The Intellectual of Change: Crafting New Classrooms for Better Learning Practices
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Leave a comment on paragraph 1 0
Julie Pavlick
Dr. Lothian
ENGL 985
9/10/13
The Intellectual of Change: Crafting New Classrooms for Better Learning Practices
¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 1 Academia can be a difficult place for a student who is not sure that they love learning. Not everyone comes into college realizes that they desire to achieve a master’s degree, or go further in their academic career. Some students have a distinctive goal when beginning an undergraduate degree, aspiring to the coveted position of university professor. I did not follow this path, but somehow I am in the same place as the others.
¶ 4 Leave a comment on paragraph 4 1 I am here working towards a PhD not only for the fact that I have come to love learning, but that it has become a part of me. I may have blossomed as a late learner, but it is the determination that I have in all that I do that has helped me become successful in my objectives. The love of learning has helped me transition into an intellectual of change. An intellectual of change is someone who is working towards modifying the academic world, including change in the classroom. I want the classroom to be a fun place. I want students to learn freely and without the constraints of the personal agenda of the professor. Each student learns differently and I want to be the one who is able to accommodate their needs. I do not want jargon to be tossed about without clear understanding of what each word means. The intellectual growth that the students will achieve will be an equal influence from each other and the professor. I also want to learn from my students, in order to gain a fresh perspective on what is important in the lives of our students in today’s society. That is the pedagogical approach that I am looking to take as a professor, and it is very important to why I am here in the academy. The scholarly pursuits that I have are not unlike my pedagogical aspirations. I want to change the way criticism is read. I want students to be able to understand what I am writing so that they are able to share it with others. The field in which I am involved in is African-American literature, 1800-present. This literature could not be more worthwhile and relevant to the society that we live in today. I want students to be able to discuss the material with their spouses, children, families, etc. I want change to occur that gives spotlight to this extraordinary genre that is too often underprivileged in academia. I am here to explain, educate, and comment on African-American literature and the society that we live in in the most effective way possible.
¶ 5 Leave a comment on paragraph 5 0 The scholarly work that I am currently invested in deals with the idea of space, place, and sexuality in African-American literature. The driving force of these ideas comes from the marginality of African-American men regarding their sexuality. It is often assumed that African-American males are heterosexual, which silences much of the population. I want to give voice to the individuals who do not fit the stereotype of the masculine heterosexual man, and I am indebted to many writers that have come before me. In Eve Sedgwick’s Touching Feeling, she talks about performativity. Performativity has a great presence within African-American literature sometimes involving passing, or sexuality. Performative acts are often witnessed in African-American literature because race is socially constructed, and people must adhere to rules that are in place by the hegemony. Sedgwick speaks more about the performative utterances in Touching Feeling, but the language itself is produced by the patriarchy. Regarding patriarchy, another writer, Roderick Ferguson comes to mind. In his book, The Reorder of Things, he focuses on how the movements of the 1960’s have directly influenced academia, and yet the promises of today, a better “minority incorporation into social, political, economic, an academic realm” (4) seems impossible. There has been no fulfillment to the promises made, and many multicultural professors are stretched too far in the university. It is important to give voice to multicultural works by having it taught across multiple genres of literature. It should not be the responsibility of one professor to be the only scholar in the genre, for it only gives one perspective of the work. It would be as if only one professor was able to teach all works taught by white authors; it is just inconceivable.
¶ 6 Leave a comment on paragraph 6 0 I feel responsible to many of the pioneers that came before me. I am deeply indebted to the African-Americans that were able to produce literature in the 1800’s, often risking their lives to do so. I am thrilled that their works are finally finding grounding within academia, and I feel responsible to teach and bring light to the material. I am constantly thanking James Baldwin for his groundbreaking texts in queer theory, all criticisms aside. I guess I could say that I am responsible to every text that has been written by an African-American, for it has become my vehicle of knowledge and understanding of the world around me.
¶ 7 Leave a comment on paragraph 7 1 Academic labor is something that I have begun to love, finding it more enriching with each interaction. First, I define academic labor as something that adds to the conversations being held within academia, or society. Yes, it may include homework, but much of labor comes from outside of work we are asked to do in the classroom. It cannot be limited to the university, for if so, it renders it impractical. What makes academic labor meaningful to me is when I can use it to comment on the society that I live in. The information that the labor produces can be used in accordance to many of the issues today. For example, Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man was written in 1952, and is still relatable to the society that we are currently living in. Maybe academic labor is too harsh of a term and we should call it academic enrichment, instead. I find it fascinating to learn as much as I can because I know these ideas will be useful in the classroom. The academics of the past have done wonderful work and when we read a piece of criticism, it is almost as though the academic labor builds upon one another. For example, when we read Roderick Ferguson’s text, we are not only getting his viewpoint, but we are also gaining his academic labor of the scholars before him. Everything is intertwined, and if we work diligently as academic laborers, we will find nothing but enrichment.
Works Cited
¶ 9 Leave a comment on paragraph 9 0 Ferguson, Roderick A. The Reorder of Things: The University and Its Pedagogies of Minority Difference. Minnesota: University of Minnesota, 2012. Print.
¶ 10 Leave a comment on paragraph 10 0 Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky., and Adam Frank. Touching Feeling: Affect, Pedagogy, Performativity. Durham: Duke UP, 2003. Print.
This looks great, but can you go in and make sure each new paragraph is registered as a new paragraph, so that the commenting system will work to best effect? Just to go “edit post” and hit return before each paragraph. Thanks!