Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Summer Semester 2026

Schools, Society, and Diversity (Online)

EDUC 2400-30I

Course: EDUC 2400-30I
Credits: 3
Term: Summer Semester 2026
Department: TED
CRN: 20267

Course Description

This course explores research, models, and strategies for teaching a diverse population of learners. The aim of this course is to develop culturally responsive educators who can effectively leverage the skills, backgrounds, and identities of a diverse population of learners. (Fall, Spring, Summer) [Graded (Standard Letter)] 

Required Texts

Throughout the semester we will draw from a variety of articles, studies, and texts that are listed below. All reading materials are available online. There is no required textbook for this course.
  • Learning for Justice; Social Justice Standards; The Learning for Justice Anti-Bias Framework
  • Education Week: What Is Culturally Responsive Teaching?
  • Education Week; What Should Culturally Relevant Teaching Look Like Today? Gloria Ladson-Billings Explains
  • Geneva Gay; The what, why, and how of culturally responsive teaching: international mandates, challenges, and opportunities
  • James A. Banks; Approaches to Multicultural Curriculum Reform
  • PB Pressbooks; Self-Identity Mapping
  • Patti DeRosa; Building Blocks
  • Patti DeRosa; The 10Cs
  • Harvard Business Review; What is Active Listening? by Amy Gallo
  • Harvard Business Review; The Power of Talk: Who Gets Heard and Why by Deborah Tannen
  • Verywell Mind; 7 Active Listening Techniques For Better Communication by Arlin Cuncic
  • Psychology Today, Unveiling Cross-Cultural Communication Styles by Abigail Fagan
  • Edutopia; The Necessity of Having High Expectations by Kristine Napper
  • Rethinking Schools; Expectations and "At-Risk" students by L.C. Clark
  • Edutopia; Bringing the Community Into the Classroom by Emelina Minero
  • Getting Smart; The School as a Whole Community Resource by Mary Rupenthal
  • Gloria Ladson-Billings; But That's just Good Teaching; The Case for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
  • Luis C. Moll, Cathy Amanti, Deborah Neff, Norma Gonzalez; Funds of Knowledge for Teaching: Using a Qualitative Approach to Connect Homes and Classrooms
  • Victoria Stubbs; The 6 Pillars of a Brave Space
  • Rudine Sims Bishop; Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors
  • David Sadker and The Myra Sadker Foundation; Some Practical Ideas for Confronting Curricular Bias
  • Casey H. Rawson and Sandra Hughes-Hassell; Rethinking the Texts We Use in Literacy Instruction with Adolescent African American Males

Learning Outcomes

In our efforts to become more culturally responsive teachers we will:
  • Explain what Culturally Relevant Teaching (CRT) is and why it is important.
  • Analyze your own identity as it relates to your role as an educator.
  • Outline specific teaching strategies that can be used to create a safe, inclusive learning environment for a diverse population of learners.
  • Research the contextual factors of a given school and describe how these factors influence student learning.
  • Recognize policies, procedures, and ways of thinking that contribute to inequity in educational settings.
  • Critically evaluate resources, policies, and ideologies that influence the safety, wellbeing, and academic success of students. 
  • Successfully and effectively leverage student backgrounds, identities, and cultures in the classroom.

Course Requirements

Listed below are the major assignments for the course. Detailed instructions and rubrics can be found on Canvas.
  • Journal Responses (reading provided materials and responding to question prompts)
  • School Tracking Assignment (reviewing articles and preparing a letter about the advantages and disadvantages of this practice and offering proposed alternatives)
  • Contextual Factors Assignment (completing 3 tables of information about a selected school and writing an essay to analyze and apply the information)
  • Calendar Presentation (presentation highlighting different holidays/awareness months)
  • Text Analysis Task (analyzing curricular materials)
  • Weekly Module Assignments (tasks associated with each module such as discussion posts, etc.)
  • Mid-Semester Peer Discussion (meeting on Zoom with a group of peers from class and following a protocol to discuss class topics discussed) 
  • Class Take-away File (recording learning, insights, and questions from modules)
  • Fingerprinting/Background Check (must be completed by the end of the course)
  • Final Exam

Course Outline

The course is divided into 4 main units. The first unit is a course introduction. The remaining 3 units follow each pillar of Culturally Responsive Teaching (Ladson-Billings, 2001).

Intro. Unit (Introduction to the what and why of culturally responsive teaching (CRT). Exploration of varying definitions of culturally responsive teaching)
Module 1: Course orientation and syllabus overview / Definitions of CRT Part 1
Module 2:  Definitions of CRT Part 2 / Exploration of why CRT is important

Unit 1: Cultural Competence (Exploration of how teachers and students can develop greater cultural competence both inside and outside of the classroom)
Module 3: Culturally responsive observation of holidays
Module 4: Recognizing and combating bias / Identity awareness
Module 5: Identity Conversations (examining varying approaches) / Courageous Conversation agreements
Module 6: Funds of Knowledge introduction / Case study example of funds of knowledge in action
Module 7: Connecting content to current events and media / Unit Review

Unit 2: Academic Excellence (Exploration of how teachers can support all students to succeed academically)
Module 8: Communicating high expectations to students
Module 9: Supporting multi-lingual learners / Tracking Exploration part 1
Module 10: Tracking Exploration part 2 / Contextual Factors Assignment overview

Unit 3: Socio-political Consciousness (Exploration of how teachers and students can recognize societal inequities and advocate for change)
Module 11: Approaches to advocacy / Case Study
Module 12: Case study / Contextual Factors / Brave Spaces v. Safe Spaces
Module 13: Identifying and recognizing "single stories" (Adichie, 2009)
Module 14: Identifying text bias / Identifying enabling text features
Module 15: Final Exam review




Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

All assignments are due on the specified due date. Assignments will be accepted for up to 10 days after the due date at a 10% per day penalty.  The assignment will be closed and no points given after 10 days.  (Please note however, that the 2 lowest journal responses will be dropped at the end of the course. The one exception of this is Journal 9, which cannot be dropped.) 

When extenuating circumstances arise and an extension is needed on an assignment, the extension must be requested BEFORE the assignment deadline. In these instances, please email your instructor and briefly outline the reasons for your request.  

Attendance Policy

As a participant in an online course, you will be expected to keep up with the modules and deadlines posted in Canvas. 

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.