In the spirit of the "listicles" that comprise a frightening bulk of online "news" these days, here is a list of three things I want you to do on the blog this week:
1) Respond to the person who commented right before (above) you, by providing a "text" (video, website, poem, scholarly article, editorial, advertisement, song, test, WHATEVER) that has something to do with his/her topic.
2) Provide a brief explanation of the topic you are thinking about for the spring.
3) List one "text" you are thinking of using to teach your topic and briefly say why.
So we will create a kind of feedback chain for one another. And since I am going first, I don't have to respond to anyone. I will jump in with #2:
2) I will teach a class next semester on the importance of metaphor in our popular/political discourse, such as the use of the "war" metaphor in phrases such as "war on drugs" or "war on terror." I want students to leave thinking about how the language we choose can actually shape our sense of reality.
3) One text I might use is an excerpt from Susan Sontag's Illness as Metaphor in which she talks about how the use of particular metaphors (such as talking about things that aren't diseases as being diseases) shape our thinking.
So the next person should give me a suggestion about something I might consider in relation to "metaphors" and then go on to describe his/her topic.
Let's see if we can get this loop working!
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22 comments:
Hi Professor Reitz, I would like to suggest the use of metaphors in famous literary works to stir and shape awareness of injustices in society. For instance, in Maya Angelous's "I know why the caged bird sings", the caged bird represents an oppressed individual whose wings and feet are bound by the oppressive laws and institutions in society. I believe feminist Marilyn Fyre took the birdcage metaphor further by using it to refer to the invisible yet constraining systems that subjugate certain people.
With regards to the topic I want to cover, I was inspired by Ta-Nehesi Coates Atlantic piece on Reparations which got me thinking about what people owe each other in society, and about the moral obligations that government might have towards its people and whether society in general should feel compelled to right past wrongs. Whenever I read social justice articles, I am always struck by comments at the bottom of the page from people who very adamantly believe that they don't owe other oppressed groups anything, and to me that's one of the huge barriers to large-scale social justice: the lack of empathy coupled with the punitive you-deserve-what-you-get mentality. I also want to incorporate philosophical ideas like moral individualism.
Hey Gina,
I believe that your topic is really interesting. We all owe to each other good-will, mutual respect, and mutual guarantees of liberty and security. Your ideas go back to the Social Contract Theory. The problem is that there are people who would not agree with you. There many "social egoists" in society.
You can try implement the reading from Nietzsche, who did a lot on social nihilism in order to compare and contrast two theories (btw I am all about comparing and contrasting today). Here is the link for the article you might use in comparison to the article that you wanted to discuss. http://sweetprince.net/words/essays/nietzsche’s-analysis-of-nihilism/ You can also use the play Ottsy I Deti by Turgenev. He was actually the first author who introduced me to idea of nihilism.
As for me, I would like to discuss the topic of Islamophobia in contemporary society. I believe that any kind of discrimination is a crime. At some extent, crime is violation of human rights. The topic of racial profiling and racial discrimination is so popular in the society today. Everybody is aiming to address the needs of racially discriminated African-Americans and Latino. However, the needs of Muslim communities are not addressed in many areas. Especially, in terms of community outreach. For my class, I would like to use the scholarly article by S. Legomsky "Ethnic and Religious Profiling of Noncitizens: National Security and International Human Rights". Basically, this article explains that religious profiling practices do exist in the United States. There is a significant gap between somewhat idealistic notions of what has been set up to protect human rights and Muslim people’s experiences of violations of their human rights. The objective of my class is to "draw the line" between the measures of combating terrorism and violation of fundamental freedoms provided not only in the Constitution of the US, but also by the United nations Declaration of Human Rights.
Thanks, Gina, for your excellent suggestions. Maya Angelou's work illustrates how powerful literature can be in helping people feel empathy toward others. As you all pointed out yesterday, stories are a crucial element in humanizing, and within every metaphor is a story. Also, thanks for going first! Every chain starts with the first link! You might have seen this but Michelle Alexander wrote an inspiring thing on Facebook today celebrating Obama's action and attempting to pre-empt what you write about here (competition for justice between oppressed groups).
Marina -- good suggestion about the Social Contract. I'd add that why not go straight to the horse's mouth: Jean-Jacques Rousseau. You could teach an excerpt!
