Curriculum Working Group Meeting Notes 12/18
Resource Library for Peace and Justice:
Elizabeth and Kathryn have generously offered a portion of the Communication
Studies library as a temporary home for a Resource Library for Peace and
Justice. This will be a central holding place for resources on peace
and justice. Faculty can check out videos for classroom viewing.
Students can use the library for research. If course assignments
call for researching P&J, this will be a great place for students to
start. This is a lovely space with a xerox machine and tv and vcr
for viewing of films. There are also ample tables and chairs at which
students can work.
LOANS and DONATIONS of materials are needed!!! The library will
be constantly staffed -- materials are non-circulating, but faculty can
check out films to show in classrooms. Needed materials include films,
video clips, reprints of your own and others' articles, books, readers,
newspaper articles, editorials, etc. We should also have copies of
the documents on the ROTC and INS issues. Leave the loans and donations
for Kathryn or Elizabeth in the Comm Studies department office (Manzanita
Hall 220). They will have the resource library ready for business
by the start of the semester.
Thanks again to Elizabeth and Kathryn!
CELT series on Peace and Justice and Independent Study for Students
Gordon and Michael will discuss the possibility of a Peace and Justice
Independent Study aimed at coordinating a series of CELT-sponsored events
around P&J for the Spring semester. We would like to encourage
faculty to coordinate course assignments to facilitate these events (i.e.,
assignments that create educational materials for the events, facilitating
the event, mobilizing for the event, coordinating discussion groups, etc.).
Bibilography of Recommended Readings, Films, etc.
Michael will be coordinating a bibliography of recommended readings
and other materials. Another email will be forthcoming with a request
for your suggestions and brief description of each recommendation.
Top 7 Recommendations for Teaching Peace and Justice in Your Existing
Courses:
(first draft -- suggestions welcome!)
1. You do NOT need to know it all yourself. Utilize other faculty,
students, staff. Invite speakers into your classes. Use this
listserv to get advice and feedback. Make your class a place of research
and discovery!
2. Re-design/alter assignments, course content, etc. to address
peace and justice
This can occur at various levels. At a basic level, faculty can
make minor alterations to existing assignments to shift them towards P&J
topics. Consider adding P&J films and readings or inviting speakers
to your classes. At a more integrated level, faculty can try to re-design
courses and assignments to directly feed into the needs of these issues
on-campus and in the community. See also below (resource-building
in classes).
3. Integrate resource-building into classes
There is much research that needs to be conducted and resources that
need to be created/compiled to facilitate social change. Consider
using the classroom as a place for research. Design assignments in
which students create needed research and compile needed resources.
For example, any economics or public policy folks might consider a cost-benefit
analysis of the ROTC issue.
4. Consider historical context and perspectives Connect current
events with recurring issues throughout history of imperialism, war and
racism, etc. In addition, consider connecting current events to a
history of racism and deficit models within traditional academic disciplines.
5. Move education towards activism.
In the classroom, address what we can do with what we know. Who
can we share our knowledge with? Consider activism broadly. Raise
the issues whereever people can -- at school, work, with family, with friends
6. Use courses to develop students' skills in research and activism
for the long-term fight....
7. Make connections with community
Community including CSUN, San Fernando Valley, Southern California,
national, and global communities.