2008 Writing Workshops
* Poetry Writing Workshop
* Making History
* Exploring the Role of Race in Your Educational Experience
* My Pen is my Arsenal: I write, I do Justice
* How do I see the world?' Let me write the ways…
* Pimps up, Ho’s Down”: Black Gender, Sexuality, and Pop Culture
* Wired for News: Journalism and News Reporting
2008 Problem Solving Workshops
* Crime and Delinquency: A Sociological Perspective
* The Art of Mathematics
* Different Facets, Same Jewel: Economic Systems of the world
* The Chemistry of your life
* Petroleum: its bright past and dim future
* Polymers: The Silent Gold
* Geometric Possibilities
2008 Problem Solving Workshops
Poetry Writing Workshop
Students are invited to take part in a poetry workshop, where they will be encouraged to use poetry as a meaning-making device. All aspects of poetry will be considered – from the oral/slam to the literary. Students will also be introduced to contemporary poetry from different parts of the world – e.g. Pablo Neruda from Chile, Rabindranath Tagore from India, Odysseus Elytis from Greece, Billy Collins from the U.S., Okot p’Bitek from Uganda, and so on. However, the main text for students will be the narrative of their own lives. Throughout the duration of the workshop, students will be encouraged to draw from their experience to compose and/or perform their poems.
The hope is that by the end of the workshop students will have a better appreciation of poetry and a better understanding of themselves as individuals. The instructor for this workshop is a published poet, who has a wide range of experience in poetry and poetics.
Making History
Who and what gets remembered? Why? Does it matter that some people's stories become part of the "official" historical record and others' do not? Historical narratives come from many sources, including the media, the government, and our families. The histories each of these groups puts forth highlight different people's experiences and serve different purposes. For example, when my grandmother relates her history of being a sharecropper in Tennessee, her way of telling that history honors her perspective and serve her purposes, which are different from the perspectives or purposes of a politician or textbook author telling the same history. Histories are always some person or some group's constructed version of how events happened. What does this mean? Why is it important understand this? We will explore these questions by examining how certain events (like the Battle of the Little Big Horn, the internment of Japanese American citizens during World War II, or the Montgomery bus boycott) have been narrated. We will look at how narratives (or stories) of these events differ according to who is telling them and we will ask why some historical narratives become popular or accepted, while others do not.
These questions are relevant to the workshop's goal of helping you develop "academic" writing skills. Academics are responsible for many of the histories we receive, and academic writing carries a lot of weight as a form of knowledge, which means—right or wrong—the versions of history created in "the academy" are often more likely to be treated as "legitimate" and "true." So, if you can become an effective academic writer, not only will you have greater ability to share your ideas, you will also have greater power to contribute to others' knowledge.
We will tackle becoming successful writers together by discussing what processes go into effective writing and what parts make up a "good" academic essay. We will practice researching and analyzing information and creating the different parts of an essay. In the end, you will be able to write a polished short essay that makes an argument about the importance of historical narratives.
Exploring the Role of Race in Your Educational Experience
What is race? This writing workshop explores the roots of race and how race is and was used to justify social inequalities. How has race come to influence your individual thoughts and actions? Do you think race has impacted the educational system? Topics such as Desegregation, Affirmative Action, Bilingual Education, and Ebonics will be discussed and debated. You will explore how race has influenced your personal educational experiences and the experiences of other students of color. The workshop uses media, such as videos/movies and recordings to explore these issues. This workshop will give you the opportunity to develop a personal statement to express your life experiences. The statement may be adapted for your use in the college admission process in the future. This workshop is sure to be exciting and eye-opening! Come along with me on this journey.
My Pen is my Arsenal: I write, I do Justice
In this workshop, you will have the freedom to express yourself in your own unique way through any type of media (e.g., music, movie, powerpoint, photo shop or “photo voz”) and writing ways (e.g., research, essay, poetry, journal) to share what you have learned. Your expressions will lead you to explore and answer… Are you an agent of social change? What are you doing right now to fight poverty? AIDS? Unequal education? Inequalities affect our communities and people daily, from immigration policy to unequal education. Not everyone has a voice to challenge the social ills that plague us. In this session, we will reflect who we are as cultural beings and explore our ethnicity, gender, class, and other things that make up who we are. We will use “Writings of a Liberation Psychology” from Ignacio Martin-Baro to develop our own worldview and attack social ills that affect our communities. Several community local leaders that have used their pens as arsenals to fight for social justice will be invited to tell us how to fight for our right. Lastly, you will become more aware of who you are as an agent of social change, learn how you best express yourself (e.g, through music, movies, poetry), and learn how to think critically and develop an “academic research” skill as you begin your journey towards college!
