"It's common to hear teachers talk about how we're all different and how great it is for us all to be different," said Dr. Susan Shaw, co-author of Writing for Change: Raising Awareness of Difference, Power and Discrimination. "But we never talk about the difference that difference makes."
Shaw, who is also co-director of the Women Studies Program and interim director of the Difference, Power and Discrimination Program at Oregon State University, authored the manual with colleague and technical writer Janet Lockhart to show how American English has historically reflected and reinforced systems of institutional oppression.
The manual highlights examples of underlying prejudices in the written word and also suggests various lessons and interactive activities teachers can use to help themselves and their students pen words void of bias.
Lockhart produced the first edition of Writing for Change for OSU’s Difference, Power and Discrimination program two years ago and was eager to begin working on a second edition last summer when Shaw approached her with the idea.
"We got started to work on it in earnest in September," said Lockhart. "Working on this project gave me something concrete and positive to focus on in dealing with my feelings about the tragic events of that month."
Both Lockhart and Shaw believe that language is a great starting point for examining, exposing and changing people's perceptions about differences.
"As a writer, I want users of the manual to come away with a fresh appreciation for what a powerful tool language is, that it often is used to perpetuate systems of hurt and inequity," said Lockhart. "But more important, that something as seemingly simple as changing a label can make a profound change for good."
Writing for Change is designed primarily for use by instructors and students examining social justice issues. According to Shaw, however, the manual can be used in any discipline, from math to English to sociology.
"Within each discipline, I think there's room for some discussion on difference, power and discrimination. If nothing else, teachers can look at how the discipline itself was influenced by who developed it."
The manual contains five sections with more than 50 activities ranging in length from 5 minutes to more than an hour.
One activity, titled "Questioning 'Order,'" is designed to encourage students to develop an awareness of hierarchical ranking in language and examine assumptions about the "natural order" in gender relationships.
During this activity, students view a list of phrases such as "his and hers," "man and wife," or "boys and girls." They are then asked to write a descriptive word or phrase to describe each before reversing the word order and reevaluating their impressions of the phrases.
Activities such as "Questioning 'Order'" are important because they illustrate by example the ways in which patterns and structures in language shape our thoughts and experiences, Shaw said.
"You cannot teach this simply by lecture. We wanted to give teachers tools to think about and talk about these issues."
Lockhart hopes the manual will lead to an absorbing, meaningful experience for all who use it. "My sincerest wish is that the exercises in the manual will stimulate thought and be a catalyst for change."
Dana Williams is a staff writer with Tolerance.org.
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