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Week 16-Discussion Question

McKeachie's teaching tips offers a great source of information for college instructors. Many Professors may be experts in their field but they are not experts in the classroom. Chapter 2: "The Countdown for Course Preparation" talks about being ready for class while Chapter 4: "Reading as Active Learning" discusses ways to actively engage students. Describe one book or assignment during your higher education career that has stuck with you? explain why you have been able to keep this learning experience or book in your memory.

Week 16- Vivian's Current Event

I have two current events that I have been following. I could not decide over choosing a local current event or an international current event. They are both important so I will post both and talk about one in class. The first current event is about Nigeria's new president, Goodluck Jonathan. I am very interested in the Nigerian civil war and the ethnic and religious tensions between the many communities in Africa's most populous region. The new Christian president will be taking over after the death of the Muslim leader, Umaru Yar'Adua on May 7th, 2010. He is likely to choose a Muslim vice-president to help calm the relationship between Muslim and Christian communities in Nigeria. You can find more information on the nationall public radio website. The other current event that I wanted to briefly touch upon is the upcoming election in June where voters will be chosing to install term limits on the county supervisors that have all been there for over 15 years. I would love to hear the class' thoughts on that issue.

Disucssion Question Wk 16

In chapter 4, "Reading as Active Learning," the authors of describe strategies for not only getting students to read, but strategies for getting students to engage with what they are reading in order to truly connect with and understand the material. One strategy is reading quizzes and another is reading journals.

Given that many of us will be teaching courses with assigned reading, which strategy do you think you will employ? Keep in mind the extensive academic housework that grading reading journals entails (Thank you Dr. Lara for reading all of those sentipensante journals and your valuable insight and comments). This type of journal assignment may be much more difficult when there a 40 students in a class. I'd like for us to discuss the realities of the authors' strategies for getting students to read, and talk about when and where we should place limitations on what we take on.

Jessica

Discussion Questions, Week 15, Laura

In Ch. 2 from McKeachie's Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers, the impact of having clear goals for the class and saving time for self-reflection as a student/teacher are repeatedly emphasized...

1. Are there any personal goals or professional goals that this course on Feminist Pedagogies has helped you achieve or develop for the future?

2. On pg. 27, McKeachie discusses some examples of self-test questions that can help teachers and students in the process of getting to know each other better by revealing doubts, questions, and insecurities before the class begins to learn about the course material, what other questions do you think would positively contribute to the set of self-test questions?

The self-test questions McKeachie shared were: Are you rigid? Will you really try to help students? Are you easily rattled? Are you a person as well as a teacher? Can you handle criticism?

See all you womyn later :)

Activity for May 12_Irina

This week we read about various methods in preparing for class and getting the class started. considering that today is the last day of class, let's have an activity for closure.

1. Choose one person in the class and briefly describe what you have learned from them
2. Then briefly describe what you have gain from the class as a whole
   

Discussion Questions for May 12_Irina

In Ch. 4, "Meeting a Class for the First Time," McKeachie describes methods for breaking the ice on the first day of class.

1. Please describe what method you would like to use in a class for an ice breaker and why (you do not have to discuss a method proposed by McKeachie).
2. OR...Please describe a method that one of your professors used for an ice breaker and why you did or did not like it.
   

Discussion Question 5/12

In Chapter 2 "Countdown for Course Preparation," McKeachie describes the list of things that need to be done in order to prepare for teaching a course before the the first day. What types of practices have you learned as a student from taking other courses that you have found helpful and may consider using if you were to prepare to teach a course using a pedagogical approach? Take a few minutes to think back and recall on any favorable experiences that you may have encountered or if not, what could have the teacher/professor done prior to the class in order to be better prepared?


