Michelle Jones
Gender and Writing: The Use of Feminist Pedagogies in Writing Courses
Project Overview:
This project is meant to discuss the possibilities and potential pitfalls of teaching a writing course using Feminist and Critical Pedagogy. The focus of this project will be on how incorporating sources that lend themselves to Feminist Pedagogy in language and engagement can be included in standard and basic literature courses at the collegiate level.
I am interested in Gender & Writing, more specifically the effects of intersectionality concerning different aspects of Feminist Pedagogies and how this can develop more well-rounded readers and writers. Themes found within this research are Feminism, Feminist Pedagogy, and Intersectionality - the point in which race, gender, and class collide in the oppression of women. Utilizing readings that call on this pedagogy is meant to effectively teach students the critical underlying themes and oppression which play on how the audience receives the literature.
This research is informed by the advice and suggestions provided by feminist researchers such as Ilan Gur-Ze’ev, bell hooks, Barbara Omolade, and others. Each source provides examples of methodology that has worked or could use adjustment when introduced in writing courses. Based on these sources, incorporating readings that invoke Feminist Pedagogy teaches students to be more observant concerning oppressive notions in and outside of the classroom. These readings also show them effective methods for speaking out against oppression they may be forced to confront in the future.
Though this pedagogical approach may appear less fun and/or more political, students are also introduced to different authoritative voices as courses like these will allow these readings the power of agency in a space which respects the work as literature and research without the marginalization typically met outside of the classroom. Teaching writing courses that use Feminist Pedagogy concerning the lens applied to its readings will also centralize feminist theory in collegiate spaces.
Updated Annotated Bibliography:
Gur-Ze’ev, Ilan. “Feminist Critical Pedagogy and Critical Theory Today.” Journal of Thought, vol. 40, no. 2, 2005, pp. 55–72. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/42589825.
This source discusses the attitude Feminist Pedagogy has again general Critical Theory. The article actually argues that “Feminist Critical Pedagogy and Feminist Pedagogy do not contribute to the advance of emancipatory ‘countereducation’.” (55). This source will likely provide more insight into the framework Feminist Pedagogy creates within academia and provide me with suggestions of how to better include this in course curriculum.
hooks, bell. Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center. Routledge, 2015.
This source focuses on the importance of centralizing Black Feminist Thought. In doing so, hooks uses each chapter to focus on the Feminist Movement in relation to the plight of black women. I will focus on Chapter 8, “Educating Women: A Feminist Agenda” specifically for the sake of this project. This chapter will provide a base concerning the importance of educating the masses both in and outside of the classroom about the plight of black women in America.
Omolade, Barbara. “A Black Feminist Pedagogy.” Women’s Studies Quarterly, vol. 21, no. 3/4, 1993, pp. 31–38. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40022003.
This source focuses on the ways of framing Black Feminist Pedagogy within the classroom. It breaks down the importance of designating power to each text within the course and expressing humanity found within them. The article even expresses methodology for teaching and approaching writing within these courses. In effort to further develop course ideas I intend to teach, I will be utilizing the advice and information found within the source to ground my work going forward.
Sharp, Elizabeth A., et al. "Reflections from the Trenches: Our Development as Feminist Teachers." Journal of Family Issues, vol. 28, no. 4, 2007, pp. 529-48, ProQuest, doi.org/10.1177/0192513X06297473.
This article realistically examines the likely outcomes of teaching a course using a feminist approach. It includes examples of challenges and minor victories of teaching course this way. The purpose of the article is to inform readers of trial and error methods to avoid and/or try for themselves in the future. I intend to use this source to help create different assignment and activity ideas for future course opportunities.
White, Aaronette M. “Unpacking Black Feminist Pedagogy in Ethiopia.” Feminist Teacher, vol. 21, no. 3, 2011, pp. 195–211. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.5406/femteacher.21.3.0195.
This source unpacks the complexity of the experience of black women. Its focus on the intersectionality of their being discusses the dehumanizing experiences black women undergo in pursuit of higher education. Though the source is set in Ethiopia, its focus on incorporating global and nation issues black women face within courses that practice Black Feminist Pedagogy are prevalent within American classrooms. This source will help ground the pedagogical approaches I intend to take in future courses I will teach and within this project.
