Since the mid-2000’s, I have been teaching a course in Critical Whiteness Studies (CWS) entitled Rhetorics of Whiteness, and though I have adopted different course texts and readers over the years, certain social, political, and legal concepts have remained part of the critical discourse. Often when someone is new to CWS, they may not have a working knowledge of, for instance, which court case originally established the Separate but Equal doctrine (or which one corrected it) or what writers mean when they trouble the concept of color blindness. Sometimes, writers and facilitators will pause to provide definitions or to discuss certain cases; other times, they won’t. This guidebook, then, is designed to orient those new to Critical Whiteness Studies to its history and purpose, to key concepts and legal cases, and to established and newer texts. For those with previous exposure to CWS, this guidebook provides a quick reference and alerts them to newer texts and materials—especially to the growing body of resources now available on the Internet. For professors in any number of disciplines—particularly those wishing to offer a CWS course for their first time or for the first time on their campus—the Introduction and extensive Bibliography may prove useful in supporting the need for and validity of courses in Critical Whiteness Studies. Likewise, teachers and workshop facilitators may benefit from some of the lessons I have learned from years of working with different students and addressing issues of participation and classroom decorum (see Pedagogical Resources); students may appreciate understanding the rationale behind various pedagogical methods. Every time I teach Rhetorics of Whiteness, I am careful to strike a balance between content knowledge regarding Critical Whiteness Studies and attention to literacy development, so readers may notice that assignments are tied with genre conventions and offer invention heuristics.
This guidebook is not meant to offer a stand-alone curriculum or to provide a definitive glossary and bibliography, for that is impossible. As noted in the Introduction, professors in departments ranging from Political Science to Education to Women and Gender Studies to English and Rhetoric are offering courses in CWS, each taking their own focus and necessarily leaving out texts that others find essential. Sadly, each year, we witness new and horrific acts committed by white supremacists or encounter new hate groups and hate speech. Despite hopeful—though problematic—proclamations about the end of racism with the election of our first African-American President, we are witnessing a backlash and renewed racism at this point in American and global history. Put simply, CWS has as much exigency and kairos now as ever.