And I won't pre-empt the next speaker by giving Marina suggestions. So next commenter, give Marina suggestions.
Marina-
I think is video of Linda Sasour is beyond awesome to address the topic of islamophobia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZKqxxoUoYs
Linda Sansour is kind of amazing, she's an amazing activist and a community organizer. She's actually an native from Brooklyn!
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/davide-mastracci/moderate-muslims_b_5958536.html
^ awesome response as well.
2. I want to talk about micro-agressions, specifically micro-aggressions forwards gender minorities so women, LGBTQ , and trans folk.
Micro-aggresions are backhanded comments so thinks that at first seem to be compliments, but are also filled with insulting. "wow, you speak such great english for an immigrant" & "you're so pretty for a dark skin girl". These are compliments that sting. I'd want everyone to leave with a deeper knowledge of the mental health impact that these comments have.
3) I can't list just one. In John jay, Dr.Kevin Nadal, in the psych department, is a micro-agression expert. All his research focuses on either WoC, LGBTQ, Trans folks. I'd have to pick a scholarly article that he's published.
Monica,
1. I love your topic. I mean obviously I hate that it happens, but I love that you are addressing it! Here is an article that Dr. Nadal wrote that was publish on an APA sponsored website: http://psychologybenefits.org/2014/02/07/anti-lgbt-microaggressions/
2. I want to talk about discrimination in employment opportunities, specifically dealing with developmental disabilities. Though many new laws about equal opportunity have been made, it doesn't address the social misconceptions of the "inabilities" that people with developmental disabilities have. These stigmatized beliefs easily allow employers to write individuals with developmental disabilities off as unqualified and therefore stay within the lines of the law.
3. I plan on using the guidebook I create in my placement to give insight into the capabilities of adult with developmental disabilities. But I think this video does a relatively good job showing and refuting the stigma associated with DD. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0OulYjnEpw
1) I am really looking forward to your class, and to see that guidebook. The video you shared shows that individuals with disabilities can also work, study, feel, etc. It was hard to find articles related to discrimination against individuals with developmental disabilities. However, I found few readings that may be helpful. I found a research from the Jjay library that suggests that youth with epilepsy can face unique barrier in the effort to maintain a job.
-http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c42c88b7-cd97-46e7-be00-3e1f0e706f4d%40sessionmgr4005&vid=1&hid=4203
2) I want to do my class on Gender and advertisement. I want to raise awareness on how both men and women are being assigned with specific roles on advertisements. Advertisements are influencing society in a negative way. They imply women are fragile and they should be taking care of the family while men are powerful and should have control over household, corporation etc.
3) I have few resources that are interesting.
• A chapter called Gender and advertising( Ch. 7)- http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/57153_Chapter_7.pdf ,
• A publication from the Advertising Educational foundation-https://muse.jhu.edu/journals/advertising_and_society_review/v007/7.2unit07.html
• A video called “killing us softly” ( I am trying to get the latest version) -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atl0K7YpbpM
1) Great topic, Arturo! I do not believe enough attention is given to gender differences in any form. Advertisement especially will make the topic very interesting for discussion!
http://search.ebscohost.com.ez.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=psyh&AN=2013-03799-006&site=ehost-live
This is a link about the issues in gender and advertisement and how showing gender roles to individuals through advertisements is distorting belief systems.
2) I'm not too sure about what I want to discuss but I am very interested in the use of "big government" and how government uses their resources on lower levels, or their pawns, to accomplish things. I am also interested in the internal struggle found within an individual when considering their duties to their country and their moral obligations. I still have to develop this topic significantly!
3) The text I would like to use is the whole book or an excerpt from Jean-Paul Sartre's Dirty Hands and possibly an excerpt from Sigmund Freud's Civilizations and its Discontents. Dirty Hands is an awesome book and I think everyone would love it!
So far so good everyone. Now that you are brainstorming TOPIC ideas, can I ask that you start addressing the "SO WHAT?" question. WHAT is it that you want your students, your class to TAKE AWAY from examining or exploring the topic and doing the readings? What IDEAS or CONCEPTS do you want them to UNDERSTAND? And WHY is your TOPIC or the IDEAS/CONCEPTS important?
