Course curriculum

    1. Welcome to "Racism and Sexual Violence" Course

    2. Quick Tips About Navigating this Course

    1. Learning Objectives

    2. Prevalence of Sexual Violence

    3. Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment

    4. Definition of Consent

    5. Coercion

    6. What is Rape Culture?

    7. Pyramid of Sexual Violence

    8. Core Facts

    9. Victim Blaming

    10. What is Trauma?

    11. Remembering Trauma

    12. Looking Forward

    1. Learning Objectives

    2. Key Terms

    3. Racism and Settler Colonialism

    4. Sexual Violence in a Colonial Context

    5. Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People

    6. Forms of Racism

    7. What is Racial Trauma?

    8. Impacts of Racial Trauma

    9. Racial Trauma Reflections

    10. Racism and Sexual Violence

    11. Racialized Barriers to Support

    12. Looking Forward

    1. Learning Objectives

    2. Wheel of Privilege

    3. What is Intersectionality?

    4. Shared Foundations of Racism and Sexual Violence

    5. Structural Changes

    6. Holding Space

    7. Individual Support Skills

    8. Support Reminders

    9. Cultural Humility and Support

    10. What Can You Do?

    11. Hope After Sexual Violence

    12. Further Reading

    13. Course Evaluation

    14. Acknowledgements

About this course

  • $25.00
  • 40 lessons

Course Educator

This is the Public Education team member that will be moderating the course.

Mariam Dar

Mariam Dar (she/her) is a youth public educator with the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (SACE). She has an honours degree in psychology from the University of Alberta and has been employed at SACE since spring 2022. Since 2016, she has served the community in roles including public education, peer mentorship, and crisis support. She is passionate about anti-oppression practice and advocacy and is trained in anti-oppressive, harm-reduction, and trauma-informed practices. At SACE, Mariam educates community members about the topics of sexual violence and consent, and works to promote the inclusion of immigrants, newcomers, and racialized communities.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Who is this course for?

    Anyone! People of colour (POC), people who haven’t experienced any form of racism, people who want to learn more about racism and sexual violence. The goal of this course is to develop participants’ understanding of the deep connection between racism and sexual violence for the purpose of empowering individuals and communities to enact meaningful change.

  • Do I have to have knowledge on racism or sexual violence to take this course?

    No! This course provides definitions and explanations of concepts that are covered in the course. As you gain a stronger understanding of the course concepts, you’ll then learn more on how you can apply these concepts to practice and supporting skills.

  • Was this course made by people of colour?

    Yes, all the course content was made by staff members who are people of colour. However, the course will be facilitated by all public educators at SACE, regardless of race.

  • Will this course cover all different kinds of racism and sexual violence?

    No. Since this course provides a broad overview of concepts related to racism and sexual violence, we cannot cover everything. We are open to receiving feedback and information about any of the course content and encourage you to fill out the online evaluation that can be found at the course.

  • Will this course discuss recent and historical incidents of racism?

    Yes. This course uses historical and recent incidents of racism to explain how the concepts discussed in the course apply to real-world events. We have intentionally chosen the examples used in the course to increase knowledge and awareness, while still creating a safe learning environment. Despite our best efforts, we acknowledge that people with lived experiences of racism and sexual violence may be particularly impacted by this material. We encourage participants to practice self-care and community-care while taking this course.

  • Will this course be challenging?

    Maybe. This course may contain challenging content for participants. We want to acknowledge that this course is as much about unlearning as it is about learning. Participating in this program will require people to challenge some of the "truths" they may have taken for granted. This kind of challenging requires a conscious effort to allow ourselves to explore potentially heavy or uncomfortable truths and reflect on our own identity/experiences, and to consider those of others. This self-reflection can bring up difficult emotions, including discomfort, guilt, anger, shame, defensiveness, or sadness. These feelings are normal and are a necessary part of growing. If you experience these emotions as you go through the course, ask yourself if they are necessary to express out loud, or if they are a point of personal reflection. It is also important to hold space for these emotions and reflect on where they are coming from. Holding space means allowing yourself to sit with the information, and the feelings that it brings up, without immediately rejecting them. Sitting with this discomfort is often where learning happens.

  • Will I receive a certificate for completing this course?

    This course does not have a certificate of completion.

A Note on Self Care

Learning about sexual violence can be challenging, and it’s normal for some of the content in this course to bring up a range of different, sometimes difficult, emotions for participants. Please practice self-care and engage with the provided materials to the degree that you feel comfortable. We have included a downloadable resource below with some breathing and movement techniques that you can use as necessary throughout the course to help you regulate your emotions. 

If you are in need of support, you are also very welcome to: 

  • Click here for a downloadable resource with breathing and movement techniques
  • Call the SACE Support and Information Line at 780.423.4121
  • Call or text Alberta's One Line for Sexual Violence at 1.800.403.8000
  • Chat online at sace.ca