Racial Diversity...The Debrief

Throughout this last unit, we have discussed diversity as it relates to race.  We have shared stories about racial profiling, researched victims of police brutality and misconduct, and even created a statement artifact that speaks to some of the social injustice that still occurs.  It has been difficult to speak about some of these issues due to the fact that it hits home for so many of us being minorities, but it is clear that the issues still exist and that we should be more of a voice in solving the problem.  In the article we read, "How The Black Lives Matter Movement Uses Social Media to Fight The Power", Bijan Stephen speaks about many ways that the reporting of social injustice has evolved through the medium of social media.  In class, we watched an episode of "The United Shades of America" where comedian and host, W. Kamau Bell spends a week with the Camden, NJ Police Department in an effort to understand how the police are treated and trained in the wake of this epidemic of violence against minorities at the hands of those who are oathed to "serve and protect."

Based on the article we discussed in class, your own experiences, and the episode of "United Shades of America,"

• Speak to how you grew up and what reverence or irreverence you had for your local police?
• It was mentioned in the video about "going back to the basics" of policing in local neighborhoods.  Did you experience any "basics" or "standards" that you saw from your local police officers growing up?  If so, what were some of them? 
• In one of the video segments, Bell stops a lady on the street and asks her if the police responded to her call quickly.  She informs him and the officer that they did not respond quickly at all and there is mention of transparency among the police.  Do you think that more transparency as to why some calls are not priority or where they are in the list of priorities would help with the issue citizens have of not trusting police officers?  Why or why not?
• What do you think about the idea/notion of "Community Policing" that is being piloted in Camden, NJ?  Do you think it is effective or not?
• How can the climate change as it relates to citizens seeing officers as humans underneath their uniforms?
• Do you feel there will ever be social justice for minorities who seem to be the targets of much of this brutality?  How can the rest of society cease from being "desensitized" to the problems?

Mr. C

This blog is due Tuesday December 5 by 11:59 PM and should be AT LEAST 500 words.  Comment on this blog – DO NOT create your own.

Give Thanks...

Well, it is almost time for one of my favorite holidays…Thanksgiving!! It has been my favorite holiday for many years, not so much because of the wonderful food that I get to eat, but because I get the chance to sit with my extended family, reminisce on the “good ol’ days,” and catch up on current endeavors. I usually have my plans set every year and my body is so ready to begin the rest and relaxation it deserves. I can’t wait to get some of my aunt’s cornbread stuffing, coconut cake, and banana-less pudding (I know it’s weird, but I don’t eat bananas).

Also, as I reflect on this holiday season, I find that I am thankful for so many things that people take for granted on a daily basis. I am thankful for my health, because without it I wouldn’t be able to make difference in this world; my family, because without them, I would struggle through the tough periods of life; and I am thankful for my god-given gifts, because without them I would not be able to do what I love.

As this Thanksgiving break approaches, what are some of the traditions that you have in your family? What are some of the foods you look forward to eating? What are three (3) things at the top your personal list that you are thankful for?

Mr. C

This blog is due on SUNDAY November 19 by 11:59 PM and should be at least 250 words. Remember to comment on this blog – do not create your own. If you create your own, you will not receive credit. 

Sexuality Diversity...The Debrief

“I think we won't be able to understand the operations of trans-phobia, homophobia, if we don't understand how certain kinds of links are forged between gender and sexuality in the minds of those who want masculinity to be absolutely separate from femininity and heterosexuality to be absolutely separate from homosexuality.”

-           Judith Butler

“If a person is homosexual by nature - that is, if one's sexuality is as intrinsic a part of one's identity as gender or skin color - then society can no more deny a gay person access to the secular rights and religious sacraments because of his homosexuality than it can reinstate Jim Crow.”

