Inclusive Language and Anti-Racist Writing

In our experience, students do their best work when they feel welcome, and they feel most welcome in an environment where everyone is treated fairly. The next section expands on this idea: once we conclude that there are better and worse ways others should treat us (see Dovchin, 2020, for examples of harmful treatment), it follows that we should treat others in similar ways as well (e.g., we are owed respect, so we owe others respect too). In particular, since we want others to acknowledge our rights, we should not prevent others from exercising their rights. Therefore, as members of an academic community, students are responsible for ensuring that their words, ideas, choice of sources, and actions towards each other do not violate individual rights.

The purpose of the following sections is to suggest what some of those responsibilities might look like.

Reference

Dovchin, S. (2020). The psychological damages of linguistic racism and international students in Australia. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 23(7), 804-818. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2020/1759504