Humanities and Teacher Education Division
Teacher Education Courses
Participating Faculty:
- Somer Levine, Visiting Instructor of Teacher Education/Director of Clinical Practice
Participating Student:
- Adriana Baez
Goals:
EDU 463: Items for revision include curating elementary-appropriate book lists with a lens of diversifying authors and characters read in class, the current novel unit will be updated to include differentiated texts from others of diverse backgrounds, incorporating guest speakers from diverse school districts around California, and a new assignment designed to afford teacher candidates with opportunities to connect with students and families who are of linguistic and culturally diverse backgrounds utilizing Dr. Richard Milner's "Opportunity Gap Explanatory Framework."
History Courses
Participating Faculty:
- Nicole Gilhuis, Assistant Professor of History
Participating Student:
- Jerry Calderon
Goals:
HIST 400: This course that covers Native American history will involve adding a dedicated section of the course to California Native Americans. Within this section I want to partner with Jerry Calderon to look for recent relevant sources as well as to facilitate an important cultural aspect to the course. Being a Chumash tribal member and member of the Santa Inez Band Chumash tribe, Jerry and I would like to include guest lectures and exhibits from the Chumash community. Jerry also hopes to organize a powwow for the Pepperdine campus this fall and I would like to include such events as extra credit within the course.
The goal of these revisions is to give Seaver students a greater understanding and appreciation for the history and community of the Chumash people on whose land the campus sits. This revision will include adding Native authored readings, Chumash recipes and music, and engaging in California culture and current events. There are many current and historical events that this would allow me to introduce in the class including the recent Truth and Reconciliation commission that has begun in California, and protest movements such as the occupation of Alcatraz, environmental demonstrations, etc.
English Courses
Participating Faculty:
- Heather Thomson-Burn, Associate Professor of English/Director of First-Year Writing
Participating Student:
- Mia Zendejas Rivera
Goals:
ENG 313: I would like to broaden the theoretical approach to this course's study of essay/nonfiction writing to include diverse cultural perspectives on writing (e.g., examining the ways in which Native/Indigenous people conceive of the essay and its power). Second, I want to include more diverse representation in the essays that students read and analyze, particularly authors who are using essay writing to address important social and cultural issues. I would also like to include interviews (written or recorded) with diverse nonfiction authors, so that students can hear directly from multiple voices how essay writing can be connected to life outside of the university and have an impact on the "real world".