
About Understanding Racism
This mini-course focuses on themes of change, unity and solidarity. By connecting racism to the greater Catholic Social Teaching of Human Dignity, the course helps students understand more about its origins, how it affects others, and how to confront racism and stand in solidarity with people of all walks of life.
Made for the way Generation Z learns. In an increasingly connected world, Saint Mary’s Press’ eLearning platform is designed for the way your students learn best:
- Discovery: The course structure and content allows students to get into topics and discover answers for themselves.
- Conversation: Theological content is woven into student questions, comments, and discussions.
Understanding Racism is a responsive curriculum, mediated by the wisdom and knowledge of the instructor.
General Info | |
Length: | 10 Lessons |
Grade Level: | 10th – 12th |
Interactive Glossary: | ✓ |
Online Activity Teacher Tips: | ✓ |
Scope & Sequence: | ✓ |
Rich Content with Solid Theology
Understanding Racism engages students by teaching as Jesus taught: with storytelling, conversation, and relevant application. Imagine students encountering the Catholic teachings on Human Dignity and Solidarity in a way that connects with their lived experience.
Storytelling

“A Class Divided” is one of many real-life stories that are featured in Understanding Racism. This story features a third-grade teacher, Jane Elliot, performing a social experiment with her class. She teaches her students about the impact of racism on its victims. Using powerful stories in this course exposes students to real-life scenarios, which opens up opportunities for teachers to provide direction to them and creating a better future.
Storytelling types:
- Case Studies
- Real-life Scenarios
- Video Clips & Music Video
- Encounters with Biblical Characters & Scriptures
Conversation

Having conversations within your community about racism can be difficult for anyone, but with Understanding Racism course we can prepare students with a firm understanding of human Catholic Social Teachings in a safe environment. Above, is a three-part multiple choice activity called, “Starting the Conversation” that walks students through scenarios and then led by an instructor.
Activities consist of:
- Online Polls & Free Form Responses
- Individual & Group Activities
- Dynamic Classroom Discussions
Application

In this eLearning course, discovering the past is part of educating for the future. “Which Came First: Race or Racism?” digs into this core concept. Students get a chance to research and present historical racist systems that occurred in the United States. This course uses both active and communal applied learning activities to create opportunities for students to discover and empower themselves with Catholic faith base knowledge.
Applied learning categories:
- Student-Centered Projects & Presentations
- Interactive Online Tests
- Reflection on Students’ Role in a Global Community
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Learning Styles & Personality Types
Understanding Racism was created by our highly-qualified instructional designer and renowned subject matter expert Judith Bartel by constructing both independent and cooperative learning elements that work with any student’s learning style and characteristics. This course was built to remove social pressure by letting students think, respond, and discuss, which enhances the emotional depth of learning. To read more about student’s experience, go to the experience page.
Understanding Racism Course Platform
Our platform has the tools every teacher needs when directing his or her class, and with Understanding Racism we provide individual progress tracking to group responses. These tools free up teachers so they can direct students during their discussions, which is especially important when talking about racism. To learn more about platform features, go to the classroom page.
