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Syllabus 9/1 (2020): Special Issue Bezzerides et al., “Syllabus as Inclusive Practice”

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S YLLA B U S A S I N C LUSI V E PR A C T I C E

Julie Bezzerides, Marlowe Daly-Galeano, and Spencer Payton, Lewis-
Clark State College

ARTICLE: SYLLABUS AS INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

Last year, one of our students thanked us for a statement included in the course syllabus that read:
“Regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, gender identity, or
sexual orientation, you will be treated and respected as a human being.” The student disclosed that her
anxieties about the course dissolved after reading this statement. She reasoned that instructors who
included such a statement would be “fair-minded and approachable” in matters of diversity, grading, and
course communication. A course syllabus has the power to foster an inclusive classroom environment
through carefully selected language and overt statements of inclusive policies, affirming that everyone is
a welcome participant in the class.

A lack of inclusive language in syllabi may potentially exclude students even before class starts, while
intentional, inclusive language reveals that students will be recognized as classroom citizens—active
participants in communal learning—from the start. Failing to directly acknowledge inclusivity may suggest
that individuality is irrelevant. Including language that exhibits awareness of difference is, perhaps, the
least we can do to demonstrate appreciation for diversity in the classroom. An inclusive syllabus
invites students who, historically, have been relegated to the role of passive consumers of syllabus
language and policies, to express their identities and perspectives. Highlighting diversity can open, rather
than close, lines of communication. Like the aforementioned student who expressed gratitude for the
inclusive statement, individuals may become emboldened to request accommodations, express ideas
about course dynamics, and actively engage in their learning. As the result of a single sentence in the
syllabus, that student felt confident to embrace her transgender identity more openly in the class than
she felt she could in other spaces.

Although some campuses dictate inclusive syllabus language by policy, many do not. This means faculty
distribute thousands of syllabi each year that miss the opportunity to establish an inclusive tone, even
though one inclusive statement can transform an individual’s experience. While not a substitution for
holistically inclusive teaching, the syllabus is an essential starting point. Instructors can make their syllabi
more inclusive by affirming students’ rights to share their pronouns, if they so choose, or by including
information about resources for students experiencing difficulties (e.g. counseling services, the Title IX
office, or campus food banks). Instructors