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Rated 5 out of 5 by taggerung0254 from Easy to understand It's never been an easy topic, this gave good ideas and insights about how to navigate discussions in a way that isn't a debate but a way to understand and hopefully learn.

Date published: 2023-09-21

Rated 5 out of 5 by MarkMel from Excellent from start to finish I really loved this course. So apropos for the times I find myself in. A perfect blend of theory and practice. Useful in so many settings. I came away with so many new ideas and approaches to try.

Date published: 2023-09-14

Overview

There was a time, not too long ago, when talking openly about race was considered in poor taste. Even now, many people feel the topic of race is better left alone. What if we say something that’s misunderstood? What if we’re labeled a racist? Professor Anita Foeman understands those worries. In How to Talk about Race, she gives common-sense guidance and step-by-step instructions you can employ to develop safe and productive dialogue about race.

About

Anita Foeman

There’s nothing more intriguing than unlocking the mysteries of our history, heritage, and lineage and learning who we are and what we’re made of.

ALMA MATER

Temple University

INSTITUTION

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Anita Foeman is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Communication and Media at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. She received a PhD in Communication Studies from Temple University and was one of the first in her field to publish on diversity in the workplace. Her research examines identity based on ancestry DNA data, and her work has received coverage in The New York Times and The Washington Post, among other outlets. She coauthored the book Who Am I? Identity in the Age of Consumer DNA Testing, which received a Most Promising New Textbook Award from the Textbook & Academic Authors Association.

By This Professor

Trailer

01: How Talking about Race Can Help

Discover why it’s important to talk about race—even when it’s uncomfortable to do so—and what you’re really saying when you claim: “Oh, I don’t see race.” Explore the iceberg model of identity, and how little a person’s physical appearance actually tells us about that individual’s racial identity.

27 min

02: Beyond Thanksgiving: Talking Race in the Family

Thanksgiving can become a contentious time for any family, with all its assumptions of hierarchy and connections. Dr. Foeman offers suggestions for moving race-related conversations forward in a productive way when the family gathers for holidays—as well as bringing the temperature down when “productive” doesn’t seem possible.

26 min

03: Discussing Difficult Race Issues with Kids

Dr. Foeman observes that to make progress in the seemingly intractable racial conflict in the United States, we need to address the topic appropriately with our youngest citizens. Discover how you can best speak to children about disturbing histories, particularly the two great exceptions to the American immigrant narrative—Native Americans and African Americans.

27 min

04: Finding Where You Fit into the Race Dialogue

Race is one of the first things we notice about people, so its impact is immediate, consequential, and ongoing. But is there a fixed, never-changing racial hierarchy in the United States? To explore this topic, two Asian Americans share their unique stories. You’ll also learn how to unpack the invisible knapsack of white privilege.

30 min

05: Avoiding Land Mines When Talking about Race

We back away from talking about race due to fear we will say something “wrong” or that our words will be misconstrued. Meet two women who share important insights about what they’ve learned from engaging in significant conversations. In addition, Dr. Foeman offers 10 suggestions to help you start these important conversations and keep them going when challenges arise.

28 min

06: Exploring Our Many Layers of Identity

Dig deep into two frameworks for understanding identity—one of which looks at race and other qualities from a critical power perspective, the other looking at layers of culture, of which race is a part. Learn about the intersectionality and iceberg metaphors, and how they can be used as tools to help us speak with people about race and across racial lines in deeper ways.

20 min

07: Talk That Builds Better Bridges

How can we make our conversations more creative and expansive, especially those addressing race? Discover theories about culture and communication styles that can give us a broader view of any subject. Is there any way to avoid making a hierarchy of cultural styles—but instead see each culture growing out of a particular history and offering insight to the others?

26 min

08: Ways to Talk about Race at Work

Discover best practices related to diversity training, and how they have changed over the past decades. Learn how you personally can get the most out of any such training your employer offers. Much more than a “do” or “don’t do” checklist, diversity training can help improve your professional skills that can lead to success.

27 min

09: How to Speak as an Ally If You’re a Bystander

What is the appropriate role of the bystander when concerning racial situations arise? That depends on the bystander’s desires and skills. Explore your options for helping, once you’ve become more skilled in talking about race. Learn five key strategies to help manage a racial situation that could escalate into a real problem.

24 min

10: Navigating Conversations about Race and Politics

The intersection of race and politics—from affirmative action to public-school funding, from mass incarceration to transracial adoptions and more—can be fraught. You’ll meet two individuals whose political stands might surprise you at first glance, and Dr. Foeman will suggest specific strategies for talking across ideology.

28 min

11: Are You Woke? Loaded Words and Useful Words

As a more multiracial population has developed in the United States, the language has expanded to be more inclusive. But many of terms in common usage have very different meanings for different groups. Dr. Foeman helps you gain insight about the history of these terms, addressing which groups find them helpful in discussing US racial issues today.

28 min

12: How to Do More Than Just Talk about Race

You might want to use your newfound skills to do more than participate in a few conversations about race; you might want to be involved in discussion and action for the long run. Explore ways you can make a difference in your local, regional, and even the national discussion on race. Dr. Foeman provides many suggestions and models for joining groups, planning action, and building alliances.

31 min