Feb 14
What it leads to is…
Feb 14
THE WORDS
race
Class
Gender
sexuality
nation
privilege
heterosexim
racism
sexism
classism
capitalism
religion
politics
economics
ability
disability
religion
power
equity
equality
identity
history
knowledge
immigration
globalization
wealth
poverty
ideology
geography
hegemony
citizenship
majority
minority
context
ethnocentrism
Feb 14
Pepsi and Iowa State on a Pop Machine
Interestingly enough I found a pop machine that has the artwork of STICKS, pepsi and Iowa State University all in one. Capitalism on campus at its finest.
Feb 14
Reflexive Paper – Week Five
RUNNING HEAD: Reflexive Paper – Week Five
Week Five
February 14, 2008
Summarization
- To understand the power distribution within social world and how it is structured, will guide individuals to learn about oneself, and their respective identities (Ng, 2003; Dai, 1996).
- Our social world consists of dynamic power relations (Dai, 1996; Shiva, 1993; Tuhiwai-Smith, 1999).
- Frameworks exist within society to verify similarities as much as differences within our own identities (Dai, 1996).
- Capitalistic overtones and materialism delineate the power relations creating a hierarchal society (Dai, 1996; Shiva, 1993).
- Understanding and accepting the differences and similarities between social identities would create a holistic society free of oppression (Dai, 1996; Shiva, 1993).
- Ignoring the problem, will increase the oppression (Dai, 1996).
- Prior to being a social justice advocate, knowing your authentic self will give the direction to know what we need to do next to fight oppression (Dai, 1996).
- Giving everyone a voice will strengthen the societal dynamics thus decreasing the hierarchal system and creating a “community of difference” (Dai, 1996; Shiva, 1993).
Reflection
The reading by Dai (1996) is a piece which I could most relate to in respect to what I have been seeking within this course, and my lifetime. This is to find my self before looking to help others find their voice, and wisdom within the community. As a professional, I consistently was challenged to play the role of administrator, not knowing how to handle my own values. The values being those of someone who I consider a social justice ally. I always wanted to be voice for the oppressed, and to listen and learn from their experiences.
I knew I could not always be the voice.
I had to play the role of administrator out in the open, and only use my voice behind closed doors.
This process creating enormous amounts of compassion fatigue and stress, and it caught up with me as a professional. It is not easy to be – who you are – always in the role of administrator. It was a privilege being the voice for all students, when perhaps they are not given one within the community. It was also a curse, when the voice was not being heard by the administration, or the students in power positions.
The dynamic social relations, and taking on complex roles as an administrator is not something I was able to do without letting my own voice exist in the paradigm. I was lost, and needed to find my own direction.
Now, I think I have found it.
References
Dei, G. (1996). Chapter four: The intersections of race, class and gender in the anti-racism discourse. In Anti-racism education: theory and practice (pp. 55-74).
Ng, R. (2003). Toward an integrative approach to equity in education. In P. Trifonas (Ed.), Pedagogies of difference: Rethinking education for social change(pp. 206-213).
Rains, F. (1999). Indigenous knowledge, historical amnesia and intellectual authority: Deconstructing hegemony and the social and political implications of the curricular “other.” In L.M. Semali & Kincheloe (Eds.), What is indigenous knowledge? Voices from the academy (pp. 317-331).
Regan, T. (200). An introduction to the study of non-western educational traditions: A philosophical starting point. In Non-western educational traditions: Aphilosophical starting point (pp. 1-23). Mahwah, N.J: Lawerence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
Shiva, V. (1993). Monocultures of the mind. In Monocultures of the Mind: Perspectives on Biodiversity and Biotechnology (pp. 9-39).
Tuhiwai-Smith, L. (1999).Colonizing knowledges. In Decolonizing methodologies: Research and indigenous peoples (pp. 58-77).
Weber, L. (2001) Understanding race, class, gender, and sexuality: A conceptual framework (pp. 17-30, 61-109).
Feb 07
Project: What do we need to carry it out?
I will be developing an art piece available for online interaction. Prints will also be made available. My plan is to show how this semester helped develop a new direction for my thinking in respect to my capstone and dissertation, and how I will capture my impassion for this new found subject.
I do not necessarily need anything, but an opportunity to create it.
In an email to Nancy Evans, my major professor today:
“While I was perusing my facebook information yesterday — I recognized that I was still the administrator for the stop the hate group at Iowa State and I was excited to see it. I updated the information, and then started dreaming about what I should be doing — which would not only make a difference to me — it would make a difference to a whole lot of people.
I was thinking that I could do one of the following:
- work with Stop The Hate program to update information, the manual, website, etc. Assess how the program has impacted the trainers trained, and the campus environments. Develop nationwide networks on the respective social sites: facebook, myspace, etc. This would include working with the staff from the various partners: http://www.stophate.org
/stophate/partners.html - work with Vernon Wall and Jamie Washington on assessing their program: Social Justice Training Institute
- help you and the other professionals who are doing the social justice ally training in June 2008 (Penny mentioned this project)
I really would like to talk with you about this new direction and see what you think.”
Feb 07
Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction.
“Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction.”
~ Pablo Picasso
Feb 07
The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is… 42
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Lunkwill: Do you…
Deep Thought: Have an answer for you? Yes. But you’re not going to like it.