How do I see the world?' Let me write the ways...
In this workshop, we'll be doing some self-exploration and self-expression. We'll be asking ourselves, "How is my perspective unique?" "What does my voice sound like in my writing?" "How can I be true to myself and what I see with every step I take and every word I write?" We'll start with the idea that each of us is not only unique and one of a kind, but that we all have something extremely valuable and irreplaceable to contribute to the world: our own opinions in our own words. How can we communicate that uniqueness and strength in our writing? Does purpose matter? Does conviction matter? Does audience matter? Does culture matter? Does language matter? How and how much? What are the different ways we can communicate ourselves and our perspectives to the world? To see some examples, we'll be reading some short writings by Latin American, Easter European, African American and Chicano writers who have experimented with different ways of expressing themselves in the face of cultural challenges and changes such as migration, exile, and discrimination. One writer looks at an ordinary artichoke with its soft heart and tough outer leaves and writes a poem about a young soldier's more-or-less protective armor in war. Another writes a hilarious story about multiple generations in a vibrant and bustling Mexican kitchen from the perspective of a wise but eager cockroach! If we stop and listen, if we stop and look, what are those ordinary things in our worlds that we can make extraordinary and meaningful by putting them in OUR own words? How do WE see them? How do WE write them? How do we SEE the world? Let us write the ways…
Pimps up, Ho’s Down”: Black Gender, Sexuality, and Pop Culture
This workshop explores the ways that pop culture influences our personal constructions of gender identity within Black communities. Black communities are plural to be inclusive of diverse religious, cultural and political institutions which help shape social perspectives of Black Americans. That is, in this workshop we will ask ourselves: when, where, and how did I define my sex, sexuality, and race; how is my identity reinforced and by whom; is my identity a social construction, self-construction, or both?
The vast generalization of pop-culture makes it possible to discuss a range of critical topics that intersects itself with the construction of gender and sexuality. Moreover, we will explore cultural elements such as the media, hip-hop and R &B, sports, foods, clothing, and language and dialect (e.g. Ebonics) to critically access masculinity, manhood; femininity; drag queens and drag kings; music videos and the black female body; the black male body in sports arenas; and the politics of sexuality. These topics are intended to confront our assumed notions of race, class, gender, sex, and sexuality and how we unknowingly accept and perpetuate cultural norms that equally determine group representation and self-identity.
Black gender is just the thrust of the workshop that intends to provoke discussions of multiculturalism and diverse ethnicities; that is, we will talk about gender and sexuality among various races, particularly as pop-culture is consumed by everyone. Thus, I encourage you to use your voice loudly in this workshop; engaging in what bell hooks calls, “talking back.” Do not be afraid to speak and write against topics that do not vibe with your creative mind and social standpoint; let your artistic expression—poetry and or prose, performances, video-zines, or visual art work—clearly express your activism. Creativity incites activism; and, activism spark revolution. Let your writing empower you!
Wired for News: Journalism and News Reporting
If you aspire to be a professional journalist or just want to be an informed media consumer, then this class is for you! How do journalists report news? What are the different cultural, social and political contexts within which news is reported? What are the emotional responses that journalists wish to incite in their readers by reporting stories a certain way? Does the news media serve us all? Who controls the media? Do ethics matter in journalism? Why or why not? How has the First Amendment played a role in journalism and the broadcasting of information, and how has it been used by different interest groups to serve their purposes?
Our modes of communication have significantly changed with time and technology. In colonial times, people received news from their local church or tavern. Today, embedded journalists attached to military units bring us the latest stories as they occur from the frontlines of war zones to our TVs, iPods and personal computers. In a world that is technologically fast paced, where deadlines are short and competition is high, news agencies require journalists to adhere to specific writing styles. We will explore these different ways of writing as well as analyze their context, content and impact on us as individuals and as a society.
Most importantly, you will get to put your journalist caps on and gain firsthand experience of news reporting. You will become familiar with various journalistic terms (e.g. editorial, feature, lead, caption, proofreading, beat, cutline, and deadline) and will have the opportunity to create, analyze and discuss print and non-print texts. You will use technological and informational resources such as libraries, databases, and the internet to research your news stories, and learn how to employ a wide range of communication strategies – both oral and written – to get your message across effectively to different audiences and for different purposes.
You will have access to media software, computers, video cameras and any other resources that the university provides. Be original, creative and most of all, have fun!
