Subjects
Black Studies, Race, Ethnicity, and Social Justice (RESR), Linguistic Justice
Abstract
This article examines how Portland State University’s Race, Ethnicity, and Social Justice (RESR) requirement, while framed as an institutional commitment to equity and inclusion, can inadvertently reproduce White Language Supremacy within Black Studies classrooms. The central question guiding this analysis is how general education equity mandates shape the pedagogical and linguistic conditions of discipline-specific courses, particularly when those courses are positioned as service spaces for non-majors. I argue that RESR implementation often shifts instructional emphasis toward students less familiar with Black intellectual traditions, thereby displacing disciplinary rigor and marginalizing Black students’ intellectual labor.
Methodologically, this study draws on autoethnographic reflection as a Black Studies major at Portland State University, combined with engagement in Black Studies, composition studies, and linguistic justice scholarship. Key theoretical frameworks include White Language Supremacy, linguistic justice, and Black Studies pedagogy as articulated by scholars such as April Baker-Bell, Lisa Delpit, Asao Inoue, David L. Smith, Erec Smith, Carter G. Woodson, and Sylvia Wynter. Institutional data from Portland State University is also used to contextualize demographic and structural conditions shaping classroom composition and enrollment pressures.
Findings suggest that RESR-designated Black Studies courses frequently adapt curricular pacing, discourse expectations, and assessment practices to accommodate non-major students, resulting in the simplification of advanced material and the reinforcement of white-coded academic norms. These dynamics are further intensified by institutional reliance on Student Credit Hours, which incentivizes broad enrollment and structurally positions Black Studies courses as gateway spaces. As a result, Black students in these classrooms often experience reduced opportunities for advanced critical engagement while simultaneously performing additional intellectual and emotional labor. At the same time, instructors operate within constrained institutional conditions that shape—but do not individually determine—these pedagogical outcomes.
The article concludes that these tensions are not the result of individual instructional failure but are embedded within institutional structures that define equity through access rather than disciplinary depth. I propose that meaningful reform requires rethinking how students are prepared for engagement with Black Studies through structured foundational coursework and a reorientation of classroom practices toward linguistic justice and disciplinary rigor. Such changes would better align equity initiatives with the intellectual integrity of Black Studies while preserving meaningful access for all students.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Wesley, Chantell (2026) "From Policy to Practice: Strengthening Black Intellectual Engagement in PSU’s RESR Curriculum," Anthós: Vol. 15: Iss. 1, Article 8.
