Introduction
Developed over two years in collaboration with student and faculty groups, the tag initiative is a means for students to find courses that address diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, or accessibility (DEIJA) in an intentional way. Courses are tagged by section, with clear communication of the specific characteristics that embody the tag philosophy. Tagging is voluntary at the request of the instructor and upon successful completion of a concise application. Applications are reviewed by a committee acting on behalf of the General Education Council, which endorses the tag. It is expected that input from faculty offering early tagged courses will lead to further refinement and change of the project.
Summary of Criteria
- The instructor of a tagged course commits to work with students to create an inclusive classroom context, employ either equity pedagogy or relevant learning outcomes, and help to develop to the equity tagging program in collaboration with the General Education Program and other interested faculty (this criterion is required).
- Either Relevant DEIJA Pedagogy or DEIJA Content; a course may feature both, but a tagged course must have at least one of these. A description of relevant pedagogy and content is provided in the attached overview.
- Ongoing engagement with fellow faculty and the General Education program to develop the system.
All Course Sections Assigned the General Education Equity TAG
The General Education Council invites faculty and students to engage in personal and collective reflection on issues relating to diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and accessibility (DEIJA). While DEIJA is explored across the General Education Program, the instructors below have opted for their sections to be listed, on a pilot basis, as classes that particularly adopt a DEIJA perspective:
- ARTH 204E: Art, Power and Society
- DANC 215: The Dance Experience
- ENG 248: Survey of American Literature: From the Civil War to the Modern Period
- ENG 260: Survey of African-American Literature
- HIST 225: United States History
- MATH 103: The Nature of Mathematics
- MATH 105: Quantitative Literacy and Reasoning
- MATH 231: Calculus with Functions I
- UNST 300: The Art & Cultural Heritage of Islam
- UNST 300: rAnDomNEsS
PLEASE NOTE:
- These sections fulfill other General Education requirements.
- These sections are not required.
- Tagged sections can be found in MyMadison by searching under "Additional Search Criteria" for the Course Attribute "GenEd Equity Tag."
Tagged Sections Offered in Fall 2023
- ARTH 204E-0001: Art, Power and Society
- ENG 260-0001: Survey of African-American Literature
- HIST 225-0007, 0008, 0009, 0010, 0011 & 0012: United States History
- MATH 103-0002: The Nature of Mathematics
- MATH 105-0005 & 0006: Quantitative Literacy and Reasoning
- MATH 231-0004 & 0006: Calculus with Functions I
Call for applications: General Education Equity Fellow
The General Education Program invites applications for an inaugural Equity Fellow. The purpose of this fellowship is to support an interested faculty member who will coordinate program efforts to foreground diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and accessibility outcomes for students. The fellowship timeline is through June 2023, with some flexibility in the start and end dates.
The fellowship primarily supports of the Equity Tag initiative, which is currently underway as a preliminary prototype. Developed over two years in collaboration with student and faculty groups, the tag initiative is a means for students to find courses that address diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, or accessibility in an intentional way. Courses are tagged by section, with clear communication of the specific characteristics that embody the tag philosophy. Tagging is voluntary at the request of the instructor and upon successful completion of a concise application.
The Equity Fellow will:
- engage faculty teaching tagged courses and those interested in doing so in a community of practice or faculty learning community;
- reach out to CFI and other faculty groups promoting inclusive pedagogies;
- collect data, help publicize the tag to campus partners, and engage with students in the tagged courses.
Beyond these specific tasks relating to the current version of the Equity Tag, the fellow will have the opportunity to envision and enact other ways to evolve this initiative and to work alongside members of the General Education Program on this and related equity efforts.
The fellowship commitment is approximately 8 hours per week when classes are in session, with a stipend of $3500. To apply, please send a statement of no more than 500 words to gened@jmu.edu by February 14, 2023. This statement should address relevant interest in and experience with DEIJA-relevant curricula and pedagogy as well as any experience with faculty interest groups (FIGs) or communities of practice.
