“I started to think a bit differently”: student critical consciousness raising in a university required diversity course

Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand the ways that students make meaning of the critical perspectives they encounter in a required diversity course. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative case study includes analysis of student writing, classroom discussion and student facilitation during two sections of a university’s required diversity course. Using the framework of literacy performances, the author analyzes student literacy (including writing and speech) to understand the shifts in their critical consciousness over the course of the semester. Findings Three themes are analyzed across student data. First, students showcase changes in their orientation to the course material over the course of the semester. Second, students use their own lived experiences to engage with the course material and with their peers. Third, student critical consciousness is not linear and students display tensions in their engagement with the material. Originality/value This study is important in that it addresses a gap in the literature around required diversity courses. Although there is significant quantitative evidence to suggest that students who take required diversity coursework show decreasing bias toward others, there is little evidence into the work that students produce in these courses or how they engage with the material. Nuances in students’ engagement with the course content are revealed upon close examination of their literacy performances during the semester.