Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice in Literature

This project developed learning objects such as video, blogs, and social media sites as the pedagogical infrastructure to help build core research and intercultural competencies in the course Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice in Literature (GRSJ 224). Students participated in an open and collaborative community learning project that permitted participants’ active involvement in research-intensive modes of narration, reading, and writing that constitute a generative form of knowledge mobilization, and importantly, citizenship.

Janice Stewart, Lecturer, Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice
Lori MacIntosh, Education post doc
Kathryn Ferguson, GRSJ post doc
Dallas Hunt, GRSJ grad student
June Scudeler, GRSJ grad student
Katherine Fobear, GRSJ grad student
Daniel Swenson, GRSJ undergrad

Products & achievements: Six content modules; two assignment modules; integration of CLAS for video annotation; bank of content.

Intended outcomes/themes:

• To create a bank of assignments (currently used in many other sections both in GRSJ and other units on campus).
• To create content that is dynamic and current.
• To engage students in an online community.
• To connect faculty and students in a community.
• To highlight social justice issues in a broad way.

Evaluation approach:

• Interviews with faculty teaching the various sections.
• Discussions with students.
• Evaluation of the course content from the evaluation forms.
• TA interviews.

Findings:

• The objectives of the project were achieved and students enjoyed the course content.
• The wiki assignment that carried from year to year allowed student to grow the knowledge and participate with many sections across years and courses.
• Rethinking content presentation to be more appealing and to help students feel a connection to the material is key to creating good courses. Flexible learning is now a key component of the course instructor’s teaching.
• Students using technology to assist in the way that they integrate knowledge and scholarship is a unique opportunity for them to participate in larger conversations than the ones happening in the physical classroom.
• The instructor has used the content models in other classes and had students engage in sections of the course as flipped learning classroom.
• The models products of this project are useful also as resources and tools for other instructors.
• Overall, the instructor has changed the way she thinks about teaching. Having more upfront prep can leave time to deepen the conversation with students during class time.

Dissemination: The instructor has shared the outcomes of the project with colleagues in her Department and elsewhere.

Sustainability: The instructor applied for the opportunity to impact GRSJ 300 using similar techniques and approaches. The GRSJ 224 material will be refreshed and updated in a few years. Also, ongoing assessment is in place to make sure that models are working in the best possible way for students.