Vitae
Robin DiAngelo
Assistant Professor
Westfield State College
Westfield, MA
Email: rdiangelo@wsc.ma.edu (413) 572-5325
Education
PhD. Curriculum & Instruction: Multicultural Education
University of Washington, 2004
Cognates in: Race Relations; Intergroup Dialogue
Graduate Certificate in Women Studies
University of Washington, 2004
Feminist Theory & Methods
Masters in Education: Curriculum & Instruction: Secondary Social Studies Methods
University of Washington, 1995
Bachelor of Arts: Sociology
Seattle University, 1991
Summa Cum Laude. Commencement speaker.
Teaching, Research, Professional Development
Assistant Professor in Multicultural Education.
Westfield State College. Westfield, MA 2007 current
Teach required courses in Multicultural Education. Courses examine the normative functions of schooling and ways in which categories of difference shape the opportunities of groups in the United States and their relationship to social and institutional power. Guide students in developing more culturally responsive perspectives and approaches to teaching with and across group differences. Provide service to the academic community, including serving on the All Campus Curriculum Committee and Human Subjects Review Committee.
Adjunct Faculty.Smith College School of Social Work
Northampton, MA2009-current
Teach required course in Anti-Racism for the Masters in Social Work Program. HBSE 0334-04: Racism in the United States: Implications for Social Work Practice. The nature and impact of racism is explored from both historical and structural perspectives. Students have the opportunity to examine their own experiences of both privilege and oppression as they relate to strengths-oriented, culturally sensitive clinical approaches. Particular challenges and unique dilemmas encountered by both students of color and white students are examined. Students also learn to critically examine theories, concepts and models of practice for racial bias.
Thesis Advisor. Masters in Social Work Program. Smith College.
Northampton, MA. 2009-current
Serve as advisor and provide mentorship and supervision to students preparing their Masters Thesis. Work closely with students and in collaboration with colleagues to guide, consult, problem-solve and certify the thesis research project.
Coaching Consultant. Diploma Plus.
New York & New England. 2007-2009
Diploma Plus works in urban alternative schools to support traditionally under-served students to succeed academically. In this capacity, I work directly in schools with teachers and teacher coaches to infuse culturally responsive teaching. Provide Professional Development workshops and one-on-one coaching to teachers.
Research Associate. Post-Doctoral Fellowship. Teachers for a New Era.
Carnegie Foundation Grant. College of Education. University of Washington 2005
Teacher Education Program Renewal Project. Research project focusing on the recruitment and retention of students of color and other under-represented groups. Conducted assessment of the frameworks for social justice that teacher education candidates bring into the program, and how the program impacts those frameworks over time. This research resulted in program recommendations.
Adjunct Faculty. College of Education, Teacher Education Program.
Center for Multicultural Education. University of Washington. 2004 “ present.
Teach the required course EDTEP 551: Multicultural Teaching in the secondary program.
Lecturer. School of Social Work, University of Washington. 1998 present
1) Teach the required courses SocW 404 & 504: Cultural Diversity & Social Justice. The overall aims of SocW504 & 404 are to have students: (a) explore the interplay of social and cultural identities, societal power relations, and other societal forces and (b) develop perspectives and approaches to working with and across differences, especially those based on social group memberships. 2) Co-teach a two-quarter sequence, SW442-3: Intergroup Dialogue Facilitation. This course provides students with foundation knowledge and skills for working with diverse teams and small groups in educational settings. Students are trained as peer facilitators of intergroup dialogues, which focus on cultural diversity & social justice.
Visiting Professor. George W. Brown School of Social Work.
Washington University, St. Louis. 2005
Teach the course: Human Diversity in the Masters Program. The course content addresses sociopolitical patterns of power and privilege and examines one’s accessibility to structures of socioeconomic opportunities in order to understand the marginalization, invisibility, and devaluation of some individuals based on their social group memberships (such as race, class, gender, sexuality, religion, language, and ability status).
Adjunct Faculty. Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences.
University of Washington Tacoma. 2004 present
Teach courses in the area of Race, Class and Gender from a sociological perspective. Courses have included Social Class & Inequality and Sociology of Sexuality & Gender. Students explore how society shapes values, beliefs, desires, practices, power relations, and institutions guiding the social construction of various aspects of race, class, and gender.
Teaching Assistant. Center for Multicultural Education.
University of Washington.2002 – 2004
Duties included teaching of required graduate course in Multicultural Teaching and leading Critical Reflective and Portfolio Seminars in the Teacher Education Program. Served as Teaching Assistant for Dr. James Banks and Dr. Geneva Gay.