-          Jon Meacham

Throughout this unit, we have discussed diversity as it relates to sexuality.  Although it has been difficult to speak about due to others religious affiliations and personal experiences, it has brought to light many biases that exist within society and on college and university campuses.  The article, “The Mean Girls of Morehouse” shines light on a sect of students at the iconic all-male HBCU who inspired a dress code that prohibited cross-dressing (including heels, dresses and makeup). In a search that took more than a year, Author/Journalist Aliya S. King sat down with the students within the LGBTQIAA community to hear their takes on being targeted by the official school dress code and the irony of the discrimination they faced while at Morehouse;  the same school that produced a young Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. some 60 years prior. Once the story was published, she realized the camaraderie that exists at black colleges.

Based on the article we discussed in class, your own experiences, and the reactions/backlash of this article featured in the YouTube videos,

• Speak to the level of camaraderie that occurs on HBCU campuses? Do you think that there is a level of connectedness with others because you attend an HBCU or not? How do you feel connected? 
• In one of the video segments, King speaks of one of the interviewees Phillip as not feeling as if he “belonged” on his campus.  Within the LGBTQIAA community, how do you think they feel as a result of being around their own race and gender, but not “belonging” due to their sexuality?
• How can universities become more tolerant and accepting of others differences?
• Read some of the comments under the YouTube video – “Morehouse Men React to Vibe Magazine”. Attending an HBCU seven (7) years after the article appeared in Vibe, how would you respond to these individuals? Pick three (3) comments and address those individuals. (Copy the comment and then respond directly underneath it).
• Do you feel there will ever be social justice for these marginalized groups?

Mr. C

This blog is due Friday November 10 by 11:59 PM and should be AT LEAST 500 words.  Comment on this blog – DO NOT create your own.

Experiments in Experience...

For the past week or so, I have been hearing many of you speak about the courses that you were required to take this semester, namely WRI 1301 (Expository Writing) and FYE (First Year Experience).  Both of these courses are in their inaugural year and you all get to be the first students to experience this new “model” that WSSU is attempting to build upon for future students.

At the end of the semester, I will ask you to evaluate this course in the form of a blog or a letter to future students, however for the sake of this blog, I would like some input as to how you think the FYE course is going and what you have heard about other sections of the WRI 1301 course.

• What have your peers expressed to you about their WRI 1301 course? 

• If they have conveyed the strengths and weaknesses of that course, what are they?

• How do you feel about your FYE course? 

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of how the class is structured?  

• Is there a clear structure for the course?  

• Evaluate your instructors of those courses. Do they work “in tandem” or does there seem to be tension?  

• What do you think could be done to improve this course or should it be discontinued?

Feel free to be as honest as you would like in this.  If I would like to share some of your comments with the coordinators/directors of the FYE, I will ask your permission before doing so.

Mr. C

Reminder, this blog is due on November 3 by 11:59 PM and should be at least 300 words.  Comment on this blog – do not create your own on top of this one.

Check 1, Check 2...

Well folks, we are a little bit past the halfway point of this semester and this course. One thing that is always "funny" to me is that some students don't realize that they are in school until midterm grades come out. They make a vow to change and fix their grades, habits, and outlook on their academic performance. They change their ways for about two weeks, then they slip back into the same habits.

I put quotation marks around "funny" because it really is not funny so much as it is sad. The semester usually ends with them going through the stages of grief when their grades are not what they should be. First, they go through denial - "I didn't see this coming. I came to class, I turned in my work..." Second, they go through anger - "I can't believe YOU gave me this grade...I hate you for this..." Then it goes to bargaining - "Is there anything I can do? I was going through a lot this semester." Then the students get depressed before ultimately they accept their fate.

This blog comes out of the many traditional students who don't have a strong sense of why they are in school and why when it comes to their grades they do not, as Beyonce said, "Check Up On It." Why do you think that students run from their grades all semester, then run to them at the end? In your years of school, is this a trend that you have noticed? Why is it that students think that by bargaining, they will get by when their work is not indicative of it? Is this a culture that we as a society have created?

