Professors' Pedagogical Strategies for Teaching Through Diversity

Increasing diversity on college campuses suggests faculty need to develop ways of teaching diverse students. This study describes the teaching strategies of two sociology professors at a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Through observations, syllabi analysis, and interviews with the faculty and 18 racially and ethnically diverse first-generation college students, I sought to understand the faculty's teaching. Findings indicate professors teaching through diversity (a) enact "interim points"—an intermediary position between academic content and students' lives, (b) use various strategies to do so, and (c) create opportunities for students to learn about each other and the subject matter. Findings have implications for college teaching.