University of Washington School of Nursing. Diversity Implementation Project: Improving the Institutional Climate of the School of Nursing. 2006-2007
Designed, developed and delivered a series of professional development seminars to faculty on institutional racism with the objective of improving the sociopolitical climate of the school. Seminars analyze the institutional context of the school and the psychological, behavioral, and structural/historical dimensions from a critical perspective. This project was supported by the President’s Diversity Appraisal Implementation Fund, The Center for Curriculum Transformation, and the School of Nursing at the University of Washington. Developed a Diversity Web site for the School of Nursing.
Lead Team. Mayor’s Race & Social Justice Initiative.
Seattle Office of Civil Rights. 2005 -
The Seattle Mayor’s Race and Social Justice Initiative is a citywide effort to: Create a community where residents and employees experience our cultural and ethnic diversity as an asset; Eliminate institutional attitudes, practices, and policies that result in racial disproportionality; Understand the challenges that cultural pluralism places on democracy and; Transform civic and citizen engagement processes to address those challenges. I have been appointed as a member of the two-person inter-racial lead team (with Darlene Flynn) that is designing and delivering this training.
Diversity Trainer/Area Advisor, Department of Social and Human Services.
Washington State. 1993 – 1998
Served as regional advisor to DSHS administration in regards to issues of diversity and barriers to equity. Advised and assisted administration in cross-cultural conflict resolution. Served as lead trainer for 16 hour, state-wide, federally mandated training on cultural diversity in the workplace for the DSHS staff and management.
Program Coordinator, Readiness To Learn.
Edmonds School District. 1996 – 1998
Coordinate multiple-site program linking immigrant families with available services to ensure every child comes to school ready to learn. Serve as facilitator in a family support framework, ensuring collaboration between schools, community resources, and families. Provide immigrant parents with support and education for raising children in a new culture.
Publications in peer-reviewed journals
DiAngelo, R. (in press). White Fragility. International Journal of Critical Pedagogy, 3(3).
DiAngelo, R. (in press). Nothing to add: The role of white silence in racial discussions. Journal of Understanding and Dismantling Privilege,1 (2).
Schroeder, C. & DiAngelo, R. (2010). Addressing Whiteness in Nursing Education: The Sociopolitical Climate Project at the University of Washington School of Nursing. Advances in Nursing Science, 33 (3) 244-255.
DiAngelo, R. & Flynn, D. (2010). Showing what we tell: Facilitating anti-racist education in cross-racial teams. Journal of Understanding and Dismantling Privilege, 1 (1) Article 2.
DiAngelo, R. & Sensoy, Ö. (2010). “Alright! We get it! Now tell us what to do”: Why we can’t just tell you how to do critical multicultural education. Multicultural Perspectives, 12 (2) 97-102.
DiAngelo, R. (2010). Why can’t we all just be individuals?: The discourse of individualism in anti-racist education. InterActions: UCLA Journal of Education and Information Studies, 6 (1) Article 4.
DiAngelo, R. & Sensoy, Ö. (2009). We don’t want your opinion: Knowledge construction and the discourse of opinion in the equity classroom. Equity & Excellence in Education, 42 (4) 443-455.
Sensoy, Ö. & DiAngelo, R.J. (2009). Developing social justice literacy: An open letter to our faculty colleagues. Phi Delta Kappan, 90 (5) 345-352.
DiAngelo, R. (2006). The production of whiteness in education: Asian international students in a college classroom. Teachers College Record, 108(10) 1960-1982.
DiAngelo, R. (2006). My class didn’t trump my race: Using oppression to face privilege. Multicultural Perspectives, 8(1) 51-56.
Sensoy, Ö. & DiAngelo, R. (2006). “I wouldn’t want to be a woman in the Middle East”: White female student teachers and the narrative of the oppressed Muslim woman. Radical Pedagogy, 8 Article 4.
DiAngelo, R. & Allen, D. (2006). “My Feelings Are Not About You”: Personal Experience as a Move of Whiteness. InterActions: UCLA Journal of Education and Information Studies, 2, Issue 2, Article 2. http://repositories.cdlib.org/gseis/interactions/vol2/iss2/art2
DiAngelo, R. (1997). Heterosexism: Addressing internalized dominance. Journal of Progressive Human Services, 8 (1) 5-22.
Book Chapters
Teacher Preparation Critical Reflection and Pedagogy (in press). Encyclopedia of Diversity Education. NY: Sage.
White Teachers, Teacher Preparation for Diversity (in press). Encyclopedia of Diversity Education. NY: Sage.