Mr. C

Remember, this blog is due by 11:59 PM on Friday October 20. Remember that responses need to be at least 250 words. Also, make sure you comment on this blog - DO NOT create your own in response to this one. 

Gender Diversity...The Debrief

“Feminism isn't about hating men. It's about challenging the absurd gender distinctions that boys and girls learn from childhood and carry into their adult lives.”

-          Robert Webb

Throughout this unit, we have discussed diversity as it relates to gender.  Instead of talking about it generally, we focused a bit more on the deliberate actions negatively displayed by society related to women, their identities, and the comfortability they have with their own views, bodies and sexuality by first calling them “sluts” and then shaming them in online platforms as well as in public. As Tate (2016) mentions in her article, “Feminists … use social media spaces to subvert traditional conceptions of gender and to present the dynamic self. The dynamic self represents the ability to have multiple and competing identities, allowing individuals to embody apparently contradic­tory positions such as strength and vulnerability.” (p. 38). This quote speaks to the importance that society needs to acknowledge the binaries that are evident in not only women, but all humans. 

You also participated in a project where you had the opportunity to interview the campus community about their views on the term “slut”, what slut shaming is, how it manifests, and the ramifications of it if it continues.  Nigerian author of novels, short stories, and nonfiction, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, speaks about us all being feminists in the TED Talk we watched in class.  She brings some very appropriate topics to her discussion which focus on just how gender unequal our society still really is.  Based on the article we read in class, the project you completed with your group, and this TED Talk,

·         What are some of your personal definitions of feminism/feminists?

·         Do you think that your definition is solely germane to women?  Why or why not?

·         Have you had experiences/instances (either personally or as an eyewitness) where you showed yourself to be a feminist (based on your own definition and the dictionary definition)? Describe that instance.

·         Adichie tells the story of the inequality of gender in her classroom as a child where she wanted to be the class monitor.  Have you ever experienced anything similar to her situation?

·         How do you feel about women (and even minorities) being overlooked in society because of factors beyond their control (color of their skin, family heritage/background, gender, etc)?

·         Do you feel there will ever be social justice for these marginalized groups?

Mr. C

This blog is due Friday October 6 by 11:59 PM and should be AT LEAST 500 words.  Comment on this blog – DO NOT create your own.

Paradigms vs. Pathways...

Sup Everybody…

I want your honest opinion on this subject that I have been thinking about.  Let me set it up for you…

So about six years ago, the institution decided to undergo a pretty drastic general education curriculum restructure.  We went from a structure that was pretty standard and tradition to one that has been called “transformative.”  The old general education curriculum dealt with something faculty, staff, and advisors called “paradigms.”  Under these paradigms, students basically had specific courses within specific semesters that were responsible for taking.  A sample of the paradigm looked like this:

FRESHMAN

FALL SEMESTER                                                                                 SPRING SEMESTER
 ENG 1301 – Freshman Comp. I (3)                   ENG 1302 – Freshman Comp. II (3)
MAT 1311 – College Algebra I (3)                           HIS 1302 – World Civilizations II (3)
HED 1201 – Concepts of Health  (3)                POS 2311 – American Government (3)
PED XXXX – Physical Education (1)             MUS 1301 – Intro to Music or 
HIS 1301 – World Civilizations I (3)               ART 1301 – Intro to Art (3)
PSY 2301 – General Psychology                                CSC 1306 – Comp. & Its Use (3)
or SOC 2301 – General Sociology (3)                                                                                                     __________
Total                     16 Hours                                                                         Total                     15 Hours

Each year, your semesters were broken down like this.  Students were able to track their own progress a little easier and for advisors, it was a matter of checking courses off on your paradigm to make sure that you were on track for graduation or to help you catch up if you were behind.

Now we have something called “pathways” where you are given more choices/options of the courses that you can take.  You have to fulfill categories within General Education which include Student Learning Outcomes, Areas of Knowledge, Curricular Themes, and you have to take what is called a Liberal Learning Seminar. You then have to plot those points on a grid in order to assure that you have fulfilled all the requirements.

