Description
This independent study project, created for and within the Student Originated Studies: Commodification Processes and Alternatives program, will study aspects of social justice, gender and sexuality, and political economy, with additional connections to the culture and politics of food and eating through the learning objective evidenced by the question, why is it important to study social justice and community relationship building? The student will work in an Internship with the Trans and Queer Center to research Trans and Queer centered spaces in higher education. The student will create a portfolio of work documenting their studies during the quarter, as well as writing a reflection paper at the end of the quarter, and creating a literature review for the Trans and Queer Center through their internship. Texts to be utilized over the quarter include: Racial Indigestion by Kyla Wazana Tompkins, The Secret Financial Life of Food by Kara Newman, Of The People, By The People: The Case For A Participatory Economy by Robin Hahnel, WHAT WE DO NOW: Standing Up for Your Values in Trump’s America edited by Dennis Johnson and Valerie Merians, and Another Politics: Talking Across Today’s Transformative Movements by Chris Dixon.
Learning Objectives — Activities — What Will be Evaluated.
| How and why does the process of commodification appear to turn everything into objects of economic value? Should everything – human and non-human – be measurable and exchangeable? What alternatives exist? What alternatives can be created? This SOS will support students to design and then engage with an individual or group project that explores an area of student interest regarding commodification processes and alternatives. While everything from eating to voting, from learning to (re)producing are possible topics, the commodification of what we all eat will provide a foundation for weekly seminars and a tasting lab to support development of learning in ‘critical eating studies.’ | I will participate fully on Tuesday class times, including reading texts, seminaring on those texts, writing pre-seminar writing assignments, creating a log of hours, and documenting other ILC activities on my student website. I will participate in the tastings and weekly potluck lunches by writing about my observations on the culture of the classroom regarding food. We will be reading Racial Indigestion by Kyla Wazana Tompkins, and The Secret Financial Life of Food by Kara Newman. | I will be evaluated on the portfolio of my work that I will create over the course of the quarter, which will include seminar response papers, journal entries detailing my ILC experiences and activities, and a weekly log of hours. |
| Learn about and create a literature review of material regarding trans and queer centered spaces and trans and queer centered programs in higher education. | I intend to work with Amira, Coordinator of the Trans and Queer Center on Campus, to collect and evaluate material for the literature review, as well as learning about the form and necessary aspects of that literature review. I will spend time working on this project in the Trans and Queer Center, in the library proper utilizing the research tools the school possesses, as well as at home.
An aspect of this learning may include volunteer hours at the Trans and Queer Center itself to learn more about its current function and get hands on experience of its importance through that volunteer experience. I am planning for this piece to be worth 6 credits. |
I will present the conclusions of my research to a small group select people at the end of the quarter, as well as creating a written version of that presentation for future reference
My field supervisor will complete a short written evaluation of my work and progress, which will be forwarded to my faculty for inclusion in my final evaluation. |
| To gain a better understanding of the role of academic education, peer education, and community education in activism and social justice. Why is it important to study social justice and community relationship building? | I will attend Commodities, Conflict, and Cooperation lectures, films, and workshops on culture, social justice, political economy, and social justice topics, as well as attending relevant lectures and workshops at the college and in the community. I intend to read as many texts as I have the opportunity to, some associated with Commodities, Conflict, and Cooperation such as Of The People, By The People: The Case For A Participatory Economy by Robin Hahnel and others as well as material found independently, such as WHAT WE DO NOW: Standing Up for Your Values in Trump’s America edited by Dennis Johnson and Valerie Merians. | I will show my learning toward this goal by writing a 3-5 double space paper reflecting on my learning objectives and starting question in two drafts during the last weeks of the quarter. This reflection paper will make connections between the content I have learned through lectures, films, and workshops and seek to answer my catalyst question; why is it important to study social justice and community relationship building? |
Evaluation of Work
The student will complete all assignments as described on the syllabus, including weekly documentation on the Project pages of the SOS program website. Whenever possible, the student will provide the faculty with a field supervisor, subcontractor, or mentor’s descriptive assessment of in-program ILC work completed with their guidance, expertise, or supervision by week 10. The student will complete comprehensive mid-quarter and final narrative self-evaluations and submit them to faculty prior to mid-quarter and final end of quarter student-faculty conferences. For the final blog post on Project websites, each student will post, and when possible present in class on Tuesday of week 10, a 10-minute PowerPoint Presentation of 10-15 slides with text that demonstrates the highlights of the student’s in-program ILC Project website.
Faculty Support
I will meet with my faculty in Seminar once a week, and take advantage of Wednesday meetings when needed.
I will meet in person with my field supervisor every other week to discuss progress, and as needed if any additional support is required.
Related Experience
My studies in the courses Diversity and Multiculturalism: In Historical and Contemporary Perspectives; Art Forms, Resistances, and Counter Narratives in India; and Commodities, Conflict, and Cooperation provide excellent background foundation to begin the studies taken on in this ILC.
Additionally I have experiences participating in and helping to coordinate a Gay-Straight Alliance student club at Olympic College in Bremerton, and I have attended Olympic College’s Diversity Conference the past three years. These hands-on experiences further support my background understanding of the topics for this current study.