Application to Teaching:
An example of how I have applied Feminist Pedagogy in standard level writing courses would be incorporating Zora Neale Hurston's "How it Feels to be Colored Me" in a unit that focuses more on African American writing while highlighting black women writers. This activity typically appears in the analysis unit of a spring writing course during Black History Month. Students are asked to analyze essays, poems, artwork, and music found within black culture with a focus on the Harlem Renaissance era.
Goals:
Delivery:
I typically read the essay to the students and ask them to follow along and annotate their copy concerning metaphors they noticed, themes, stylistic preferences, and points of the reading they found interesting. Then, students are asked to read the piece again to themselves and prepare for in-class discussion.
Literature Activity:
As a class, we openly discuss what students noted in both hearing and reading the piece. First, we discuss the word choice found within the piece and how hearing the words spoken and reading them for themselves affected their interpretation of the themes of the writing. Within this discussion we also talk about Hurston’s history of challenging language barriers during the Harlem Renaissance and its importance to creative writing in the present. Then, we note the metaphors found within the text in relation to history and Hurston’s biography. Within this portion of the discussion, students are expected to begin brainstorming for a short creative piece of their own. Lastly, students are asked to create an autobiographical short piece of writing that uses a theme noted within the essay but includes a memory or fictional representation of an event in their life. Within this text, students will be asked to compose this piece over the course of two class writing sessions while writing in their own “tongue” and utilizing nuances and devices noted within their own culture. Students will be given the opportunity to share this writing with the class before submission.
Semester Progression:
This activity has typically appeared in my Spring “Introduction to Academic Writing” courses within the month of February. In February, I typically incorporate more texts from African American writers, poets, and artists. Being that one of my favorite eras of African American writing is within the Harlem Renaissance, the unit maintains focus on this period.
I teach this reading early in the unit to introduce students to dialect and the importance of word choice within essay writing. Being that this is an earlier writing of Hurston’s, it also shows students the possibility of storytelling in relation to history and autobiographical writing. The unit itself will encompass different genres of creative nonfiction and fiction writing. As a result, the unit is meant to teach students to effectively analyze literature in preparation for the unit’s Analysis Essay assignment.
What this text teaches students in reference to Feminist Pedagogy:
Project Overview:
This project is meant to discuss the possibilities and potential pitfalls of teaching a writing course using Feminist and Critical Pedagogy. The focus of this project will be on how incorporating sources that lend themselves to Feminist Pedagogy in language and engagement can be included in standard and basic literature courses at the collegiate level.
I am interested in Gender & Writing, more specifically the effects of intersectionality concerning different aspects of Feminist Pedagogies and how this can develop more well-rounded readers and writers. Themes found within this research are Feminism, Feminist Pedagogy, and Intersectionality - the point in which race, gender, and class collide in the oppression of women. Utilizing readings that call on this pedagogy is meant to effectively teach students the critical underlying themes and oppression which play on how the audience receives the literature.
This research is informed by the advice and suggestions provided by feminist researchers such as Ilan Gur-Ze’ev, bell hooks, Barbara Omolade, and others. Each source provides examples of methodology that has worked or could use adjustment when introduced in writing courses. Based on these sources, incorporating readings that invoke Feminist Pedagogy teaches students to be more observant concerning oppressive notions in and outside of the classroom. These readings also show them effective methods for speaking out against oppression they may be forced to confront in the future.
Though this pedagogical approach may appear less fun and/or more political, students are also introduced to different authoritative voices as courses like these will allow these readings the power of agency in a space which respects the work as literature and research without the marginalization typically met outside of the classroom. Teaching writing courses that use Feminist Pedagogy concerning the lens applied to its readings will also centralize feminist theory in collegiate spaces.
Updated Annotated Bibliography:
Gur-Ze’ev, Ilan. “Feminist Critical Pedagogy and Critical Theory Today.” Journal of Thought, vol. 40, no. 2, 2005, pp. 55–72. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/42589825.
This source discusses the attitude Feminist Pedagogy has again general Critical Theory. The article actually argues that “Feminist Critical Pedagogy and Feminist Pedagogy do not contribute to the advance of emancipatory ‘countereducation’.” (55). This source will likely provide more insight into the framework Feminist Pedagogy creates within academia and provide me with suggestions of how to better include this in course curriculum.
hooks, bell. Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center. Routledge, 2015.
This source focuses on the importance of centralizing Black Feminist Thought. In doing so, hooks uses each chapter to focus on the Feminist Movement in relation to the plight of black women. I will focus on Chapter 8, “Educating Women: A Feminist Agenda” specifically for the sake of this project. This chapter will provide a base concerning the importance of educating the masses both in and outside of the classroom about the plight of black women in America.