Given the experiences you have had with advising thus far at the institution, how do you feel about the pathways (which you all are on) vs. paradigms?  How do you feel about having options of courses to take?  Within the first 60 hours of your education, would you rather have a course that everyone has to take or have different experiences as it relates to coursework?  How has the process been for you?  Do you understand the pathways?  Would you recommend that we keep this structure, go back to what we were doing, or do something different?  If you think we should do something different, what do you propose?

Mr. C

This blog is due Friday September 29 by 11:59 PM and should be at least 250 words.

Is it REALLY Reality?

I enjoyed this blog last semester, so I thought I would get you all to chime in on it too.

One of my favorite things to do besides take naps when I have down time is to "veg" out in front of the television. Ever since I was a child, I have always loved to watch TV. I believe I get it from my grandfather who was a real TV "geek." I mostly watched cartoons (which I still do watch) and sitcoms. As I got older, I began to look at TV as more than just something with a high entertainment value. Many of the sitcoms I watched showed minorities in very positive lights. They focused on the values of friendship, maintaining family "togetherness", and even awareness of diseases and issues that we were facing in real life. Sitcoms like "The Cosby Show," "A Different World," "Living Single," and even "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" focused on the afore-mentioned themes - not to mention they were hilarious to watch.

Starting in the early 90's, we were introduced to "Reality TV" with the creation of MTV's "The Real World." For those of you not familiar with "The Real World," it is the true story of seven strangers, who were picked to live in a house (work together) and have their lives taped to see what happens when people stop being polite and start getting "real." As you can see by that last statement, I have watched many seasons of this show. The first season of the show dealt with things that many people deal with day in and day out. It was truly a pioneer in the then "new" genre. In response to "The Real World," we now have shows such as "Love and Hip Hop," "Basketball Wives," “Keeping Up With The Kardashians,” "The Real Housewives" and a plethora of others. Many of these shows also place "real" people in ridiculous situations all for what is supposed to be "love" or either money.

Many of these shows are horrible (even though I have tried to stomach a few episodes). These shows are also like train wrecks, you can't seem to turn away from them no matter how ignorant they may be. On some of the reunion shows, I have even heard cast members claim that they are doing some "good" within society by taping these shows. What are your thoughts on "reality tv?" Do you watch these shows? What makes you watch them? What attracts us so much that we tune in EVERY week to see what happens? What is your take on cast members' claims that these shows convey some moral or ethical values? Do you see them as informational or reflective of our society?

Mr. C

Remember, comments on this blog are due by Friday September 22 by 11:59 PM. Responses should be AT LEAST 250 words. Also remember to COMMENT on this post. DO NOT CREATE YOUR OWN BLOG AS A RESPONSE. 

Socioeconomic Diversity...The Debrief

During this particular unit of study, we have looked at the diversity associated with socioeconomic status.  In order to not deal with every aspect of every disparity as it relates to socioeconomic status in society, we focused our efforts more on extracurricular activities in schools.  Many of us have experienced fees associated with joining of clubs and organizations and how often times, we or people we know have had to deal with these issues.  As the article by Snellman, Silva, and Putnam (2015) states, “Extracurricular activities also help build important connections to mentors such as soccer coaches, band leaders, and youth group pastors, who can be paramount in a young person’s life” (pg. 3). The activities not only help with the personal development of students at the moment, they assist with the professional growth of these same students.  Not only do these socioeconomic differences affect participation in various activities, but they affect society’s perceptions of how others "move" or function based on the amount of money they make or what social class they most fit into.

