Engaging in STEM education equity work through a course: Studying race, class and gender theory in engineering education

Each of the authors are currently enrolled as students or serving as an instructor in a graduatelevel engineering education course which is cross-listed with the women's, gender, and sexuality studies program at a large research university in the Midwest. Through engagement with podcasts, readings, reflection, and discussion with others, this course seeks to help participants explore theories of race, class, and gender in engineering education, and how they can be applied in research and practice. Each of the involved authors occupy different disciplinary locations in the educational equity research space, including engineering education, technology education, chemistry education, and multicultural education. Additionally, each author holds different social identities such as: Students who are of color and/or white, students who are from domestic or international backgrounds, students who are from diverse socioeconomic and sociocultural upbringings, and students of various gender identities. Within the associated presentation, the authors share how the course has influenced their personal and academic positions, and how it informed their research. Each author presents their research interests; how they have included race, class, and gender in their work before taking the course, if at all; and how participating in an open and safe educational environment may have affected their research directions. Each has completed a reflection of how they have uniquely engaged with theories of race, class, gender, and contemporary theories of change as frameworks for the basis of their assertions. As the next generation of scholars, the authors emphasize the importance of thoughtful theorizing of race, class, and gender in all research across STEM education disciplines, and beyond, and encourage others to find meaningful opportunities to do the same.