Omolade, Barbara. “A Black Feminist Pedagogy.” Women’s Studies Quarterly, vol. 21, no. 3/4, 1993, pp. 31–38. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40022003.
This source focuses on the ways of framing Black Feminist Pedagogy within the classroom. It breaks down the importance of designating power to each text within the course and expressing humanity found within them. The article even expresses methodology for teaching and approaching writing within these courses. In effort to further develop course ideas I intend to teach, I will be utilizing the advice and information found within the source to ground my work going forward.
Sharp, Elizabeth A., et al. "Reflections from the Trenches: Our Development as Feminist Teachers." Journal of Family Issues, vol. 28, no. 4, 2007, pp. 529-48, ProQuest, doi.org/10.1177/0192513X06297473.
This article realistically examines the likely outcomes of teaching a course using a feminist approach. It includes examples of challenges and minor victories of teaching course this way. The purpose of the article is to inform readers of trial and error methods to avoid and/or try for themselves in the future. I intend to use this source to help create different assignment and activity ideas for future course opportunities.
White, Aaronette M. “Unpacking Black Feminist Pedagogy in Ethiopia.” Feminist Teacher, vol. 21, no. 3, 2011, pp. 195–211. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.5406/femteacher.21.3.0195.
This source unpacks the complexity of the experience of black women. Its focus on the intersectionality of their being discusses the dehumanizing experiences black women undergo in pursuit of higher education. Though the source is set in Ethiopia, its focus on incorporating global and nation issues black women face within courses that practice Black Feminist Pedagogy are prevalent within American classrooms. This source will help ground the pedagogical approaches I intend to take in future courses I will teach and within this project.
Application to Teaching:
An example of how I have applied Feminist Pedagogy in standard level writing courses would be incorporating Zora Neale Hurston's "How it Feels to be Colored Me" in a unit that focuses more on African American writing while highlighting black women writers. This activity typically appears in the analysis unit of a spring writing course during Black History Month. Students are asked to analyze essays, poems, artwork, and music found within black culture with a focus on the Harlem Renaissance era.
Goals:
- To teach students the effective possibilities of metaphors
- To introduce students to a regional form of dialect
- To unpack historical references often associated with African American writing
- To introduce students to analysis possibilities regarding creative writing essays
Delivery:
I typically read the essay to the students and ask them to follow along and annotate their copy concerning metaphors they noticed, themes, stylistic preferences, and points of the reading they found interesting. Then, students are asked to read the piece again to themselves and prepare for in-class discussion.
Literature Activity:
As a class, we openly discuss what students noted in both hearing and reading the piece. First, we discuss the word choice found within the piece and how hearing the words spoken and reading them for themselves affected their interpretation of the themes of the writing. Within this discussion we also talk about Hurston’s history of challenging language barriers during the Harlem Renaissance and its importance to creative writing in the present. Then, we note the metaphors found within the text in relation to history and Hurston’s biography. Within this portion of the discussion, students are expected to begin brainstorming for a short creative piece of their own. Lastly, students are asked to create an autobiographical short piece of writing that uses a theme noted within the essay but includes a memory or fictional representation of an event in their life. Within this text, students will be asked to compose this piece over the course of two class writing sessions while writing in their own “tongue” and utilizing nuances and devices noted within their own culture. Students will be given the opportunity to share this writing with the class before submission.
Semester Progression:
This activity has typically appeared in my Spring “Introduction to Academic Writing” courses within the month of February. In February, I typically incorporate more texts from African American writers, poets, and artists. Being that one of my favorite eras of African American writing is within the Harlem Renaissance, the unit maintains focus on this period.
I teach this reading early in the unit to introduce students to dialect and the importance of word choice within essay writing. Being that this is an earlier writing of Hurston’s, it also shows students the possibility of storytelling in relation to history and autobiographical writing. The unit itself will encompass different genres of creative nonfiction and fiction writing. As a result, the unit is meant to teach students to effectively analyze literature in preparation for the unit’s Analysis Essay assignment.
What this text teaches students in reference to Feminist Pedagogy:
- The subtle metaphors noted within the work
- The expression of ownership and power of the text
- The focus on happiness and laughing in terms of black girlhood
- The expense of intersectionality concerning black women
- The dialect and difference in linguistic expression