2008 Problem Solving Workshops
Crime and Delinquency: A Sociological Perspective
Who decides what’s delinquent? How do they decide? What makes some people participate in deviant behavior? What keeps others from it? What’s “society” got to do with it? When you watch Law & Order, CSI, or your other favorite crime shows, do you wonder if they’re the real thing? Ever “borrowed” money from your parents, TP’d someone’s house, or downloaded pirated music? Does that make you a delinquent? If these questions make you think, this workshop is for you! In this course, we’ll conduct experiments to reflect on what you think about crime and how you know what you know. We’ll explore the sociological perspective of delinquency through exciting demonstrations and investigations. You’ll learn what Sociology is and how we can use it to understand the world we live in. We’ll work through the scientific process as we investigate delinquency by looking at current crime statistics, examining theories of criminality, and working together on our own original social scientific research! Enter the world of deviance, delinquency, and criminology… and find out for yourself if it’s as dark as it seems!
The Art of Mathematics
Would you like to compose your own music, build a guitar with rubber bands, create your own Geodesic dome like the Epcot Center, or paint a masterpiece? In this interactive course you will have the opportunity to do all of that and even visit DNA Studios to see exactly what goes on behind the scenes of the music industry. Mathematics and the world of art aren’t as far apart as you might think and this class will explore the relationship between the two.*
Different Facets, Same Jewel: Economic Systems of the world
Interested in traveling? Are you interested in working or living in a foreign country? Are you interested in different kinds of foods, clothing, and ways of life? Are you attracted to foreign music even though you may not understand it? If so, please come and join me in this course. This workshop will use an economic perspective as well as media and personal stories from natives of different countries to rekindle your interest about the way various countries around the world are run and prepare you in an increasingly interconnected global economy. You will get a chance to research, write and present on an economy of the world that you would like to one day visit or live. In this valuable exercise you will learn how different countries are run and why they run them that way. And you will also learn that in the world today, all countries are increasingly becoming more alike than different.
The Chemistry of your life
Are you interested in the chemistry of your environment? Do you ever wonder how water and gas work in our environment? This course will explore many key scientific elements such as water, gas, and chemical compounds. We will also look at the Periodic Table and how plants and animals are involved in gas exchange process. We will look at how chemicals impact your environment and how natural disasters have impacted people of color such as hurricane Katrina. There will be many experiments and tours to bring these scientific concepts to life. Join me for three weeks as we embark on one of the greatest scientific journey you will ever take in your life.
Petroleum: its bright past and dim future
Exxon Mobil is currently the most profitable company on the Fortune 500 list and has been for five years in a row, raking in a record-breaking $40 billion in 2007 earnings. Forbes magazine's list of the 746 billionaires in the world is filled with people who have made their fortunes in petroleum-related businesses. What makes petroleum so valuable that its nickname is "black gold"? The answer is: because it is involved in almost every aspect of our lives. In this course, you will learn about petroleum’s history in the United States, and how the black, viscous liquid remains of past life are used to make a plethora of consumer products from gasoline to Vaseline, from elastic to plastic, to the artificial flavors in the foods you savor. Your study of petroleum will go beyond present day to explore its very probable dim future and our society's dim future if we do not change how we are using petroleum. In fact, President George W. Bush stated that our country’s dependency on oil, a non-renewable resource, is an issue of national security. The knowledge you gain in this course will prepare you to engage intelligently in conversations and debates about petroleum, and use your knowledge to make informed decisions in your personal life. You will put your science textbook to rest this summer and learn scientific concepts by building projects, completing experiments, watching PowerPoint presentations and videos, taking fieldtrips, and test riding a brand new Ford Escape hybrid. Remember that knowledge is power, and we can change the future.
Polymers: The Silent Gold
What does a pair of Nike Air Jordans, Coke, an Atomic snowboard, Elmer's glue, chewing gum, lipstick and crayons have in common? POLYMERS! They all contain polymers in either major or minor amounts. Being flexible, light, and strong at the same time, polymers have inspired us to reshape and redesign commonly used items thereby ushering in a new era of products that have changed forever the way we live. Today, the polymer industry has grown to be larger than the aluminum, copper and steel industries combined. Polymers already have a range of applications that far exceeds that of any other class of material available. Scientists continue to find innovative uses for this chemical, sending tsunamis that are literally changing all aspects of life. In this course we will explore these life changing chemicals and their impact on industry, environment, economy, and daily life. Most of the exploration will be in the form of investigations, projects, and field trips. In the process you will learn some basic critical and analytical skills that are essential for everyone to be successful in today's consumer driven world.
Geometric Possibilities:
So you know how tall you are, and you probably know your weight as well, but do you know your body’s surface area? What is its volume? In this hands-on course, you will discover the spatial relationships of real world objects within your immediate, built environment. For instance, how big is a Coke can compared to a telephone pole or a Ford Explorer? Using basic principles of geometry, we will engage the real-life settings around us to discover and determine how big we really are relative to our surroundings. Join me on this amazing mathematical journey!