I made these slides and incorporated them in my introduction to a gender studies class at HKU in the spring of 2022. Various parts are HKU- or HK-specific (e.g. examples used, the Dr. vs. Prof. distinction), but they summarize useful points for others who might be interested in speaking to their own students about this issue or anyone who simply doesn’t understand why a “young” non-white female professor would insist upon being called “Dr.” or “Prof.” I didn’t write my name on the slides, but it would be nice if you would give me a shout-out and let me know if you find these helpful. I will likely revise these at some point &/or make a version that’s designed to be read (these are slides from class that were accompanied by verbal explanations).

I will say that it is not easy doing this explanation at the beginning of the semester with a room full of (probably) mostly new faces. The actual delivery would depend upon the program/dept you teach in, demographic of students, your own personality, etc. But consider whether you want to trust your students to be able to learn, and how it’s a kind of public service to make this explanation in solidarity with other teachers/scholars who are infantilized, sexualized, racialized, and so on.