(Posted by: DB) William, Painter and Higher Learning Questions

1. What issues does Williams expose in her essay? The idea of respect between teachers and students. Williams realize that women and especially minority women have to overcome various type of discrimination and oppression in the work place. Williams believed that her experience in her department was an isolated experience that she alone experienced. She realized that the prejudice or discrimination and ignorance went beyond her communicating with students of the majority but it also reflected in communicating with minority students.
2. What are the road blocks to teaching African American Studies? The idea that African-Americans are the only ones who can teach African American studies courses. The idea that an African-American studies majors cannot be as intelligent as doctors and lawyers. The notion that African-Americans in the past were considered to be dumb and uneducated to learn about the history of a so called “primitive” race would be an inconceivable thought for scholars. Leaving the “assumption” that only dumb people want to learn about other dumb people. Including the ideals that most people perceive that racism and discrimination is a thing of the past, why should we learn about it, why should we take it serious enough to bring up our ugly past? 3. How do the perceptions of students affect the learning process in African American Studies courses? If the students are not freely engaging in the material it would leave the instructor to believe 2 things, students do not truly understand the material or they did not care enough to do the homework so that they cannot engage in the lesson. Students are the base for the course to stand on and continue to grow, if they do not feel comfortable enough to express their thought positive or negative their will not be a discourse for the material so that it can expand outside of the classroom. Some time students that believe they know too much about the subject than they will not give enough attention to the material allowing their knowledge to help others and if students feel they do not know enough they sometimes shy away and do not allow themselves to truly appreciate the information that they are given.4. What’s in a name? (e.g., “Rho, Rho incident”). The name Rho-Rho is lends to the idea that there is no respect offered to the professor. The professor felt that the young woman was taking away her accomplishments as a teacher, a professional and as an educated black woman. The teacher did not think that the young woman was trying to identify with her but that she was being disrespectful. I do feel that the comment or nickname was out of place because education is a profession and should not be taken lightly and a certain level of professionalism should be exercised at all times. I do feel that Professor or Dr. Williams should have made her feelings clear about how she would like her students to interact with her and how they should communicate in the course because the topic that she teaches is sensitive.5. What environment do you think is optimal for learning and discussion of difficult topics unfamiliar (or familiar) to students? I feel that the classroom is a great start for educators to begin exploring the topics of difficult subjects but it not the most effective. I feel an atmosphere of friends and/or peer groups would be a more favorable environment for difficult topics. Purely because people will open up and say or do things they would not typically do while they are in a classroom this way you can see and hear how people truly react to a subject. People tend to receive information better when it comes from their peer/friends because they feel they can relate to that person, and knowing that their friends/peers feel differently than they do will allow them the opportunity to view the topics in a new light.6. What did Painter experience at Princeton? Painter experience a similar type of discrimination that Williams experienced. She felt that her authority or education was being undermined and questioned (one student asked if she had a Ph.D). She encounter people that believed that “black studies was only put into place to serve and employ black faculty”.7. What examples does Painter provide about the “state” of African American Studies? The examples she uses is the idea that African-Americans can only teach the studies, that only African-Americans can benefit from the studies, that the department is not respected as other highly regarded department and the African-American Studies staff is under prejudice because of the way their field is regarded by others. What problems does the field face? The field faces the problem of not being able to give the knowledge and employment opportunities to people that are not of African descent (due to stereotypes of the department). That students and staff are not informed properly about the department not allowing it to expand and truly educate. The department will “wither away because of the isolation” that it receives from the rest of the departments. How are these problems connected to teaching and learning? If you do not attempt employ African-American Studies staff based on their credentials rather than their skin color the complete idea of African-American history will be lost in translation (not saying that teachers in this department are hire purely off of race). The idea that African-Americans have strived for years to be seen as equals not isolated and treated differently connects the history taught in the African-American Studies department. Diversifying the department might spike the interest of majority students to have them realize the importance of the department and its growth. 8. After reading the three essays about the field, what stands out as most important to you? I think the most important thing to know about the fields is that African-American studies faculty and students are just as intelligent as everyone else and the field should not be taken lightly as an easy course just to breeze through. People should take the time to educate themselves about the fields and the individuals that are a part of the field before making any faulty judgment. Did it make you think of the field and yourself as a student in a different way? Honestly no because I am a student of the department and I see the struggles first hand on this campus that I feel need to change.
3. . What does the clip propose about the importance of education and achievement? That if you educate yourself properly you will be able to achieve anything. That education is the only way to achieve any level of achievement in our society.2. What does the clip propose about perceptions of race and education? Those who are black must educate themselves to have a chance in moving beyond the future that is place before them. The idea that they the game of education or success is not created by blacks give them an unfair, disadvantage of actually succeeding in their educational endeavors (unless they are willing to play the game according to the rules).3. What might the clip propose about what one can learn/gain from African American studies texts? The clip proposes that we can learn about African-American history/text so that we can learn about the hardships and how not to recreate them and how to progress from them. When the Professor speaks he allows them to know despite the belief that they are trapped in their current state of longing for an education, wealth and success they can still progress beyond the longing to the achievement through the “intelligent use of knowledge” they gain throughout life (and African-American history).4. Is information power? I believe that information is power. How so? Without the knowledge of how to accomplish a task how can we improve upon the task? How can me move forward and learn how not to repeat the past. Without information how will we be able to know if we agree or disagree with the way we are progressing or standing still in society? There would be no way for us to measure these thought because we would not have the knowledge or information in our brains to determine what these questions or thoughts mean.