Learn at Lunch: Building Inclusive Classroom Communities

“Building Inclusive Classroom Communities: Religion and Political Ideology as Protected Statuses”

The classroom should be a place that welcomes individuals from all backgrounds, and a place in which students, faculty, and staff can engage in deep, scholarly dialogues about essential questions, grand challenges, and contemporary issues. As instructors seek to foster such environments, the plurality of voices can sometimes lead to conflict and misunderstanding. At times, instructors may question if a comment represents freedom of expression or creates a sense of vulnerability among some students. This session will provide policy, best practice, and techniques for engaging all students in safe, inclusive classroom communities and conversations.

This session is the third of the 2017 – 18 Learn at Lunch (L@L) series sponsored in collaboration by the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives, Academic Advancement Network, the Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, the Graduate School, and the MSU Libraries.

Moderator: Kristine Moore, Assistant General Counsel

Speakers:

• Kristi Bowman, College of Law
• Salah Hassan, English/Muslim Studies program in the College of Arts & Letters