Letter to the Editor: Curriculum Survey Results Stress Need for Reform

The survey was designed to gauge student perspectives on the current curriculum and understand which identities remain underrepresented in the classroom  in order to create more equitable experiences in courses. 

The survey yielded 402 responses, representing more than half of the student body. 78.6% of students that identified as White felt that their race or ethnicity was well represented in the curriculum while only 38.6% of students from historically marginalized communities agreed. In addition, 66.1% of students that identified as White and only 43.9% of students from historically marginalized communities agreed that they felt comfortable speaking to faculty about representation of their race or identity in the curriculum. 

The survey also asked students to rank departments they believed excelled at or struggled with making their classrooms feel inclusive. The fact that survey results revealed that the History and English departments both struggled with, and succeeded in, making their classrooms feel inclusive illustrates how successes or struggles with inclusivity are not solely dependent on the department, but on the classroom as well. Regarding classroom environments, the survey also found that students had a range of opinions on the degree of success to which teachers were able to approach challenging topics and create topics in a way that made students feel supported. Many English and History teachers were lauded by students for making them feel comfortable and recognized in the classroom. For example, a  student reported that, “For my term paper, I wrote about the gay rights movement, which was the first time I had learned about the gay rights movement and discussed the topic... [My teacher] helped me plan which events to focus on.”

According to another student, “??We successfully discussed Asian American stereotypes in Dangerous Books.” However, students also cited specific situations in History and English classrooms which they recognized as less productive instances of discussing identity. Regarding the use of slurs in books, for example, student responses varied. One student noted that, “[In] English, we were reading a book about racism and it was a little uncomfortable [because] one of the characters names sounded like a slur, and every time someone said the name, everyone would look at my friend and [I] (both Asian)." Another student related that, “My English teacher…allowed us to stay after class and discuss our opinions on seeing [slurs] in writing and let us choose how we wanted the word to be presented. [Our teacher] made us feel safe in both our racial and gender identities.” 

As the survey results show, there is no one answer which will make Hopkins an equitable and inclusive institution. Instead, the conversation about diversity and equity has to continue and become more prominent. One of the most tangible actions that can be taken to achieve diversity is reforming the curriculum: Diversifying thoughts and perspectives will teach students to consider more than their own bubble. As curriculum is revised at Hopkins, more conversations about racial and gender identities will emerge. The success of these conversations, in turn, depends on the ability of students and teachers to foster a welcoming environment for all. This will also require explicitly addressing complex topics like slurs and epithets, and setting guidelines for productive discussions. 

Hopefully, by reviewing the curriculum survey, both students and faculty can approach classroom practices for the new school year in a more thoughtful manner. We hope for continued and expanded conversations, collaborations, and efforts  to build an inclusive school community that keeps its eyes and ears, minds and hearts open in the spirit of lifelong learning.