Fook: Please tell us. We must know!
Deep Thought: Okay. The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is…
[wild cheers from audience, then silence]
Deep Thought: 42.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ford: You’re looking for the Ultimate Question.
Zaphod: Yep.
Ford: You.
Zaphod: Me.
Ford: Why?
Zaphod: No, I tried that: Why? 42. Doesn’t work.
(http://imdb.com/title/tt0371724/quotes)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Arthur Dent: Just wait a sodding minute! You want a question that goes with the answer for 42? Well, how about what’s six times seven? Or how many Vogons does it take to change a lightbulb? Here’s one! How many roads must a man walk down?
Lunkwill: Hey, that’s not bad!
Arthur Dent: Fine. Fine, take it. Because my head is filled with questions and I can assure you no answer to any one of them has ever brought me one iota of happiness. Except for one. The one. The only question I’ve ever wanted an answer to – is she the one? The answer bloody well isn’t forty-two, it’s yes. Undoubtedly, unequivocally, unabashadly yes. And for one week, one week in my sad little blip of an existence, it made me happy.
Trillian: That’s a good answer…
Lunkwill: Rubbish, we don’t want to be happy, we want to be famous!
Fook: Yeah! What is all this “is she the one” tripe?
Lunkwill: Take his brain!
(http://imdb.com/title/tt0371724/quotes)
Feb 07
Themes and Questions
THEMES
Frustration and Guilt
Examining Privilege instead of in addition to oppression
Fatigue
Frustration
Overwhelmed
Spaces for change
42
Conservativism
Capitalism & Economic framework
Engagement in “this stuff” is a choice “alternative
Changing hearts and minds
QUESTIONS
What to do with work environments/authorities who do not have social justice philosophies/goals, etc.?
Who are the weeds?
Where is the change?
Is it realistic to work outside the system?
How do we live as activist and how do we live?
Are we awful people to like/love TV? love/like driving? washing car?
Is this too radical?
Feb 07
Reflexive Paper: Week Four
RUNNING HEAD: Reflexive Paper – Week Four
Week Four
Laura Bestler-Wilcox
February 7, 2008
Summarization
- Hierarchal dynamic relations exist in the global perspectives to control the local structures of comprehension and way of living (Ng, 2003; Shiva, 1993).
- Western culture is viewed as the universal culture thereby excluding any past existence of the non-western way of life (Ng, 2003; Shiva, 1993).
- The universal culture will determine that the local culture is invalid by nullifying the knowledge and only allowing the superior perspectives (Shiva, 1993; Tuhiwai-Smith, 1999).
- The utilization of the forestation and deforestation represents how knowledge is either shared or destroyed; the interaction may or may not exist, thus creating a falsehood of knowledge and culture (Shiva, 1993).
- If we are not talking about it, it does not exist. If we do not acknowledge it does not exist. The discourse may or may not take place and if it does not take place then education will suffer the consequences of being exclusive and not inclusive (Regan, 2000).
- Last week we reflected with our personal experiences of not being allowed to discuss knowledge that was important to us on a local level, instead we had to conform to what society as a whole would be comfortable with in respect to the subject matter (Shiva, 1993).
- If it is not part of the hegemony it is not considered useful knowledge (Shiva, 1993; Tuhiwai-Smith, 1999).
Reflection
I can honestly say, I had no idea why we were reading the Shiva chapter, as I did not consider biodiversity and biotechnology something that would impact our profession. Instead, it did quite the opposite. It validated our perspectives from the discussion on January 31, 2008 in regards to how we have been taught via the dominant western culture.
When it comes to how we teach and educate, how do we know which culture base of knowledge we are utilizing in the classroom? How do we know we are including all of the multiple perspectives (Regan, 2000)? The utilization of the forestation and deforestation to represent how knowledge is either shared or destroyed; how that interaction that may or may not exist is shared with the broader base of people helped bring additional understanding of the perspectives for me (Shiva, 1993). It is frightening to recognize how much knowledge and culture has disappeared due to the repeated offenses of the western world, and how the western world thrusts values, morals and knowledge as the only truth (Regan, 2000).
How do we help to create an inclusive environment to nurture unconventional discussions? How can we ensure that we do not lose our perspectives and our local knowledge base (Shiva, 1993) to the dominant culture, now that we are starting to learn about it again?
References
Ng, R. (2003). Toward an integrative approach to equity in education. In P. Trifonas (Ed.), Pedagogies of difference: Rethinking education for social change(pp. 206-213).
Tuhiwai-Smith, L. (1999).Colonizing knowledges. In Decolonizing methodologies: Research and indigenous peoples (pp. 58-77).
Rains, F. (1999). Indigenous knowledge, historical amnesia and intellectual authority: Deconstructing hegemony and the social and political implications of the curricular “other.” In L.M. Semali & Kincheloe (Eds.), What is indigenous knowledge? Voices from the academy (pp. 317-331).
Regan, T. (200). An introduction to the study of non-western educational traditions: A philosophical starting point. In Non-western educational traditions: A philosophical starting point (pp. 1-23). Mahwah, N.J: Lawerence Erlbaum Associates, Publish
ers.
Shiva, V. (1993). Monocultures of the mind. In Monocultures of the Mind: Perspectives on Biodiversity and Biotechnology (pp. 9-39).