semesters the same, with the scientist my cat is named after, Mario Molina. Dr. Molina was a Mexican physical chemist who co-received a Nobel prize in 1995 for his work discovering the threat that certain gases have on the ozone layer. I always started here because of the connection to my cat, but I also highlighted scientists who have not won the highest honor in their fields but have contributed at a variety of levels.
Although I left it at just introducing the people and showing a diverse set of scientists, I think this basis could be extended depending on your classroom context by having the scientists connect back to the content you are teaching, having students find scientists in their fields and presenting on them, having students reflect on the importance of diversity in science or invite scientists to come into the classroom and talk about their work.
All of this is to say that creating counter narratives to typical stereotypes in your field does not have to be a big, time intensive task. By implementing small, manageable steps like the “Scientist of the Week”, instructors can make meaningful strides towards diversifying representations and creating inclusive environments in their STEM classrooms. Each scientist highlighted, each discussion sparked, and each reflection encouraged contributes to a more welcoming environment for all students.
References:
- https://www.racetalkllc.com/about
- Domin, D. S. and King, D. (2007). The Representation of People of Color in Undergraduate General Chemistry Textbooks. Journal of Chemical Education, 84, (2), 342-345. https://doi.org/10.1021/ed084p342
- Murray, C., Anderson, Y., Simms, C. H., and Seery, M. K. (2022). Representations of women and men in popular chemistry textbooks in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 23(2), 372-384. https://doi.org/10.1039/D1RP00187F
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