Paper Title
Feminist Pedagogy: How Do We Teach Intersectionality from a Privileged Perspective?
Location
Room 221, DiGiorgio Campus Center (DiGs)
Keywords
intersectionality, interdisciplinary, pedagogy, institution, epistemologies, theory, activism, privilege
Start Date
April 2016
End Date
April 2016
Abstract
This paper is written in a personal voice about my professional career as a university instructor. Looking over the potential prompts for this conference on intersectionality, I am drawn to each. As an English Lit scholar, I find myself incorporating close readings of texts into my lessons, to tease out the underlying messages about oppression and privilege. As a teacher of Feminist Thought, I have pushed to infuse linguistic and theoretical studies in every lesson. As Director of a first-year learning community that functions as activists, I must consider the intersectional aspects of social media and social movements. In contemplating these facets of my pedagogical expectations and style, what culminates for me is an aim to look introspectively and internally at myself, as a teacher of Women’s and Gender Studies, and consider my progress thus far, particularly addressing my sensitivity to topics of intersectionality.
I am a novice instructor beginning her fourth year, which I feel is an interesting position: somewhat seasoned, but still a fledgling overall. What is more, I am a White, American, cisgendered, heterosexual, able-bodied, middle-class female who started instructing at age thirty-one. So, though my objective is to explore the ways in which I instill intersectionality in my pedagogical approach (How do I succeed? How do I fail?), I also ponder the ironic limitations that “privilege” may bring to the classroom. What do my non-American students, my students of color, and my gender-nonconforming students think of my teaching methodologies? Am I as inclusive as I hope? How can I improve?
I pitch this paper in hopes that I learn more about my career AND intersectional methods in feminist studies, both of which are my passions. I have submitted this topic as both a paper and a panel because I hope to do both; after researching further, and inquiring and surveying previous students, I plan to explore my conclusions in a written document. I too envision a panel discussion during which I candidly discuss intersectional teaching pedagogy with three to four students of diverse demographics.
Feminist Pedagogy: How Do We Teach Intersectionality from a Privileged Perspective?
Room 221, DiGiorgio Campus Center (DiGs)
This paper is written in a personal voice about my professional career as a university instructor. Looking over the potential prompts for this conference on intersectionality, I am drawn to each. As an English Lit scholar, I find myself incorporating close readings of texts into my lessons, to tease out the underlying messages about oppression and privilege. As a teacher of Feminist Thought, I have pushed to infuse linguistic and theoretical studies in every lesson. As Director of a first-year learning community that functions as activists, I must consider the intersectional aspects of social media and social movements. In contemplating these facets of my pedagogical expectations and style, what culminates for me is an aim to look introspectively and internally at myself, as a teacher of Women’s and Gender Studies, and consider my progress thus far, particularly addressing my sensitivity to topics of intersectionality.
I am a novice instructor beginning her fourth year, which I feel is an interesting position: somewhat seasoned, but still a fledgling overall. What is more, I am a White, American, cisgendered, heterosexual, able-bodied, middle-class female who started instructing at age thirty-one. So, though my objective is to explore the ways in which I instill intersectionality in my pedagogical approach (How do I succeed? How do I fail?), I also ponder the ironic limitations that “privilege” may bring to the classroom. What do my non-American students, my students of color, and my gender-nonconforming students think of my teaching methodologies? Am I as inclusive as I hope? How can I improve?
I pitch this paper in hopes that I learn more about my career AND intersectional methods in feminist studies, both of which are my passions. I have submitted this topic as both a paper and a panel because I hope to do both; after researching further, and inquiring and surveying previous students, I plan to explore my conclusions in a written document. I too envision a panel discussion during which I candidly discuss intersectional teaching pedagogy with three to four students of diverse demographics.
