Course Packet for Identity and Multiculturalism
As you might know, I'm teaching a special section of Rhetoric 1101 in the fall with the theme "Identity and Multiculturalism." I've been selecting readings for a course pack, and here's what I've got so far. Hopefully I'll be able to add on to this list. If you have any suggestions, I would LOVE to hear them. This is really just a preliminary list.
- Clancy's blog
- Login to post comments
Comments
what kind of multiculturalism?
Clancy,
I'm not familiar with Prof. Bridwell-Bowles' work, so I'll ask the question of my subject: what kind of multiculturalism? Are we talking happy inclusivity, critical difference, read lotsa different stuff to be exposed to it, ask students to theorize their own cultural positions vis-a-vis others / Others, study acts of cultural signification, do expressive writing, do documented essays?
Two important contemporary sources would seem to be the Supreme Court's recent sodomy and affirmative action decisions. And I'd suggest that http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/3795/queereng/ih8str8s.html or the larger document from which it comes, http://qattmimsan.paddy.nu/encyklopedi/qrt.html, is essential counterdominant discourse, sure to provoke some discussion; perhaps hand-in-hand with some materials on Matthew Shepard. (Are you familiar with Richard Miller's "Fault Lines in the Contact Zone" [College English 56.4 [1994]: 389-408], or Harriet Malinowitz's "Textual Orientations"?)
Other stuff: a link on "Beyond Title IX" that might interest students in discussing how gender identity connects to their current concerns, and a recent spin on education from The Atlantic on "The War Against Boys" does it for my gender & sexuality suggestions. But then, you say "multiculturalism" to some students, they'll roll their eyes and ask you if you want help putting up Kwanzaa posters, so that may not be the bent of your readings.
The recent uproar over the proposed disgusting new Beverly Hillbillies reality show, and some personal interest, makes me urge you to seek out some materials for your students on the cultures of Appalachia. Harry Caudill's terrific and depressing old book "Night Comes to the Cumberlands" is about the coal fields of West Virginia and Kentucky, and as close to a classic as you'll find, though dated, and since it's book length, not really appropriate for students. http://www.appalachianpower.com/ is worth a look.
Hope those might prompt some ideas.
ME
Re: What kind of multiculturalism?
Good question. To this:
Are we talking happy inclusivity, critical difference, read lotsa different stuff to be exposed to it, ask students to theorize their own cultural positions vis-a-vis others / Others, study acts of cultural signification, do expressive writing, do documented essays?
I guess I'll reply that the class content is centered on studying one's own identity and perspective (informed by race, class, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation) in the context of a multicultural society--so I guess it would be the fourth thing on your list. I don't want to shy away from the fact that there is a dominant culture. I'm also interested in looking at the rhetoric of multiculturalism: For example, have you seen the Ayn Rand Institute's site on multiculturalism? Not that I'd assign that, most likely, but that kind of thinking does contribute to the rhetoric of multiculturalism. This article, too, might just peel the enamel off your teeth. Anyway, I'm quickly seeing that what I really need to decide NOW (well, really, 2 months ago) is if I want to frame this in an American context or a global context. I'm interested in talking about imperialism and self-determination with regard to culture--particularly Western critiques of Muslim cultures, etc. For example, I'm interested in cultural conflicts--multicultural moments, like Western critiques of female genital cutting, for example.
The class is part of a program called Student Excellence in Academics and Multiculturalism (SEAM), one of the programs at UMN that allows first-year students to join small learning communities and take 2-3 classes together. I need to meet with some other people involved in SEAM in order to get more of an idea of what kind of course content is in greatest accordance with it. When I originally met with them and told them what ideas I had for the class (mainly readings), they liked what I had to say. The course coordinator for Rhetoric 1101 wants the SEAM section to comply with the objectives of 1101, and what I'd like to do is have the students do rhetorical analyses of texts using the vocabulary of rhetoric and have the students do a research paper. In other words, the class will be like any other Rhetoric 1101 class, but with the themes of identity and multiculturalism. Aaaaargh, I have so much thinking still to do about this. I guess that's what blogs are for. :-)
Oh, by the way, one thing that's vexing me about my selected readings is that danger of tokenism. While I don't want to marginalize any perspectives, I also *really* don't want it to be an "oh, there's an Asian voice...and a Native American voice...and a transsexual voice..." and so on. [cringe]
Structure and so forth...
I'm glad to see that you have a geographer on your list (Manuel Castells). He pioneered gay geographies in his study of the Castro in the 70's. This, though outdated (gay neighborhoods like Castro are usually in no way representative of gay life in America), was a good start.
However, I would go with Michael Brown's study of the closet (in Closet Space, which is a book, so you might have to pick and choose) or his study of the gay community's response to AIDS in Vancouver (RePlacing Citizenship--book also). Brown examines identity through the lens of previous queer theory and, although explicitly geographical, spans disciplines in his examination (LeFebvre, Sedgewick, and Foucault all play heavily in his work). His work (and his ideas) is/are more current and encompasses Castells. Also, he deals with dominant culture by examining heteronormative structure which pervades every crevice of society and hence determines your identity for you (unless of course you say otherwise).
It seems like a very interesting class, nothing like our classes in undergrad, eh? In Florence, AL, the only multiculturalism you get in the curriculum is the token African-American literature class (and we were glad to get that, weren't we?).
Thanks for sharing.
I'm doing a lot of reading on
I'm doing a lot of reading on identity creation in cyberspace lately. You might want to check out _Cybertypes: Race, Ethnicity, and Identity on the Internet_ by Lisa Nakamura. There are so very interesting chapters there.
dr. b