DiAngelo, R. (2009). Culturally responsive teaching and urban education. In Koppleman, K. Understanding human differences: Multicultural education for a diverse America. Third edition. Section 4. New York: Pearson.
DiAngelo, R. (2008). My class didn’t trump my race: Using oppression to face privilege. Reprinted in: Koppelman, K. (Ed.) (2009). Perspectives on Diversity: Selected Readings, 340-344. Allyn & Bacon: New York.
DiAngelo, R. (2006). “I’m leaving!”: White fragility in racial dialogue. In B. McMahon & D. Armstrong (Eds). Inclusion in Urban Educational Environments: Addressing Issues of Diversity, Equity, and Social Justice (213-240). Centre for Leadership and Diversity. Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto.
Book Contracts
What does it mean to be White?: Developing White racial literacy (under contract and preparation). This book is for the Peter Lang series: Studies in the Postmodern Theory of Education, edited by Shirley Steinberg. The book is written to be accessible to pre-service teacher education students and will provide the conceptual framework necessary for the majority of White students to think critically about race and answer the essential question: what does it mean to be White in a society that proclaims race meaningless, yet is deeply divided by race?
Disturbing Inequities: An introduction to key concepts in critical social justice (under contract and submitted). Written by invitation of James Banks for his Multicultural Education series with Teachers College Press, this book provides an introduction to key concepts in critical social justice. Written to be accessible to a cross-national lay audience, including undergraduates, teachers, staff, administrators, and workplace diversity committees. Co-written with Canadian scholar Özlem Sensoy of Simon Fraser University.
Research Projects
University of Washington School of Nursing. Diversity Implementation Project: Improving the Institutional Climate of the School of Nursing. 2006-2007
Design, develop and deliver a series of professional development seminars to faculty on institutional racism with the objective of improving the sociopolitical climate of the school. This project was supported by the President’s Diversity Appraisal Implementation Fund, The Center for Curriculum Transformation, and the School of Nursing at the University of Washington. Developed a Diversity Web site for the School of Nursing.
Research Associate. Post-Doctoral Fellowship. Teachers for a New Era. Carnegie Foundation Grant. College of Education. University of Washington. 2005
Teacher Education Program Renewal Project. Research project focusing on the recruitment and retention of students of color and other under-represented groups. Conducted assessment of the frameworks for social justice that teacher education candidates bring into the program, and how the program impacts those frameworks over time. This research resulted in program recommendations.
Honors & Awards
Educator of the Year. School of Social Work MSW Program. 2007
University of Washington
Nominated and chosen by the graduating class of the MSW program.
Educator of the Year. School of Social Work BASW Program. 2005
University of Washington
Nominated and chosen by the graduating class of the BASW program.
Nomination: Distinguished Teaching Award. University of Washington. 2006
University-wide award. Nominated by several students and student groups, including the Muslim Student Group.
Rainbow Award. School of Social Work. 2005
University of Washington
Granted to faculty who advocate for and include gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students and issues.
Diversity Leadership Award. Office of Minority Recruitment & Retention.
College of Education, University of Washington. 2003
Awarded to a student who: recognizes the importance of being a lifelong learner in relation to issues of equity and inclusion; demonstrates inclusive behavior in the COE community; supports the leadership of members of marginalized groups in a variety of ways and at various levels; advocates for underrepresented students from a range of marginalized groups; takes personal and social risks in order to ensure a more inclusive and equitable COE community.
Golden Feather Award. University of Washington School of Social Work. 1999 – 2005
Awarded to faculty who demonstrate through their teaching a commitment to and advocacy for people with disabilities.
Valedictorian. Seattle University. 1991
Competed for and was chosen by a committee of students and faculty to deliver the 1991 commencement address.
Herstory Award. Seattle University. 1990
Awarded to women who are inspirational role-models to other women in education. First student recipient.
Ackerly Writing Fellow. Seattle University. 1990
Served as a consultant in the Seattle University Writing Center.
Classes Taught in Institutions of Higher Education
Multicultural Teaching
College of Education, University of Washington. 1998 – 2007
Westfield State College. 2007-present
Teach required courses in both the elementary and secondary cohort on theory, practice, and research in multicultural education in the Teacher Education Program.
Uncovering the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Westfield State College. Spring 2009
Interdisciplinary, co-taught 6 credit course. The goal of this course is to explore the phenomena of the “school to prison pipeline”.What is the pipeline and what is the historical context that frames it? What does its existence reveal to us about the intersections of race, poverty, and corporate interests in the United States? The connections between schools and the prison industrial complex will be explored and our roles in changing the phenomena addressed.
