About
The lack of textbooks for undergraduate content courses that are more diverse, in that they offer materials that reflect the multiple facets of culture in the Spanish-speaking world, was a problem long before the recent protests for social justice in the US that now serve as the impetus for many institutions’ interest in the creation of a more inclusive curricula in all their classrooms. Intercultural Competence, a theoretical framework that reflects the attitudes, knowledge, and the demonstration of skills necessary to bridge over difference, inherently complements the learning environment that purports to promote critical thinking and cultural diversity. Although the goal of all teaching should be to avoid racial bias, bigotry, and prejudice, an anti-racist pedagogy ensures diversity, equity, and inclusion. The institutionalization of an interculturalist and anti-racist pedagogy can serve as a substitute of a poorly-designed textbook and it can be used to supplement the textbook until such time that better ones are published. While this project will focus on teaching an introductory course designed for learning to read Hispanic literature, its overarching goal is a universal design that provides a practical methodology for effective teaching of diversity in any Intro to Lit course in any language. It is intended for the uninitiated in Intercultural Competence, the seasoned teacher, and for all who may erroneously believe that teaching languages automatically qualifies their courses to be considered intercultural and anti-racist in nature, and those who feel less confident about discussing issues of equity and social justice within the context of foreign language classroom.