Date

5-2018

Document Type

Capstone Project (Open Access)

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Department

Liberal Studies

Major

Liberal Studies

First Advisor

Paoze Thao

Second Advisor

Miguel G. López

Abstract

Whiteness continues to dominate the field of education; yet, there is sufficient evidence to indicate that White teachers are not critically self-aware of their racial identity and the privilege it grants them. White teachers are not challenged to think about the normalcy of whiteness and privilege in education because they have not been properly exposed to the subject of whiteness. To better understand if and how White teachers conceptualize and self-reflect on their racial identity and racialized privilege, a survey was distributed to pre-service White, female graduating Liberal Studies students who plan on pursuing a career in education. This senior capstone research project explores the challenges that White teachers face with regards to issues of racial identity and privilege and how prepared, or not, they are by Liberal Studies courses taken at the California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB). Through a review of the literature and a survey with pre-service teachers, the results indicate that pre-service White teachers believe it is important to critically self-reflect on one’s racial identity, but they do not feel that the issue of whiteness has been sufficiently addressed in the curriculum.

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