Addressing Racism in Education
Westfield State College. Fall 2008
This class takes a sociological approach to the concept of racism within the U.S. and provides a theoretical framework for understanding racism, with a focus on racism in education.
Principles of Teaching and Learning
School of Education. Westfield State College. Spring 2008
This course introduces students to planning procedures and methods leading to the creation of successful and appropriate learning with particular emphasis on creating developmentally appropriate lesson plans that are consistent with the professional standards and the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. The course responses to four fundamental questions: How do children learn? What are we going to teach? Why are we going to teach that? How will we know that learning has occurred? The course specifically addresses modes of teaching, classroom interaction strategies, approaches to grouping, teaching inclusively, and fundamental approaches to classroom assessment. Students apply acquired knowledge, skills and dispositions in a required Thirty-Hour Pre-practicum.
Cultural Diversity & Social Justice
Graduate School of Social Work, University of Washington. Seattle, WA. 1998 – present
Teach multiple sections of this required course at both the graduate and undergraduate level. The overall aims of SocW504 & 404 are to have students: (a) explore the interplay of social and cultural identities, societal power relations, and other societal forces and (b) develop perspectives and approaches to working with and across differences, especially those based on social group memberships.
Building Advanced Skills for Engaged Community Practice
University of Washington School of Social Work, Winter 2007
This course complements the 504 course Social Work for Social Justice by continuing a more in-depth process of locating the self in a socio-political context. The course employs a critically self-reflective, experiential and dialogic learning processes to engage students to explore personal meaning systems and narratives in the context of systems of unequal access to resources, power and privilege. Such exploration and involvement is intended to help students develop a strong foundation for critical self-reflection and liberatory engagement across socio-political and historical locations.
Qualitative Research Methods
School of Nursing, University of Washington. Seattle, WA Spring, 2006
Taught an interdisciplinary research methods course allowed students to translate philosophical and theoretical perspectives into research methodologies. Foci included: the relationship of theoretical perspectives to methodologies; the methodological issues among and between varying schools of thought (including contemporary empiricist, interpretive, and critical/postmodern); and how the methodologies influence choices of research design and methods.
Sociology of Human Sexuality
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington, Tacoma. Summer, 2005
Course explores the social dimension of sexuality and gender and the role that culture and its institutions play in shaping desire, practices, experiences, beliefs, and power relations.
Sociology of Gender
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington, Tacoma. Fall, 2005
Course explores and critiques a range of theoretical frameworks explaining gender inequality, dominant discourses and representations of gender, and the role that culture and its institutions play in shaping desire, practices, experiences, beliefs, and power relations.
Facilitating Intergroup Dialogue
School of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. 2000-2003
Co-teach a two-quarter sequence, SW442-3: Intergroup Dialogue Facilitation. This course provides BASW students with foundation knowledge and skills for working with diverse teams and small groups in educational settings. Students are trained to be peer facilitators of intergroup dialogues, which focus specifically on the group dynamics of social inequality related to issues including: race, class, gender, sexuality, ability, and religion.
Social Class Stratification
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington, Tacoma
Course examines the problem of persistent urban poverty in the United States. Explores the raced and gendered dimensions of poverty in the context of the major theories of class stratification. Also discusses the structural dimensions of poverty, how class location shapes perspectives and opportunities, and public policy implications.
Memberships
American Educational Research Association
National Association for Multicultural Education
Certifications
Certified Mediator. University of Washington School of Law. 2000
A Selection of peer-reviewed presentations
American Educational Research Association (AERA) New Orleans, LA 2010
Abolishing Whiteness for the Public Good: A Critical Analysis of Whiteness Studies (SIG-Critical Examination of Race, Ethnicity, Class and Gender in Education. Zeus Leonardo, Chair).
Getting Slammed: White depictions of interracial dialogues as arenas of violence (SIG-Critical Examination of Race, Ethnicity, Class and Gender in Education).
White Privilege Conference 11. La Crosse, WI 2010
1.Whiteness 101: Pre-conference Institute.
2.Liberation Through Leading in Cross-racial Teams.
3. White Silence in Racial Discussions.
Sixth International Conference on Teacher Education and Social Justice 2009
Center for Anti-Oppressive Education, Chicago, Illinois,
Nothing to Add: White Silence in Racial Dialogue.
Key-note Presentation. Smith College. 2009
The Intersections of Race and Class
American Educational Research Association (AERA), San Diego, CA.
