Social Liberation
Spring, 2007
Course Syllabus & Schedule

Isbel Ingham

ingham@pdx.edu

NH 225

web.pdx.edu/~ingham

In that I am no longer working at PSU full time, please contact me through email rather than by phone.

Text:
Handouts provided in class.

Description: Social liberation is defined, for the purposes of this class, as all efforts to effect real and lasting change in the social systems that constrict and restrict, via systemic and institutional oppression, all of our lives. The key to this statement is that it advocates for real and lasting change, not short-term change that can be undermined when circumstances change. This is what we will discuss in class--how to effect real change, and how to effect lasting change--and how to know when you're doing this.
How does this relate to conflict resolution? As stated many times by the teacher of this class, oppression is a conflict that needs resolution--in fact, transformation. I am also of the opinion that for any conflict to be truly resolved, the systems in which that conflict is embedded must be changed--or any resolution will be at best inadequate and transitory, and at worst it will perpetuate and even enforce existing systems.
This class is structured on the assumption that if you're taking it, you already have a solid foundation of social justice work and understanding. You may find the class difficult to understand and/or follow if you don't. If you have questions, please email me to discuss them. We will certainly review and discuss some of the new (and old) philosophies, systems, theories, and strategies of doing social justice work, but mostly we will learn and practice new strategies and methods by which to effect lasting change in our own lives, as well as in the world.

Goals: That students will come away with a better understanding of the roles of oppression in conflict and its resolution, gain a more complete understanding of the role of oppression, and internalized oppression, in their lives, and enhance and develop their conflict resolution skills.
That students will come away transformed, and excited to change the world--forever.

Pedagogy: This class will practice what bell hooks calls engaged pedagogy [2]. Pedagogy is the "work or occupation of teaching [3]," engaged hopefully speaks for itself. What this means is that students will be expected to actively engage with the information offered by the instructor and the materials, both in class and in the assignments. Class format will not involve much lecturing, but will instead employ dialogue between students and students, and students and instructor. Dialogue here is defined in the CR sense: "kind of speech that is humble, open, and focused on collaborative learning. It is communication that can awaken consciousness...[4]." This requires that both the instructor and the students think of them/ourselves as knowledgeable learners who can both teach and learn in this class. It also requires that students listen deeply--and much more will be said about this in the class.

Requirements: All students must attend and participate in small group discussions every class.
There are about 500 pages of reading all told, most due after the class is officially ended. You are not expected to read every word--but you are expected to make yourself familiar enough with the readings that you can discuss them in class and in your final paper. This is the perfect time to perfect skimming!
Students are expected, in large part, to direct the class throughout the weekend. Although I will do some amount of lecturing, I see my role mostly as that of a facilitator--assisting you as you move through this weekend journey.

Reflection Papers: There are three reflections papers (RP's). The first is an autobiography of you, due Saturday morning when you arrive in class. The paper does not need to be formal, and can tell me as much or as little about you as you would like. It is confidential--no one will see it but you and me. It should be at least two pages long, and tell me a little about your relationship to social liberation and why you're taking this class.
The second RP is due Sunday morning when you come to class, and should be no less than two pages long. This must be formally written--you will be graded on content, composition, spelling, grammar, etc. In the paper please tell me what you thought of the readings assigned, class discussions, class lecture, etc. This paper should have in text citations and references at the end (please don't use an extra piece of paper for references).
The third RP is due at the end of the week following the class (June 8th). It should be written as above.

Final Paper: Your final paper should be a blueprint for your future as a social activist. The paper must in some way cover the materials we've discussed in class. It should also feature, somewhere, the articles you read for class. So as you design your blueprint, include references to what you've read and learned.
The blueprint: I want to know how you plan to take what you've learned in the class into the world. I want a 20-year plan from you, detailing how you plan to change yourself and some aspect[s] of the world. For example: When I was in my mid-30's I was asked by a workshop leader what part of the world I wanted to change. I told her I wanted to eradicate racism in Oregon. She asked me what my 20-year goal was, and I said it was to make sure that everyone had a safe and wonderful place to go to work on their racism and internalized racism. Then she asked me what I would need to accomplish in the next week in order to move towards my goal, etc. and etc.
As I worked on my blueprint for this particular goals, over the years, I changed it constantly. So don't feel as though what you write has to be perfect or written in stone. It's simply a way for you to think strategically about what you'd like to accomplish, and what it would take for you to accomplish it. You can set your goal as high or low as you want it to be. Eradicating racism is a big goal, and I won't achieve it in my lifetime. However at an earlier age I set the goal of not being an abusive parent, a goal I was able to achieve.
I want the paper to encourage and inspire and teach you. However, it cannot be just your musings. When I crafted my plan I used what I learned from others to guide me, as I knew I was not wise enough to do the work on my own. So--please use at least five of the chapters from the book, and three of the handouts to guide you in the paper, which should be 5 pages long if you're an undergrad, 8-10 pages long if your a grad student. I must be appropriately cited and referenced.
The final paper is due no later than one month after this class is over. It can come in earlier if you need a grade posted by the end of this term.
This paper must be sent electronically, as an email attachment, and as a Word document.

Evaluation: Grades will be based on your performance and your participation in class, the reflection papers (RP's), and the final paper. The RP's are worth 30 points (3 papers@ 10 points each= 30), the final paper is worth 70 points, and participation in class is worth 100 points (you lose 10 points for every hour of class you miss).

Timeliness: More than in most classes, we will be attempting, over the course of the weekend, to form a community of people who are interested in, and working on, social liberation. Because of this, if you miss class time you will not only be sorely missed, but you will also miss the very important discussions, both in and out of our small groups, that will occur in each class.
To that end, if you miss a class it will affect your participation points. Please sign the class list as you enter the room.

Writing Requirements: Please click on this link to get a full accounting of what I expect from your papers.

Grades: A = 250-220; B=219-190; C=189-160; D=159-130; F=below 130

Course Schedule

Friday night:
Introduction to class and each other.
Discussion of engaged pedagogy.
Definition and discussion of oppression.
Will will also read "Grandma's story," by Trinh Minh-ha aloud, and then discuss what it means in the context of this course, and this particular group.

Readings: Will be handed out in class.

Saturday
Internalized Oppression

Readings: Will be handed out in class

First RP due when you arrive in class in the morning.

Sunday
Social Liberation

Readings: Will be handed out in class.

Second RP due when you arrive in class in the morning.

Readings for after the class is officially over:

Whatever readings you were unable to finish in class.

[2] This is also sometimes referred to as, and is certainly akin to, critical pedagogy, feminist pedagogy, literacy of power, education for critical consciousness, etc. The concept will be thoroughly discussed in class.

[3] The compact edition of the Oxford English dictionary (1971). Oxford University Press, p. 2110.

[4] Boyce, Mary E. (2002). Teaching critically as an act of praxis and resistance. Electronic Journal of Radical Organization Theory [Online], 2 (2). Available: http://www.mngt.waikato.ac.nz/ejrot/.