Hope my question makes sense!
-Maggie

Current Events: Technology and Resistance

In the past few years, cell phone video technology has been used to capture several incidents of students being tasered and/or arrested for creating disturbances in university classrooms and libraries. One example is the UCLA Taser Incident in 2006; a more recent incident occurred at the University of Wisconsin earlier this semester. A video of the latter is below (warning for conflict and violence):

Incidents like these raise a lot of questions for me. How are campus safety policies used to discriminate against students of color, or students from different cultures? At what point would you feel the need to call campus security? At what point does student hostility become a threat, or out of control? Regarding the above video, how would you have reacted if you were the teacher in that situation?

______________________

I also wanted to share a really fascinating article about a local UCSD professor who uses art and technology to protest immigration policies and raise political consciousness--and the negative consequences he's facing as a result.

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/07/local/la-me-ucsd-professor-20100507-53

Week 16 Discussion Question(s)

This week's readings offered a plethora of practical tips not only for teaching, but for constructing the best possible learning experience for students. Without a doubt, to succeed at this requires us to understand our students as well as possible. In Chapter 2, "The Countdown for Course Preparation," and Chapter 3, "Dealing with Student Problems and Problems," the authors advocate for understanding who our students are, and what they need from us.

Drawing from our personal experiences in the classroom--both as students, and as teachers--how must our teaching strategies vary depending on the different types of college/universities we are at, or the different student groups we teach to? Have you had any experiences with adjusting your pedagogical strategies to fit students' needs that you'd like to share? Thinking reflexively, what could you do to make your pedagogy more flexible and spontaneous?

Another Interesting Seminar @ UCSD

"Uiversity of California San Diego
Division of Public Health
Department of Medicine
Seminar Presents

Jay Silverman

Harvard University, School of Public Health
Associate Professor of Society, Human Development, and Health

“Sex Trafficking:
A dark and neglected corner of
gender‐based violence and HIV risk.”

Thursday May 13, 2010
12:00pm-1:00pm

UCSD – Institute of the Americas
Weaver Conference Center"

Interesting Seminar @ UCSD

"Uiversity of California San Diego
Division of Public Health
Department of Medicine
Seminar Presents

Anita Raj

Boston University, School of Public Health
Associate Professor, Community Health Sciences

“Considering Gender, Culture and Context
When Addressing Sexual and Reproductive
Health in Marginalized Populations”

Wednesday May 12, 2010
12:00pm-1:00pm

UCSD - School of Medicine
Leichtag Biomedical Sciences Building
Room 107

*Lunch will be provided."

Discussion Question for 5/12

Hello Everyone!

Hope you are well. This last weeks reading give some suggestions on some of the practical teaching practices. My question comes From Chapter 5, the author talks about active learning but what does active learning look and feel like from a feminist conocimiento(s)? What are your thoughts on this?

At the beginning of the Chapter 5 the authors discuss the goals and objectives for incorporating discussion in class--(Page 35)
What can be added to the following list Svinicki and McKeachie provide in the chapter.

Something totally apart from the readings is my reflection on Chelsea's last post. My reflection of the seminar is powerful and it's an experience that I will continue to share with others around me. This class was transformative, not only did I learn about pedagogical practices from a feminist perspective but I also became aware of other communities as well as it's diverse identities. I think that overall, I became aware more of the relationship between my bodymindspirit and how that impacts every teachable moment. Moreover, this seminar encouraged me to feel, smell, understand, question, and see different social locations. I thank all of you for being part of this process and all the new (des)conocimientos.

Paz,
Nancy

Okay, okay...

...what the...? (click on the link)

My last post...

It has been a wonderful semester with everyone! I've learned so much from the course, but more importantly I've learned so much from you as people and participants in our community of knowledge. I fail at accurately articulating how transformative this semester has been but I thank you for being a part of that journey. Whether you realize it or not, you played an important role in it!

For my final post and weekly question/pedagogical practice, I am curious to know what you think has been your biggest "ah-ha" moment, what you will most take away from this seminar or how you have changed since January in part due to this course. As my pedagogical practice this week, please take a few moments to reflect on the 696 journey and write whatever response comes to mind. If we have time, those who wish to share may but no one has to.

Thank you for a wonderfully eye-opening and inspiring semester, everyone!

Thoughts...?

