Week 12 Continued Discussion of Paper Topics

Continue your discussion of paper topics here. Take the time to read over your classmates' comments and my comments on the previous post.

Week 11 Discussion of Paper Topics

This week, I would like you all to discuss your paper topics for you final paper. Feel free to pose questions to the rest of the class to get feedback on what they think about things. The goal is to share your thoughts and help each other clarify ideas for the final paper and the proposal.

Week 8 Discussion of Readings

This week I would like you to discuss Coogan's article, "Community Literacy as Civic Dialogue." What do you think about how Coogan approaches community literacy in contrast to Flower? Are there any signficant differences and/or similarities between the two authors that you would like to discuss? Thinking about our discussions regarding Over-the-Rhine, how might Coogan's work here inform how we approach an oral history of this neighborhood?

Week 7 Discussion of Readings

This week I would like you to reflect on this concept of intercultural inquiry. On the level of theory, intercultural inquiry is all about developing deliberate ways to negotiate meaning across difference in ways that are just. Another way of putting it is that it is about using literacy to negotiate across systems of oppression and inequality in the hopes of dignifying others and igniting social change. Central to this deliberative process is establishing an ethical relationship between self and other that works for the mutual benefit of both the individual and the broader community.

In your view, how useful, in practice, is Flower's and the CLC's model of intercultural inquiry? Besides the community literacy initiatives done at the CLC, what might other productive community literacy projects look like that place intercultural inquiry at the center?

Over-the-Rhine Websites

Here are some Over-the-Rhine (OTR) websites, particularly for those of you who are considering focusing on this community for your research methodology paper:

My OTR Website: http://www.nku.edu/~issues/rhine/Over-the-Rhine-MainPage.htm

Irhine.com Web-site: http://irhine.com/

Drop Inn Center Website: http://www.dropinn.org/Default.aspx

Website linking to OTR nonprofit organizations: http://www.overtherhine.org/

The Miami University Cemter for Community Engagement in Over-the-Rhine: http://www.fna.muohio.edu/cce/

Rebirth of Over-the-Rhine (documentary currently being made): http://www.over-the-rhine-movie.com/

On this blog posting, I encourage you to comment and share your responses and thoughts concerning any of these websites and OTR in general. Next week in class, let's have a discussion about OTR and the community literacy work going on there.

Week 6 Discussion of Readings

One of the major themes covered in this week's readings has to do with developing a theory and practice for using research and pedagogy for the purpose of empowering individuals and the community. For Flower, this entails developing a rhetoric of engagement that benefits the self and others. For those doing oral history interviews, it means taking knowledge gained through the interview process to make sense of the interviewee in ways that are ethical and just.

Reflect on what it means to engage in research that actually makes a direct difference in the lives others. How are power relationships to be negotiated in ways that are just? Following Flower, what does activist research have to contribute to community work? How can research in collaboration with others work to empower a community?

Video of Habermas

Hi All,

I found this a few minutes ago and thought it was interesting. It's not really on topic for this class, but it's only 5 mins long and gives a chance to see what he looks like and hear him talking about some of his own theories: