Race, Racism, and Antiracism: The Impacts of Racialization in Our Lives
Jessica Chow, Maximillian Jules Gabriel, Tommy Lee, and Kevin McNamara
Introduction to Course Content
Rather than understanding race as a fixed biological category, this learning resource introduces race as a social concept shaped by historical, political, and economic forces (Omi & Winant, 2014). It also explains that racism is not only based on individual attitudes or prejudices but can also be embedded in social systems that shape access to power, resources, and opportunities (Bonilla-Silva, 1997). By exploring the chapters, the history of race, racial capitalism, intersectionality, and anti-racism, students will develop the knowledge needed to recognize how racism is produced and maintained in society, and what it means to be anti-racist.
This educational curriculum is designed for high school-aged teens and young adults (ages 16-19). The information being taught is sensitive and must be delivered accurately and respectfully. While it is just as important to have anti-racist education offered to all age ranges, this specific age range is an inflection point for the development of ideologies and social awareness.
Implementation of Learning Theory in this course
This course has integrated the learning theory of constructivism to teach students about race, racism, and antiracism. Since the topics presented in the course have social, political, and historical nuances, in addition to lived experiences, constructivism gives learners an opportunity to learn by reflecting on their own experiences and applying the new knowledge presented in this course. Learners should make their own connections between the course material and come to conclusions on their own through reflection and understanding. Given that the goal of this course is to teach readers to identify racism and its effects and to use their own discernment and judgment to be anti-racist in their own lives, constructivism is the learning theory best suited for this course.
Implementation of learning designs in this course
This course also uses direct instruction to provide learners with the necessary foundational concepts, terms, and historical background before moving into deeper discussion. For example, learners first need to understand ideas such as race, racialization, racism, intersectionality, and anti-racism before applying these concepts to real-life contexts. However, since direct instruction does not focus on learners’ participation, reflection, or engagement, and does not fully support the learning outcomes of the course, the design thinking approach will also be implemented. This approach is effective because the topics presented in the course are rooted in social, economic, and historical issues, which require empathy and reflection to fully comprehend. This topic is best taught by first helping learners build historical and conceptual knowledge, then encouraging them to understand how the past has influenced racialization today, and then applying this knowledge to actively be anti-racist.
Inclusion of diverse learners through CAST principles
Our learning resource is designed using Universal Design for learning principles from CAST.
Provide multiple means of engagement:
- Learners will have options to participate through informal pop quizzes and interactive activities following each reading or educational video.
Provide multiple means of representation:
- The resource will have readings, recorded lectures, short videos of course content, real-life examples, case studies, and images.
Provide multiple means of expression:
- Learners will be asked to complete a short written reflection on one of the prompts given, and encouraged to share their thoughts through group discussion or private reflective note-taking.
Understanding the technology choices of the course
This course is delivered through a multi-module online course, with quizzes in each unit to keep learners engaged and make sure they are paying attention. This format is very user-friendly and has a simple interface, similar to the safety or HR training often provided by employers.
This course is designed to be a quick and relatively easy course, and educators have the option to make it more interactive for their students by splitting the modules and encouraging group discussion between each module.
Course Outline
Learning outcomes:
Generally, the goals of this course are to help learners understand and explain the roles that racialization and racism play in everyday activities, interactions, and institutions, and to know how to make conscious decisions that do not uphold racism, which is vital to the process of eliminating it. Furthermore, each unit will offer unique insights and learning outcomes:
History of race: Learners will be able to identify how historical race identities and relations have shaped how we see race today.
Racial capitalism: Learners will be able to make connections between race identity and capitalism, and understand how the two concepts influence each other.
Intersectionality: Learners will be able to identify intersectionality and interpret how differing and overlapping identities can influence and shape experiences.
Anti-racism: Learners will be able to define anti-racism in their own words, explaining the key characteristics of anti-racism.
Activities and assignments:
The course uses a variety of activities to help students understand and comprehend course material, including:
- Reflections and/or discussion
- Educational videos
- Comprehension quizzes
Assessment:
Formative assessment: Learners will be assessed by completing quizzes and short reflections after each subtopic
Summative assessment: There will be a final exam covering all subtopics discussed in this resource. This includes multiple-choice questions and a written section where learners get to choose one of the given prompts they want to write about.