Gina has gotten a good start on this aspect. She writes, "...to stir and shape awareness about...," which led to Prof. Reitz's response.
For each of your topics, can you fill in the blanks of a sentence that reads something like this?: I chose my topic XX to enable students to YYY. This is important because ZZZ.
Without derailing the feedback loop (meaning, whomever goes next should respond to Lauren), I want to comply with Professor Waterston's request.
I chose my topic about the power of metaphor in public/political discourse to enable students better to both spot metaphors in public discourse and to understand how such language concretely shapes their ideas about current events and the possibilities for change. This is important because, to paraphrase Orwell, sometimes our words can do our thinking for us. A crucial element of citizenship, I would argue, is to be a critical reader of public discourse.
Putting my ideas to the Waterston test, I chose my topic because I want to spark a discussion of whether collectively righting past wrongs is compatible with the idea of moral individualism in American society. Given that present-day injustices have been shaped by the cumulative effects of historical discrimination/subjugation, does a moral obligation exist to undo past harm? My case study, tentatively, is the argument for reparations (as discussed in Ta Nehesi Coates' article).
I am so excited about the classes for the spring. Sydney, here is a link to a guide for developmentally disabled people looking for employment http://www.dshs.wa.gov/pdf/adsa/ddd/PlanningGuide.pdf and Title: Supported Employment for Persons with Developmental Disabilities
Author: Arnold, Mitylene
Date: 2012 this is an ebook you can access through the CUNY databases through EBSCO search all databases. Lauren, research the concept of "devolution" to investigate the issues of larger to smaller government. Check out, The End of Welfare? Consequences of Federal Devolution for the Nation
By Max B. Sawicky | 2000. We are all here for you to brainstorm resources, help you hone your learning objectives, and don't forget about the all important, how to make it fun.
Ok Lauren you made my job hard because your topic is relevant and important and i have a lot to say but it's so big so I don't know where to take it. Also, I haven't read either of the pieces you mentioned so that makes it trickier.
But see this clip of the man the legend, Noam Chomsky https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mxp_wgFWQo
you could also look up any amy goodman interview or Naomi klein. These are intelligent women who have a lot to say about american government and big business.
I'm torn between the topic of anthropology and it's importance and empathy vs sympathy: a workshop on solidarity and love. Both are extremely important (in my mind) for students to explore because they are so super relevant to working in social justice. I want students to walk away understanding the people that surround them and coming to love all the people that they interact with in this line of work/life. we must understand that which we do not know and love that which we disagree with completely.
Still deciding, but I'd probably call on bell hooks, Fania Davis, Audre Lorde, malcolm X, zora neale hurston, or miners Nacirema.
much work left to be done.
Hey Lauren, for your topic you might want to take a look at Frantz Fanon’s documentary “Black Skin, White Mask” but just focus on the part that deals with his experience in Algeria. I think it will give you an insightful understanding of the individual’s moral duty to their nation (Patriotism).
For the spring semester, I am thinking about teaching a topic that will deal with police brutality and youth of color in urban cities around the world. We will explore cases ranging from Ferguson, Missouri to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
I would like to teach this topic to demonstrate that the struggle of police brutality is not affecting youth of color in America alone, but also elsewhere around the world.
We will explore various social theories to try to solve this issue, one being the theory of "Praxis" by Paulo Freire.
This is important because it would enable the students to learn about the struggles of other youth and explore causing factors behind this struggle. Find connecting point between the youth in America and else where around the world.
Using Paulo Freire theory of Praxis, the student will have to enlist the process by which the youth have to go through in order to overcome this struggle.
One reading that I am thinking about using is Paulo Freire, “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”
In response to Professor Waterston, I chose to address discrimination in employment toward people with developmental disabilities because often it is an issue that many don't think about very often. Many people think that people with developmental disabilities (DD) should be cared for and encourage the government to provide safe and secure support for individuals with DD, but they do not take the capabilities for independence into account. My goal is to reduce the negative stigma around DDs that my fellow Verons may have. As the future policy-makers, leaders and possibly even business owners, I hope that my class will leave them open to being inclusive employers with the knowledge and insight to work with individuals with DD.
I did make several changes to my topic. I would love to address the issue of anti-discriminatory practices in the US in general instead of concentrating on Islamophobia. Taking into consideration the advise that Sydney gave me during the class, I will try to move away from religious aspect.
