Recommendations for Contextualizing and Facilitating Class Conversations about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Social Justice

Conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging (DEIB) and social justice should be incorporated in many courses, but especially undergraduate Agricultural and Applied Economics courses due to their value for students’ personal and professional development (e.g., Lambert Snodgrass, Morris, and Acheson 2018; Wiersma-Mosley 2019). However, these conversations present difficulties and challenges that instructors should anticipate and recognize prior to facilitation. To prepare for and maximize these experiences for both students and instructors, we believe instructors should bring PEACE (i.e., Preparation, Expertise, Authenticity, Caring, and Engagement; Saucier 2019a, 2019b; Saucier and Jones 2020) to the classroom, a framework for modeling and inspiring empathy among their students, and set the foundation for safe, meaningful conversations. In this article, we discuss practical ways instructors can create empathetic and inclusive learning spaces for themselves and their students that allow for conversations about DEIB and social justice issues. We believe our recommendations will increase the utility and success of these conversations in class, which, in turn, will create a more enriching experience for both students and instructors.