1. DiAngelo, R. & Sensoy, Ö. “That’s just her opinion”: Challenging opinion discourse about social justice.
2. DiAngelo, R. The discourse of Individualism in anti-racist education. American Educational
White Privilege Conference 10. Memphis, TN 2009
1. Liberation Through Leading in Cross-racial Teams
2. White Privilege 101 Full-day Pre-conference Institute
National Association for Multicultural Education Conference. 2008 New Orleans, LA
1. Teaching the Intersections of Race and Class
2. The Tyranny of Opinion in Social Justice Education: Pedagogical Strategies
White Privilege Conference 10. Memphis, TN 2009
1. Liberation Through Leading in Cross-racial Teams
2. White Privilege 101 Full-day Pre-conference Institute
Center for the Study of Working Class Life. How Class Works Conference.
SUNY Stony Brook, 2008
The Intersections of Race & Class
Fifth International Conference on Teacher Education and Social Justice
Center for Anti-Oppressive Education. 7-8 June 2008 in Chicago, Illinois,
Addressing the Intersection of Race and Social Class. Proposal accepted.
American Education Research Association (AERA) Annual Conference. Montreal - April 2005
Whiteness in racial dialogue: A discourse analysis.
National Association for Multicultural Education Conference. Kansas City – Oct. 2004
(1) Whiteness revisited: Critiquing a selection of (implicit) tenants of multicultural education
(2) Race research in education
American Education Research Association (AERA) Annual Conference. San Diego – 2004
Enhancing the Visibility and Credibility of Educational Research on Race.
National Association for Multicultural Education Conference. Seattle Nov. 2003
Power at Play: Multicultural Pedagogy in the Classroom
National Association for Multicultural Education Conference. Seattle Nov. 2003
NAME Panel & Round Table Forum Participant
Multicultural Teacher Education Pedagogy: Transforming Student Resistance to Diversity in Pre-Service Teacher Education Programs
Seattle Race Conference. Seattle, WA 2003
Member of lead training team for conference on race relations in Seattle.
Summit on Women in Seattle. Seattle Women’s Commission. Seattle, WA 2003
Lead conference facilitator. Provided facilitation training for commission members.
A selection of recent invited presentations
College of Education, University of Washington 2010
Down the rabbit hole: The first years after the Ph.D.
Giddens School. Seattle Washington 2010
The Dynamics of Whiteness
Carleton College, Northfield, MN 2010
The Dynamics of Racism
Smith College Key-note Presentation, Northampton, MA 2010
Third Annual Northeast Class Issues Conference
Race and Class: Taking Intersectionality Personally
School of Nursing: Psycho-social Community Health, University of Washington 2010
Whiteness through Discourse Analysis
Smith College Key-note Presentation, Northampton, MA 2009
Second Annual Northeast Class Issues Conference
My Class Didn’t Trump my Race: Using Oppression to Face Privilege
A Selection of Contracts & Projects
Mayor’s Initiative on Race and Justice. Office of Civil Rights. City of Seattle
2005 – Current
Design and deliver a series of race-relations training and the implications of race relations for policy and practice for the City of Seattle.
The Intergroup Dialogue Project. School of Social Work, University of Washington.
1998 – 2005
Member of curriculum design team for grant-funded project integrating Intergroup Dialogue process into the School of Social Work curriculum.
Anti-Racism Project. Office of Economic Development, City of Seattle. 2001- 2003
Provide consultation, mediation, and training services in issues of racism and anti-racism. Conduct bi-monthly on-going educational series and design and deliver quarterly mandatory training. Conduct on-going leadership development for the Anti-Racism leadership team within the organization.
The Reconciliation Education Action Leadership (REAL) Project, Department of Justice. 1999-2001
Serve as a lead curriculum designer and trainer for this pilot project funded by the Department of Justice to build bridges between the Seattle Police Department and Seattle’s Communities of Color. The REAL Project recruits and trains members from both groups in leadership and coalition building skills.
Seattle Police Department. 1997 – 2000
On-going contract providing a variety of training and development services for administration, officers, and staff including: Diversity Training, Gender Inclusive Language, Creating a Climate of Respect in the Workplace, Supervisory Skills, Mediation, Team Development, Train the Trainer, Facilitator Training.
Seattle Public Schools. 1996 – 1999
Sex Equity Project, providing training and development to counselors, teachers, and career guidance staff to support gender equity in education.
Workplace Connections, providing anti-bias/harassment training for career guidance counselors to support non-traditional students and prepare them for workplace success. Issues addressed: sexual harassment, assessing and addressing the classroom climate for girls and minority students, diversity in the workplace.