Rubrics:
Rubric for Quizzes
| Criteria | Strong | Good | Needs work |
| Accuracy | Answer all quiz questions correctly. Shows strong understanding of material. | Answer most questions correctly but have a few misunderstandings. | Many answers are incorrect. Shows limited understanding of material. |
| Understanding | Response shows clear knowledge of the concepts from the unit. | Responses show basic understanding but may be missing some important details. | Responses are unclear or do not connect well with the content. |
| Completion | Completes full quiz and makes a clear effort on all questions. | Completes most of the quiz but some answers may be incomplete. | Does not complete the quiz or leaves several questions unanswered. |
Rubric for reflection (completion, some level of effort)
Grading:
Chapters include short quizzes, case studies, and a reflection, which add up to 15% of the final grade.
Final exam must be taken to successfully complete the course.
Topic 1: 25%
Quizzes: 10% each (total of 2 for this unit)
Reflection: 5%, graded for completion
Topic 2: 25%
Quizzes: 10% each
Reflection: 5%, graded for completion
Topic 3: 25%
Quizzes: 5% each, (total of 3 for the unit)
Reflection: 10%, graded for completion
Topic 4: 25%
Quizzes: 10% each, (total of 2)
Reflection: 5%, graded for completion
References
Grzanka, P. (2014). Intersectionality (P. Grzanka, Ed.) [Review of Intersectionality ]. Westview Press. https://books.google.ca/books?id=h0tWDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
Jenkins, D., & Leroy, J. (Eds.). (2022). Histories of racial capitalism. Columbia University Press. https://doi.org/10.7312/jenk19074
Patrick Wolfe (2006) Settler colonialism and the elimination of the native, Journal of Genocide Research, 8:4, 387-409, DOI: 10.1080/14623520601056240
Kishimoto, K. (2018). Anti-racist pedagogy: From faculty’s self-reflection to organizing within and beyond the classroom. Race Ethnicity and Education, 21(4), 540–554. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2016.1248824
Grosfoguel, R., Oso, L., & Christou, A. (2015). “Racism”, intersectionality and migration studies: framing some theoretical reflections. Identities (Yverdon, Switzerland), 22(6), 635–652. https://doi.org/10.1080/1070289X.2014.950974
California Newsreel. (2014, April 24). Race – the power of an illusion [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8MS6zubIaQ
British Columbia Ministry of Education and Child Care. (2023). Anti-racism: A guide for teachers. Government of British Columbia. https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/sites/curriculum.gov.bc.ca/files/pdf/anti-racism/en-anti-racism-education-bc.pdf
Experts: Intersectional lens is key to addressing systemic racism. (2024). OHCHR. https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2024/10/experts-intersectional-lens-key-addressing-systemic-racism
Mooten, N. (2021). Racism, Discrimination and Migrant Workers in Canada: Evidence from the Literature Policy Research, Research and Evaluation Branch. https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/ircc/documents/pdf/english/corporate/reports-statistics/research/racism/r8-2020-racism-eng.pdf
TED-Ed. (2014, December 22). The Atlantic slave trade: What too few textbooks told you – Anthony Hazard [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NXC4Q_4JVg
Vox. (2015, January 13). The myth of race, debunked in 3 minutes [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnfKgffCZ7U
Videos and Articles:
California Newsreel. (2014). Race – the Power of an Illusion. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8MS6zubIaQ
Race Isn’t Real. Doctors Invented It, and It Still Harms Patients. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved April 29, 2026, from https://www.youtube.com/shorts/A3hWXbzheB4
What is Racial Capitalism? #debtcollective #RacialCapitalism #studentloandebt. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZY7R61sdbB4
Hopkins, P. (2018). What is intersectionality? [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1islM0ytkE
Human. (2025, July 10). Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: A National Human Rights Crisis in Canada. HRRC. https://www.humanrightsresearch.org/post/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-and-girls-a-national-human-rights-crisis-in-canada
Siddiqui, R. (2023, April 20). An Intersectional Approach to Poverty and Inequality. Modern Diplomacy. https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2023/04/20/an-intersectional-approach-to-poverty-and-inequality/
What is Antiracism? (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_Kb0wFQ65A
What is Anti-Racism? (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved October 26, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6J8h65rfg4
TED. (2020). The difference between being “not racist” and antiracist | Ibram X. Kendi. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCxbl5QgFZw