Journal for Peace and Justice Studies

Volume 24, Issue 2, 2014

Peace, Justice, and Education

Waking from Dysconsciousness: Assessing Racism in Three University Classrooms

This research provides suggestions for identifying and addressing university students’ perceptions of systemic inequities related to racism and racial privilege. Suggestions are derived from findings of a confirmatory study conducted by the authors in three university classrooms. The project was motivated by the authors’ on-going commitment to the struggle to eradicate racism and all of its deleterious effects, predicated on the early work of Dr. Joyce King and her concept of dysconscious racism. The university students’ levels of dysconsciousness regarding systemic inequities related to racism and racial privilege demonstrated differences in two of the three categories. Suggestions for increasing student consciousness in the classroom are included.