I saw this news article about students wearing shirts with an American flag on them. It's unclear what was said or done by the students but what are your initial thoughts?

The first four paragraphs outline what happened (some of it alleged at this point) but from paragraph five on it gets interesting discussing the polarization of race and culture in American schools and education programs.

Film Festival Link- Current Event by Laura Macias

reelwork.org has a lot of great films about racism, class/environmental exploitation, and other issues we have discussed in class, if you click on the archives tab you'll find resources for all the films they've included in their festivals, I just saw "A Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions from Curitiba, Brazil" and I think it's a good complimentary film for the topic of the impact of environmental feminists on creating sustainable cities(the topic of one of my projects) :)
Enjoy!
-Laura

Maggie's Discussion Question

Happy Cinco de Mayo! See you all in class today =)

In the articles “The Power of No” in the Feminist Teacher Anthology and the article by Fonow and Marty on “Lesbian Panels in the Women’s Studies Classroom,” the authors discuss strategies for opening up the classroom to share personal stories and experiences through a panel or in a class circle.

Fonow and Marty use a constructionist approach to open students’ minds to the root of homophobia. To what extent would it be valuable to use this same approach in a “No Circle” to explore the roots of violence against women? What type of pedagogical strategy would be most effective?

5/5- Question about encating "the personal is political in the classroon"

The reading that struck me the most this week was "Dangerous Responses" by Michelle Cox and Katerine E. Tirabassi. When Sara arrived to her dorm hall drunk, she was approached by a sophomore who had sex with her and later two other college students that did the same. The reaction by the students was saddening. The article brought me back to a personal incident. I was very shocked that many students did not believe Sara had been raped because she was drunk(did they think it was consentual?). Alesha Durfa's "Teaching Sensitive Issues" addresses ways to discuss difficult issues. She indicates that students come from many different backgrounds and not everyone will share the teachers point of view. I sympathised with one of the instructors in "Dangerous Responses" that could not get her students to agree on rape in her terms. Even her best attempts could not change the student's mind about Sara's own blame. When presenting a subject that you have a very strong opinion about, how do you interject without sounding too biased or disappointed in the students that do not share your point of view? Sometimes the goals of teaching a feminist classroom contradict each other. When upholding views about social inequality is trumped by wanting to empower students to give their point of view(even if that view is racist, sexist and just plain wrong)...would you chose student empowerment over upholding views of social justice?

Current Event: Border Issues

I found this today in the San Diego News on Sign on San Diego. It's great news to hear that our city leaders oppose the immigration law in Arizona.

Here's the Article below:

San Diego council opposes Arizona law
Immigration measure is ‘un-American,’ Gloria says

By Craig Gustafson, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Originally published May 3, 2010 at 5:18 p.m., updated May 3, 2010 at 11:16 p.m.

SAN DIEGO — With references to Nazi Germany’s treatment of Jews and the struggle for civil rights in this country, San Diego’s leaders said they felt compelled to formally oppose the new immigration law passed in Arizona.

The symbolic gesture, which urges Arizona lawmakers to repeal the law, won City Council approval Monday on a 7-1 vote, with Councilman Carl DeMaio voting against the resolution.

The law makes it a crime to be in the state without legal status and requires local police to question people suspected of being in the country illegally.

Proponents of the law say it is necessary because of the federal government’s failure to curb the flow of drugs and illegal immigrants across the border. Opponents say it will lead to racial profiling and harassment.

Councilman Todd Gloria said the law is “fundamentally un-American.”

“Those who do not speak out often come to regret their silence in time,” he said. “Today, this council, through this resolution, will make clear that we will not stand by and watch the erosion of freedom in our own backyard.”

The council’s resolution states that the Arizona law encourages racial profiling and violates the U.S. Constitution.

Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Carlsbad, who supports the law, said the resolution’s language shows that city officials never actually read the law.

“It’s just astonishing how quickly elected officials would jump off the cliff on this thing,” he said. “The facts don’t matter here, it’s all political posturing.”

