Race Scholars at Rice to host ‘Having the Talk: Teaching Race in the Undergraduate Classroom’ April 6

Race Scholars at Rice, a program of Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, will host “Having the Talk: Teaching Race in the Undergraduate Classroom” April 6 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Sewall Hall, Room 301.

The event will feature keynote remarks by Samuel Richards, a Pennsylvania State University sociologist and instructor of one of the largest courses on race in the United States, with more than 720 students per semester. Named one of the 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America by activist David Horowitz, Richards currently focuses on core issues of race and ethnic relations. He is a founder and director of development for World in Conversation, a student-centered organization at Penn State that creates dialogues about social and cultural issues among thousands of undergraduate students annually, allowing them to navigate complex issues in small group settings through the use of peer facilitators. His TEDx talk,  “Radical Experiment in Empathy,” is one of the most widely viewed online talks.

This symposium will also feature World in Conversation’s executive director, Laurie Mulvey, who directs the training of undergraduate peer facilitators. Mulvey will facilitate a session on tackling sensitive issues in the classroom called “Having Difficult Conversations.”

Other talks scheduled during the event include “Legitimizing Race in the Social Sciences” by Jenifer Bratter, associate professor of sociology at Rice; “Legitimizing Race in the Humanities” by Alex Byrd, associate professor of history at Rice; “Teaching Race With an Eye Toward Public Policy” by Nester Rodriguez of the University of Texas at Austin; “Teaching Race With Technology in the Classroom” by Richards; “Essential Readings on Race” by Janis Hutchins of the University of Houston; “Beyond Black and White: Exploring the Model Minority Myths” by Uzma Quarishi, history graduate student at Rice; and “More Than Race: Engaging Class and Gender” by Krista Comer, associate professor of English at Rice.

Registration is free, but space is limited. RSVP at http://tinyurl.com/racescholars-rsvp. For additional information, visit http://kinder.rice.edu/rsr or call 713-348-4132.