In response to professor Waterston, the proposed class examines anti-discriminatory policies and its development within the United States of America. The main objective in this study is to understand how anti-discriminatory policies must be organized. Overall, I want us all to leave the class with particular ideas how to implement more problem-oriented policies in the areas of our interests. Each person will attempt to find solutions for the problems of her/his own interest.
Looking forward for your feedback.
Size matters, people. And in this case -- the case of a two hour seminar -- the size that matters is small. A hasty glance at the last 3 topics (Bekah, Kevin, Marina) tells me 2 things: 1) your hearts burn for a more just world and you are to be commended; and 2) your topics could fill libraries. Way too big.
Keeping your overall topic in your head, go to the tiniest element you can imagine: Bekah, of the writers you listed, which is the most crucial? which is the chapter of which book that made the lights go on for you? Kevin, which chapter in Friere's Pedagogy made you understand your (very important) insight about global solidarity? Marina, choose a policy/instance/scenario that reflects where you want to go.
Okay, back to original programming. Keep providing feedback folks!
Hi Marina, perhaps you could talk about the inherent tension between meeting the public's demand for safety and security (that greatly intensified post 9/11) and how the civil liberties of certain targeted minority groups (like Arab Americans) have been eroded with the increase in StopQuestionFrisk practices and over-surveillance, these two seem to be Panoptic structures that the state wields to maintain vigilance as it pleases and in doing so, oppresses people.
To answer Professor Waterston's question, I want the class to understand that the moral injustices found in times of war effect the "little guy" the most. I would also like my classmates to be able to relate Sartre's discussion of duty to duty in the present day and how there is still war propoganda being used to subliminally and overtly convince the little guy that he has a duty to serve his country, I was thinking of possibly incorporating Dulce et decorum est by Wilfred Owen because I believe his poem really speaks to this topic.
A resounding second on Prof Reitz's comment. I've had mtgs with a couple of you about your class and have given the same advice. Smaller is better. Bekah- Audre Lorde's the "Uses of the Erotic the Erotic as Power" gets to the core of a "love" dialectic. This essay alone with an exercise, video clip, poem or song would be more than enough. Kevin, I'm a Freire freak but his work is meaty. Pull out a portion of Pedogogy of the Oppressed. Using Freire begs a theater exercise. How would our class address police brutality using Freire?
Stay focused and concise. Looking forward to seeing you Thursday!
I truly enjoyed reading everyone's ideas for the class next semester. I apologize for not writing sooner but I will follow the chain.
(1)Kevin: I love your theme of addressing this issue that continues to happen across most countries. I am excited to learn more of your topic and how you will incorporate it into a lesson plan. I found a paper discussing race injustice manifested in racial profiling and police brutality that also focuses on the fear of police terror in people of colour in the urban spaces of North America, Europe, Latin America. The article is titled :Towards a Critique of the Socio-logos of Justice: The Analytics of Raciality and the Production of Universality by
By: Silva, Denise Ferreira Da. Social Identities (you can also find it in EBSCO Host at JJAY library)
(2) For my topic I intend on discussing Self-Regulation and how this affects our perception of success. I have found two texts one by Albert Bandura titled "Social Cognitive Theory of Self-Regulation" it provides basic understanding of the theory and the mechanisms that impact one's self influence. The second reading (which is significantly shorter) is titled "Who does well in life? Conscientious excel in both objective and subjective success" by Angela Duckworth.
(3)I find it interesting to learn of what is an individuals self observation, judgmental process, and self reaction (even viewing my own life). I was inspired by the class of our own ecosystem. In this case I think it is extremely helpful and motivating to reflect on our lives and our own successes. Also viewing how our interpretation of success affect our future outcomes.
I've changed my mind. I am going to talk about the sexual rights of individuals with developmental disabilities. I have an news article and promotional video that I will share tomorrow in class.
Hey Sydney, I like this topic. That is something we never think of. I also loofa Danyeli's topic.
We should address the issues that none can think about. For the future social entrepreneurs, it is really important to be open to every problem.
Sydney, here is a suggestion about your topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX8z_5kXLGo
I have never thought about it. It also includes many sources to look for about your topic.
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