RUME 26
2024
Omaha, Nebraska
Whiteness-at-work in Mathematics Department Initiatives to Ameliorate Racialized Gate-keeping in Calculus
Page: 54
Racialized gatekeeping in calculus courses is a national, systemic concern. However, research on equitable calculus instruction has focused on classroom-level changes, providing limited guidance for department-level reforms necessary to implement change in large calculus programs. To extend such work, we present a case study of a mathematics department at a large university engaged in improving its calculus program to better serve Black and Latin* students. Informed by critical whiteness studies, we explore how whiteness was maintained amidst this equity-oriented initiative. Findings exhibit disciplinary-specific forms of whiteness that stymied departmental reform. Implications are provided for equity-oriented, department-level change.