Tonight I watched the 20minute Open Ed 2021 session entitled “OER as a Tool to Decenter Whiteness: A Queer Psychology Case Study” presented by Kat Klement from Bemidji State University. Klement’s goals for the session were to “identify OER sources that can decenter whiteness in your own disciplines” and “identify ways to center justice and liberation in your curriculum.” In the context of their class, Klement defines liberation as “active resistance and solidarity with and among socially oppressed groups.” They designed a new elective course: Queer Psychology. There were no “queer psychology” texts. Klement mentioned that “existing perspectives [are] still normative […] very white, cis, abled, middle-class [and] assume students are cis/het.” Klement designed the course to offer multiple synchronous, asynchronous, and in-person options. Their course wishlist included a customizable/dynamic and free content course that centered on QTPOC voices with an emphasis on liberation and social justice. The first module provided a theoretical foundation and terminology for queer psychology. The second module was designed to address how people have been resisting the status quo. Module 3 was designed to explore the psychological perspectives of queerness. Module 4 explored the impact of structural oppression on queer folks. The course had assigned readings and videos and discussions to reach a consensus. Klement urged us to consider who created the resources and whose experience is it. What language is used and how are items visually depicted are also important considerations that Klement urged. Klement also spoke about considering culturally responsive pedagogy. Klement suggested having a plan before you start, and be flexible.
