Accessibility Statement

This book was created in good faith to ensure that it will meet accessibility standards wherever possible, and to highlight areas where we know there is work to do. It is our hope that by being transparent in this way, we can begin the process of making sure accessibility is top of mind for all authors, adopters, students and contributors of all kinds on open textbook projects.

If you encounter an accessibility issue, please let your instructor know right away.

Equity Lens

The Open Oregon Educational Resources Targeted Pathways Project seeks to dismantle structures of power and oppression entrenched in barriers to course material access. We provide tools and resources to make diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) primary considerations when faculty choose, adapt, and create course materials. In promoting DEI, our project is committed to:

1. Ensuring diversity of representation within our team and the materials we distribute
2. Publishing materials that use accessible, clear language for our target audience
3. Sharing course materials that directly address and interrogate systems of oppression, equipping students and educators with the knowledge to do the same

Designing and piloting openly licensed, intersectional, and antiracist course materials is one starting point among many when addressing inequities in higher education. Our project invites students and educators to engage with us in this work, and we value spaces where learning communities can grow and engage together.

We welcome being held accountable to this statement and will respond to feedback submitted via our contact page.

Course Learning Outcomes

Educators, students, and future employers all benefit when course-level learning outcomes guide our shared work. When course-level learning outcomes are public, institutions demonstrate a commitment to equitable student success through the potential for increased collaboration and inclusive course design. This project analyzed learning outcomes across the state of Oregon to identify themes and commonalities. Authors used this analysis as a basis for developing course outcomes that could match the curriculum of multiple institutions in Oregon while still considering their local needs and context.

Course Learning Outcomes

1. Understand sociological perspectives and sociological imagination and how they can be used to interpret historical and cultural contexts of social events.
2. Apply sociological concepts to everyday life and the broader social world.
3. Identify social inequality and stratification systems to evaluate the impact on societies.
4. Demonstrate the ability to use critical thinking when analyzing a diverse range of human experiences.
5. Participate as active citizens in their societies and communities, demonstrating respect for diversity, critical thinking, and collaboration.

Teaching and Learning Approach

The authors of this book embraced an equity-minded design for structure, scope, and sequence of chapters and chapter content. They sought to honor the needs and experiences of students who are often underserved in higher education in Oregon. Authors considered Transparency in Teaching and Learning (TILT), Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and culturally responsive teaching to design meaningful learning pathways for you. You will find rich images and multimedia in addition to written content. You will also find provocative discussion questions that align with learning outcomes and objectives.

The authors of this text attempt to incorporate inclusive language while also reflecting the complexities of social life, as well as academic research. You will see the terms Latino/Latina, Latinx, and Hispanic used within different contexts. They sought to honor the way group identities are experienced as well as identified in research. Latinx offers an inclusive and gender-neutral way to refer to people; however, research shows that only a 4 percent of Hispanic and Latino communities identify as Latinx (Newport 2022, https://news.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/388532/controversy-term-latinx-public-opinion-context.aspx). The authors of this text chose to use the umbrella term LGBTQIA+ as a way to acknowledge the expansiveness of the community and refer to the community as a whole. Any mentions that do not use the umbrella term are designed to accurately represent the data used in research discussed. LGBTQIA+ is an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual. The additional “+” stands for all of the other identities not encompassed in the short acronym.

Instructors, please see the Instructor Resources section in the Back Matter for an overview of curriculum design as well as openly licensed course packs and teaching tools.

Licenses and attributions for About this Book

About this Book by Open Oregon Educational Resources is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Accessibility Statement was adapted from Accessibility Features by Dave Dillon, Blueprint for Success in College and Career: Oregon Edition, licensed under CC BY 4.0.