DeMaio voted against the resolution because he said it needed to include clarifications that Arizona passed a subsequent bill that made several changes to the original law, such as specifically prohibiting racial profiling. In addition, he wanted to add language urging the federal government to take immediate action to secure the nation’s borders.

“We need to speak from a position of principle and a position of fact as well as a position of balance,” DeMaio said.

Councilman Tony Young refused to add DeMaio’s language to his original motion to approve the resolution.

“I won’t do it because … the legislation is flawed from its beginning,” he said.

The audience, which included dozens of people who spoke against the law, responded with loud applause. There were no public speakers in opposition.

The resolution will be forwarded to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer.

Craig Gustafson: (619) 293-1399; craig.gustafson@uniontrib.com

Craig Gustafson: (619) 293-1399; craig.gustafson@uniontrib.com

Current Event (5/5)_Irina

Calif. Senate OKs Bill Responding To Richmond Rape
RICHMOND (CBS 5 / AP) ―

[Click to zoom.] Click to enlarge
1 of 1
Police cars sit parked outside Richmond High School on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009, in Richmond, Calif.

AP

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numSlides of totalImages
Related Stories

* Bill Prompted By Richmond Gang Rape Moves Forward
(3/24/2010)
* 7th Richmond Gang Rape Suspect Pleads Not Guilty
(2/4/2010)
* Richmond Gang-Rape Accuser Recants Story
(1/18/2010)
* 7th Suspect Charged In Richmond Gang Rape
(1/22/2010)

Witnesses to the murder, rape or lewd acts victimizing a child under 18 would be required to notify police, under a bill approved by the state Senate.

The bill was written in response to the alleged gang rape of a 16-year-old girl outside of a Richmond High School homecoming dance in October. Seven males have been charged in the case, and investigators say as many as 20 people watched without reporting the crime.

The bill by Democratic Sen. Leland Yee of San Francisco amends current law, which requires reporting such crimes against victims age 14 and under.

A violation would be a misdemeanor punishable with a $1,500 fine or six months in jail, the same as under the current law.

SB840, passed Monday on a 29-0 vote, without debate. It now goes to the Assembly.


It's interesting to me (and problematic) that this bill involves amending the currently law which requires report to authorities for a minor age 14 and under. Now the law will be to report witnessing a crime against a person under 18. But what about crimes committed against a person over 18?

This law does little to prevent future gang rapes but at least the law should protect all possible victims, not just a portion of them. What do you guys think?

5/5 discussion question_irina

In the piece by Michelle Cox and Katherine E. Tirabassi, they bring up the question of whether or not to self-disclose in a classroom. They question: “How do we know when our self-disclosure to a whole class is justified, helpful, and in the best interest of our students and ourselves?” (236). Cox and Tirabassi conclude that choosing not to self-disclose was the best option because it would have moved the focus from the text to the teacher. Considering the statistics on rape, it is likely that some of the students in class had been raped themselves, not just their “friends”. The writers agree with Brenda Daly’s statement, “I have not overcome the powerful taboo against bringing personal (and emotional) issues into the classroom. I fear that, if I become emotional, I might lose my ‘professional’ composure, my authority” (246).
1. By not disclosing their personal experiences, do they reinforce the taboo of brining personal stories into the spotlight? Do they reinforce the misogynist idea that women are too emotional?
a. OR….is not disclosing a better option because it allows the students to focus on the text? Is one more important than the other (the text versus the real life example)?

Student Disclosures

What can we realistically ask of our university/institution in terms of recognizing and compensation for assisting students with crisis, revelations or disclosures? Is there a way to work with other services offered through the university in addressing these issues and the time constraints that may arise?

What can we do for ourselves in order to not "take home" some of the more harrowing or difficult stories/disclosures we may hear as educators of sensitive issues?

How can we effectively, but sensitively, disengage from assisting a student when we feel that our "personal limit" has been reached without alienating or silencing the student?

