Introduction

This Open Resource Curriculum (OER) was originally designed for the students attending Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWTech) in Kirkland, Washington. The college serves an estimated 6,500 students with increasing enrollment rates each year since 2020.

This curriculum was first used in an accelerated English (ENGL) course within general education and the Integrated Basic Education Skills and Training (I-BEST) program. In an accelerated course under I-BEST, two professors are ideal for the classroom dynamic, so my colleague and I teach the class together.

My name is Jessica Dunker, and I am the author of this Pressbook. I teach ELL in our High School Programs and Basic Education for Adults program. I am the Adjunct Professor for I-BEST in this accelerated English course. I have my degrees in Teaching Education, M.A. and English, B.A. and strive to practice EDI and DSJ outcomes in my life, work, and writing. I recently published my first novel, titled, The Walls Between Us.

My colleague is Paul Redman, and he teaches in the English Department. He has an M.A. in English (TESOL) and a B.A. in English. His classes are included in the DSJ curriculum at LWTech. He has lived overseas for several years and lived in numerous states across the U.S.

We have contextualized the reading, writing and classroom activities for this course around topics related to diversity and ethnic studies. This Pressbook is a reflection of the work our students have made in writing as well as gaining a better understanding of themselves and each other.

course outcomes

This ethnic studies reading set is required for the class for all students. The resources listed within this text ranges from newspaper and magazine articles, which are relatively short, and longer, data-based academic resources. Students are required to complete a “read and response” assignment every week for 10 percent of the overall grade.

The resources they read within this text set is encouraged to be cited in the 3 essays due throughout the quarter. The 3 essays focus on: identity, culture, and power dynamics. Additional resources are listed at the end for further pursuit of knowledge.

In this accelerated English course, the courses uses combined outcomes of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and Diversity & Social Justice (DSJ) with the outcomes for the college’s General Education English.

Equity:  “…students of different socio-economic status, gender or immigrant and family background achieve … similar levels of social and emotional well-being in areas such as life satisfaction, self-confidence and social integration” (Levinson & Geron, et al.)^[1]

Diversity:  “the practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc.” (Oxford Language Dictionary, 2024)

Inclusion:  “the practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, such as those who have physical or intellectual disabilities and members of other minority groups” (Oxford Language Dictionary, 2024)

Social Justice:  “justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society” (Oxford Language Dictionary, 2024)