Literature Across Cultures: Akkermann

Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Akkermann - Week 1 Blog

I noted that our readings were from 2005. I appreciate that Dr. Peterson gave the reasoning! I agree that the issues and discussion in each article still apply today. I found these two articles easy to understand and the other difficult to follow.

Torres-Padilla’s (2005) Death to the Originary Narrative! Or, Insurgent Multiculturalism and Teaching Multiethnic Literature was a challenge because there were a lot of words that I had never seen, heard, or known existed. I looked up many of the words to have context and meaning. I understood that this article states that today’s American literature needs to be more multicultural, America’s conservatism of the past is still felt today in literature, and that students need teaching to “construct new ways of seeing and thinking” (Torres-Padilla’s, 2005, p.20). This article talks about regions of thought in the United States. The article made me think multicultural thinking is not just for other countries. Still, it is also for different areas (New England, East Coast, Midwest, Mountains, Southwest, West Coast) in the United States.

Glazier & Seo (2005) Multicultural literature and discussion as mirror and window? was a much easier read for me. It made me think, and I have many questions after reading this article. Glazier & Seo (2005) give voice to the fact that teachers need to teach students to assess their culture, understand it, and be able to explain it if there is going to be a surplus of cultural diversity within schools. To do this, students must feel comfortable and use texts that “act as both mirror- allowing students to reflect on their own experiences- and as window, providing the opportunity to view the experiences of others” (Glazier & Seo, 2005, p.688). I equated one’s own experiences with background knowledge. To comprehend a text, students must have background knowledge, which is how they connect to the text studied (Glazier & Seo, 2005).

Question: How do teachers help students understand their cultural voices (mirror) and other cultural voices (window) when they are in a school with less than 1% diversity?

References

Glazier, J., & Seo, J.-A. (2005). Multicultural literature and discussion as mirror and window? Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 48(8), 686–700. https://doi.org/10.1598/jaal.48.8.6

Torres-Padilla, J. L. (2005). Death to the originary narrative! or, insurgent multiculturalism and teaching multiethnic literature. MELUS: Multiethnic Literature of the United States, 30(2), 13–30. https://doi.org/10.1093/melus/30.2.13

5 comments:

Ben DeFordJune 6, 2024 at 11:42 AM
Emily, I wonder whether a piece of the puzzle to answering that question is by collectively acknowledging the current situation and that our efforts will always fall short no matter what our circumstances. I also teach in a situation where the minority population is lower than the national average, so I think an important emphasis for my school is to teach our students the skills they need to do their OWN future learning about other cultures. Of course, that doesn't mean that my school doesn't attempt to provide a multicultural education at all, but the most important learning occurs in real life on the streets. If I provide my students with tools to do their own discovery, I think I can still given them a solid cultural education.
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Kennedy SalowJune 9, 2024 at 2:44 PM
Emily, I had the very same question and concern. I do agree with Ben in that one of the best skills to equip our students with is the ability to learn and grow independently. We as teachers are able to start the process of curiosity and growth, but we do not have the time with them to fully cement the skill, that has to come from outside of school practice. Multiculturism in schools where there is not much representation of minority cultures is, I believe, vital to developing a well-rounded and empathetic human.
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Emily AkkermannJune 11, 2024 at 1:05 PM
Instilling being open to learning about other cultures and living life differently from themselves is a very good idea. I believe that teaching about cultures goes hand in hand with those ideas.
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Post Week 4: Pre- and Post-Conceptual Perspectives

Some thoughts to help you brainstorm your post: Nineteenth-century travel writing caused those who read about other cultures to formulate their ideas about those cultures directly from the writing, so much so that if a person chose to travel to a country he or she had read about prior to travel, the traveller was often disappointed in the actual country and culture. In our current technological existence, our ideas of what places and people are like can certainly be informed by how they are depicted in text and on the multitude of screens we use to interface with the world. What informs your perspective? How might the ways in which we experience people, ideas, issues, cultures, and so on, be impacted by how we learn of them? Are the benefits and drawbacks to the use of the technology available to us? What might some of those be, and why?

Your post is due Thursday at 8 pm.

Responses should be posted by Sunday at 10 pm.

Post Week 2: The Way to Rainy Mountain

The critical text which accompanies your primary reading for the week explores ways in which we as teachers might use other cultures' literatures in our classrooms to move students from superficial, stereotyped perspectives to a fuller understanding of not only individuals from other cultures, but themselves, too. In your blog post, share with your colleagues how you might incorporate ideas from the article in your own teaching.

Your post is due Thursday at 8 pm.

Your responses are due Sunday at 10 pm.

Post Week 1: Questions on Reading

You've been asked to post a question on the readings as your blog post. Here are some ideas to help you get started: You may have noted the publication dates of the readings and wondered why you're reading articles written in 2005. The reason is that the issues raised and discussion in each of the articles are applicable 16 years later. Do you agree? Disagree? Both? Explain why and pose a question to help your reader understand what you find to be the same or different. Or, if one of the two of the readings stands out to you, explain why that’s the case, but also post a question based on what stands out. Or, if something is confusing or problematic for you, what do you find confusing or problematic? With what do you agree or disagree? Be sure your question is open ended so that your colleagues can use it as a basis for discussion.

As you frame your question, be sure to summarize the article, then provide context for your question. Cite the text appropriately.

Questions to be posted by Thursday.

Responses (to at least two colleagues) to be posted Sunday.

Week 5: Toward a Social Justice Ethic: What is an American, Anyway?

How do the issues examined in the article affect you as a teacher and as a person living in today’s world? What is the importance of having a voice? Of being heard? Are there differences in your response based on the role(s) you inhabit? Teacher, parent, individual community member, brother, sister, child, global citizen, and more—we inhabit many subject positions. Are there ways to bring those needs/expectations/responsibilities together?

Posts are due by 8 pm Thursday.

There is no set number of required colleague responses this week, but you are expected to read all posts and to respond as class discussion.

Post Week 6: Article Summaries and Commentary

In this week's reading, you met a narrator who draws the reading into a short story with a decidedly hushed, slower tone. The couple introduced to us has experienced an unimaginable loss. How might that loss be affected by their cultural dislocation? Draw on the supplemental readings as you consider the question.

Your post is due Thursday at 8 pm. As was the case last week, there is not a set number of responses, but you are expected to demonstrate through responding that you have read and engaged with all class posts.