Date of Graduation

Spring 5-15-2023

Document Access

Project/Capstone - Global access

Degree Name

Master of Arts in International and Multicultural Education (IME)

College/School

School of Education

Department/Program

International and Multicultural Education (IME)

First Advisor

David Donahue

Abstract

Schools are often sites of hegemony, where certain knowledge and voices are prioritized over others. This hierarchy frequently discounts students as producers of their own knowledge, ignoring the wisdom gleaned from their lived experiences, diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, and cultural communities. While the study of literature inside a high school English classroom can be fruitful for students to acquire empathy and perspective, it is only effective when it is equitable. Educators must implement diverse representation in narratives, characters, authors and texts to represent students whose identities exist at the margins. Positioning work by Women of Color in the classroom is central to inviting students, especially the historically underrepresented and under researched experiences of Black and brown girls in education, to engage with organic intellectualism, and see themselves as producers of knowledge. This field project offers a curriculum of three lesson plans which elevate the work of Aurora Levins Morales and bell hooks, and eight selected poets (who are also women of color), to model organic intellectualism and its power in personal poetry. These lessons culminate in original, student created poetry, with opportunities for classmates to witness and cherish each others’ voices and wisdom.

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