Week 15 Discussion Questions

In the articles "Teaching Sensitive Issues: Feminist Pedagogy and the Practice of Advocacy-Based Counseling" by Alesha Durfa and "Dangerous Responses" by Cox and Tirabassi, the teacher and advocate counselor are both protectors and nurturers of students by adopting different strategies such as self-disclosing painful experiences, feelings, and vulnerabilities, attentive listening, maintaining confidentiality, refusing to control the student by taking up a decision maker role, and trusting the students integrity.

Educators invest a lot in emotional labor, what can be done when a teacher's spirit and attitude becomes pessimized by students who abuse their careful reactions to sensitive issues? How should educators react when frustrated students exploit their holistic approach to create an oppressive environment for other students?

Pedagogical Practice for Week 15 5/5

"Survivors of Gendered Violence in the Feminist Classroom," by Janet Lee, "Dangerous Responses," by Cox and Tirabassi, and Estelle Freedman's "Small-Group Pedagogy: Consciousness Raising in Conservative Times," each illustrate a very real need to address issues surrounding violence against women and gendered violence from a sentipensante approach. Students often experience difficult/uncomfortable/painful emotions when learning about discussing violence, and professors are not immune.

As students engaging with course material regarding pedagogical practices for teaching about gendered violence, we too are put in a position where spiritual, "physical and emotional tensions arise" (Thompson 1998:70). This may be especially true for survivors of gendered violence in our seminar.

The authors suggest various methods of addressing this tension. How about we try one of their exercises out in order to address ours? (Class chooses one Pedagogical Exercise).

Exercises:

1. We will form a c.r. group (or story telling group) in seminar where we will each take turns to speak uninterrupted for 1 minute, then we will have one more minute to wrap up our thoughts. Just as Freedman tailored her student's c.r. prompts to the lecture for that day, I would like folks to speak to how reading about (teaching about) gendered violence made them feel. If you are uncomfortable speaking, please invite the group to meditate on this prompt for your 2 minutes. During this practice we should engage in active listening, as described by Dr. Lara throughout the semester.

OR

2. In the spirit of Martha E. Thompson, let's form a "NO Circle." In the circle will each take turns calling out something (rape, stalking, racism, etc.) we would like to say NO to, something we want to stop happening. In the no circle we can channel our anger, frustration, sadness, or whatever into our voices. When each of us has contributed, we will all yell "NO" to gendered violence together on the count of three. When we are finished we can reflect on the usefulness of the exercise.


See you in class,

Jessica

Week 15 Discussion Question(s)

In Mary Margaret Fonow and Debian Marty’s “The Shift from Identity Politics to the Politics of Identity: Lesbian Panels in the Women’s Studies Classroom,” the authors address the "impression management" that lesbian panelists often struggle with while discussing their sexual identity in front of a classroom. Similarly, Michelle Cox and Katherine E. Tirabassi both questioned whether to self-disclose their experiences with rape to their students in “Dangerous Responses.” How do we determine which of our personal disclosures--particularly those that are deeply emotional or deal with trauma--have pedagogical value, and which are better left unsaid? When, and to what extent, may students be more enriched by our silence than our voice? And at what point do we draw the line in regards to our vulnerability?

Possible Discussion Question 5/5

Hello Everyone! This week readings discussed an important aspect of teaching. The authors share their experience with conversations of self-disclosure in the classroom. They share the common challenges, questions that may arise, and possible strategies that can assist professors in situations like these.

This topic is complex and it requires educators to be sensitive, critical, and reflective if we were to encounter situations like the one's described in the readings.

My question then is what are the tools and supportive partnerships on this campus that either are here to train professors or just help with sensitive and personal issues? If there is a strong base established, are they effective and how is this measured?

See you you all soon.

Paz,

Nancy Huante

OTHER TONGUES: Mixed-Race Women Speak Out — Submissions Due May 15, 2010

OPEN CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!

OTHER TONGUES: Mixed-Race Women Speak Out

Co-editors Adebe D.A. and Andrea Thompson are seeking submissions for an anthology of writing by and about mixed-race women, intended for publication in Fall 2010 by Inanna Publications.

The purpose of this anthology is to explore the question of how mixed-race women in North America identify in the 21st Century. The anthology will also serve as a place to learn about the social experiences, attitudes, and feelings of others, and what racial identity has come to mean today. We are inviting previously unpublished submissions that engage, document, and/or explore the experiences of being mixed-race, by placing interraciality as the center, rather than periphery, of analysis.

Please send one (1) submission of up to 2500 words of poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, or spoken word as a SINGLE attachment to othertonguesanthology@gmail.com

Black and white images and artwork should be 300 dpi and sent as attachments in jpg. of tiff. format. Artwork and photography limited to three (3) per applicant.

Please include your contact information, including your name, address, phone number, e-mail, title(s) of work submitted, type of submission, and a short artist bio (50 words max) in the body of the email, with your name and the type of submission in the subject line (e.g. “Jazmine – Poetry Submission”). All submissions are due May 15, 2010. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.

If you prefer that your contribution remain anonymous, please include this preference at the top of your submission. All personal information you provide will be kept strictly confidential.

If you have any questions about this project, please contact the Editors, Adebe DeRango-Adem and Andrea Thompson, at othertonguesanthology@gmail.com

For more information: http://www.adebe.wordpress.com, http://www.andreathompson.ca or visit us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=276479812662

We look forward to reviewing your submission!

Current Event - Jessica Spain Week 15

Hello everyone!

So below I have posted a very short piece taken from Anarchist news dot org, a "non-sectarian source for news about and of concern to anarchists" (About Us).
The piece is titled "WE’LL SHOW YOU CRAZY BITCHES: TAKE BACK THE NIGHT" and it details an event that took place last week in Brooklyn, New York. (Take Back the Night was 4/29).

I think it would be very interesting to discuss this piece and possibly have a conversation about radical anarcha-feminist politics and activism. What emotions, if any, does this piece evoke for you? Do you feel that these efforts are effective ways to address violence against women, why or not? Hopefully we will have time to discuss on Wednesday.

See you in class!

*****************************************************

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – Dressed in matching black skirts and masks, dozens of women gathered on Saturday evening for an anti-capitalist Take Back the Night march, stopping traffic on Bedford Avenue, overturning trashcans, and breaking windows. Tired of tamely shouting slogans on campus sidewalks, we took the night back by taking it, refusing the structural mechanisms that create rapists and their victims.

Although in recent years Take Back the Night has been co-opted by liberal feminists, it has its roots in the widespread unrest of Italy in the late seventies. In 1976, a seventeen-year-old was gang-raped in Rome. A year later, when her case went to trial, she was gang-raped again by the same men: and this time, her whole body was slashed with razors in an attempt to keep her silent. Within hours, fifteen thousand women mobilized, uniformly dressed like the sex workers common to the district; “NO MORE MOTHERS, WIVES AND DAUGHTERS: LET’S DESTROY THE FAMILIES!” was the cry heard in the street. They came just short of burning the neighborhood to the ground.
[1 block of cars windows broken = burning neighborhood?]

Forty years later, we marched again, to refuse the violence that continues to force us to be housewives and fuck-toys and mothers and daddy’s girls, to refuse to understand women’s oppression in the private sphere as a simple cultural or ideological matter. We address capitalism and patriarchy as one intrinsically interconnected system. We are not asking for rights: we are demanding something else entirely.

A woman on the street stopped and attempted to begin an argument: “Why are you doing this?” A swift reply: “Because we have grown tired of rape and makeup.” The woman responds: “Just get drunk and get laid – deal with it.” But this is no longer enough for us. We are not asking for a right to the streets, we are taking them; we are not asking for advertisements that do not objectify women, we’re destroying the commercial mechanisms that objectify women; we are not appealing to male power for an end to rape, but threatening: “If you touch me, I will fucking kill you.”

For once, the mechanisms that create and maintain identities of womanhood were refused, and our desires were our own, our bodies were our own, and our violence was our own.

See original post here -> http://anarchistnews.org/?q=node/11127