Metropolitan State College of D enver Faculty Learning Community 2012 Spring Forum

1. Citizenship—the Other Diversity in the Classroom: Scenarios and Practices for Promoting Sensitivity to Citizenship Status Metropolitan State College of Denver Faculty Learning Community 2012 Spring Forum

2. FLC Contributors • Dr. Karam Adibifar (SOCIOLOGY) • Dr. Antonio Bellisario (GEOGRAPHY) • Dean Art Campa (LETTERS, ARTS, SCIENCES) • Dr. Deborah Horan (TEACHER EDUCATION) • Dr. Elizabeth Mendez-Shannon ( SOCIAL WORK) • Dr. David Piacenti (SOCIOLOGY) • Dr. Nick Recker (SOCIOLOGY) • Dr. Luis Rivas (ENGLISH) • Adam Stowe (CAMP) • Dr. Adriann Wycoff (CHICAN@ STUDIES)

3. The Classroom Concern How can we challenge? • Questioning what we/I “say” • Unpack the ideologies and assumptions underlying our rhetoric • How does what I say (word choices, discourse patterns) reflect my deeper assumptions and beliefs? • Questioning what we/I “know” • Create new meaning by addressing the cognitive dissonance that results from information (empirical data, etc.) that appears to differ from our background knowledge • How can I challenge and extend what I know? • Questioning what we/I “feel” • Develop affective awareness of the lived experiences of people different than ourselves • How do other people experience the world in ways that I do not?

4. Classroom Goal • Foster critical and reflexive thinking among students by modeling this stance in our professional lives and by creating learning opportunities that foster active questioning

5. Possible Classroom Scenarios ************** Please get into pairs for a role-playing scenario…

6. Sociology: The Comparative Method CitizensDocumentedUndocumented Could be Terrorists:               yes                   yes                            yes Pay Taxes:                   most do             most do                    most do Support the Economy:    yes                    yes                           yes Have Legal Rights:                 yes                     some                        few Accept Jobs: yes                     yes                           yes Commit Crimes:            most            less       least Like Living in US:       most                   most                         most Are Learning English:            most                  most                         most Strong Family Values:   yes                yes                            yes • Challenging what we/I “know” • Create new meaning by addressing the cognitive dissonance that results from information (empirical data, etc.) that appears to differ from our background knowledge • How can I challenge and extend what I know?

7. English: A Rhetorical Analysis Approach • Because rhetoric is never free from an ideology, each statement both represents the individual and perpetuates the individual’s ideology without question, therefore sketching a group through that process. • How do we problematize what the speakers are saying about themselves and how they are attempting to represent the “other?” Example: What do these terms really mean and how does the speaker use them: Break the law “criminals” Stealing “our jobs” • Challenging what we/I “say” • Unpack the ideologies and assumptions underlying our rhetoric • How does what I say (word choices, discourse patterns) reflect my deeper assumptions and beliefs?

8. Social Work: Building Reflection • The assumption is that students are encouraged to express their opinions in a safe classroom environment encouraging diverse statements and inclusionary support • 1. Establish ground rules for discussion • Using the “I” tense when making statements • No cross-talking • Acknowledging strong emotions • Integrating statistics and research to support viewpoints • Sharing practice experiences leading to viewpoints • Questioning what we/I “feel” • Develop affective awareness of the lived experiences of people different than ourselves • How do other people experience the world in ways that I do not?

9. In Sum: The Classroom Strategies • Critique ideas, not people • Use evidence to support your ideas • No personal attacks • Allow classmates to respond • Do not take the critique of ideas personally • Avoid anecdotal and dramatic examples • Most importantly: REMEMBER THAT, LIKE SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENITY, CITIZENSHIP IS VOLUNTARILY-OFFERED INFORMATION—CAMP STUDENTS…

10. Contact Information David Piacenti: dpiacent@mscd.edu C. Elizabeth Mendez: cmendezs@mscd.edu

11. Thank you for participating! Enjoy the rest of the Spring Forum!