In watching “The United Shades of America” with W. Kamau Bell, he has traveled to Appalachian Coal Country – what is considered one of the poorest regions in the US to see how the stigma of low socioeconomic status affects the people in this area.  As we watch this episode and you reflect on everything we have discussed within this unit (problems that students have with “pay for play” policies, the clearly blurred lines between all of the social classes, how you felt when we engaged in the “Cross the Line” activity, etc.), consider the following questions as you respond:

• How does the stereotype of “socioeconomic status” affect certain parts of the country?  Has it affected you? If so, how?
• Why do you think socioeconomic disparities exist?
• In the episode of “The United Shades…”, there is a scene where the coal miners speak about diversity among all the miners.  What does it mean when they say “we watch out for each other?”  How does that speak to the overall perception of what diversity is?
• When times get “hard” for people who are experiencing economic downturns, why is one of the natural things to do is to turn to crime?
• Is it fair that perceptions of “poor” or in poverty are usually equated to the high crime and the use of controlled substances while the perceptions of “wealth” and upper class are equated to safety and prosperity?
• What is wrong with these perceptions given that we live in such a “diverse” country?
• What will you take from this unit as it relates to diversity as a crucial component within the realm of social justice?

This blog is due by 11:59 PM on September 15 (or during class) and should be at least 500 words. Comment on this blog, DO NOT create your own.

Reference

Snellman, K., Silva, J. M., & Putnam, R. D. (2015). Inequity outside the Classroom: Growing Class Differences in Participation in Extracurricular Activities. Voices in Urban Education, 40, 7-14.

College or Grade 13?

As we grow and mature, one of the major aspects of our lives becomes our education. We struggle and work hard to get through the five or six years of elementary school, the three or four years of middle school and the three or four years of high school. Once many of us walk across the stage to receive our diplomas, we feel a great sense of accomplishment and, to a degree, a sense of completion. Many of us were conditioned to believe that college was the next step or at least finding a good paying job. This wasn't negative conditioning, but sometimes WE are left out of the equation.

I was talking to some colleagues the other day and we were discussing how students now don't seem to have the same feelings about college and higher education that we had. College was looked at as something that was special. It was a place for the elite. It was a place where we could further the knowledge that we only scratched the surface of in primary and secondary school. It was a place where we could make lifelong friendships and have our views/beliefs challenged. Ultimately, it was a place where we found...exactly who we were.

Now, it seems that college is just like high school. It seems to be a place where students expect to be talked to like a psychiatrist would talk to their patients; where students want you to talk to their parents if they did not receive the grade they think they deserve; and where the instructors are to make allowances for every little thing that goes wrong in the students' lives.

What do you think about these thoughts? Honestly, why did you come to college? Did you feel pressured into coming? If you were pressured, what do you think you would have been doing had you not attended college? What are some of your personal definitions of college? Have your definitions changed upon coming to school?

Mr. C

Remember these posts are due by Friday September 8 by 11:59 PM. Responses should be at least 250 words.
**On another note, make sure you are commenting on THIS post and not creating your own. 

First Impressions...

"We don't know where our first impressions come from or precisely what they mean, so we don't always appreciate their fragility" - Malcolm Gladwell

Welcome to WSSU or you may hear some people call it WSS Zoo. I hope that the first few weeks either as a new freshman or a returning student were pleasant or at least tolerable. Thinking back on my experience as a traditional student here at WSSU, I remember having a hard time getting back in the "swing" of things once classes resumed. I had not committed my schedule to memory, my financial aid was not properly handled, and it was hot.

For many of you, that was your reality as well – your schedule was not committed to memory (partly because it has changed every day), your financial aid is not in (partly because someone lost paperwork) and it has been HOT!!! Fortunately, after the dust settles and everyone gets back in the "swing" of things, it will be a great experience.

As an alumnus of the university, I am interested to know how you feel about my alma mater. What were some of your "beginning of the semester" experiences here at WSSU either as a returning student or a new freshman? What things were not handled professionally? How would you have fixed the issues? Does this make you dislike WSSU or was it just something that you feel you would have had to deal with at any institution? Why did you choose WSSU? In hindsight, going through what you have, would you still have chosen WSSU? Why or why not?

Mr. C

This blog is due on Friday September 1 by 11:59 PM and it has to be AT LEAST 250 words.