A digital ecosystem, fueled by serendipity. Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Happy exploring!
I’ve been putting off writing this reflection because it means I’ve come to the end of this incredible experience. But seeing as it’s due in a couple of hours, I guess I should begin the end. Wow… I’m sitting here tearing up. Good lord, you guys are always making me cry.
How do I even begin to express my gratitude?
Reflecting on this 360 has been an almost daily part of my life since the semester started. I came into this course cluster with many preconceived notions about myself, the professors, the course content, and how it would all play out. Most of the ideas I had constructed were not immediately proved wrong and therefore this semester has involved a constant exercise in adjustment. I knew that the courses would feel very personal for me but I had confidence in my ability to operate as an academic within our dynamic. As a sociology major I spend a lot of my time deconstructing oppression and dissecting cultural structures, often these structures play out in my personal life as well. I did not expect to be so triggered by classroom discussions, texts, and group dynamics.
Amelia Brady-Cole
Identity Matters 360
Dalke, Lindgren, and Nath
December 19th 2014
Stratification and Erasure of Intersectional Identities
This semester has been undeniably difficult for me, in more ways than one. I came into this cluster with a lot of expectations, and despite my best efforts to put those expectations out of mind, I kept returning to them. Having taken a 360º before, having familiarity with Anne’s teaching style, having the privilege of age and experience as a senior all contributed to the expectations I had coming into this 360º – and when things were in fact very different from my expectations because of our own class dynamics, I wasn’t sure how to hold these two experiences together.
Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the World Wide Web: Accessibility, Education, and Dialogue in xoJane
My Intersectionality paper is about the intersection of class and race on television and the effect that representation has had on the audience. I am using Anthony Crenshaw's peice "The Cosby Show Changes the Way Blacks are Viewed" to do a close reading on the characters in both the Cosby show and the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. These shows, both formative in my childhood, are intrinsically a part of the cultural zeitgeist.
Our 360 has, for me, been a space for learning, engaging, discussing, and listening, a space unlike any I have been in before and, in all likelihood, will be in again. I’ve never been so wholly invested in a class—emotionally for sure, and also in the content and work. I’ve never enjoyed writing essays as much as I have here (nor have I ever had so much freedom), and I’ve never looked forward so much to class (or been so sad about not being able to be present).
IDENTITY MATTERS has changed me in so many ways… I count it as the most rewarding, fulfilling academic opportunity I’ve ever had. It’s hard to summarize what this 360 has done for me, but I’ll try my best to articulate some major changes I’ve noticed…
Social Media and Social Justice Activism: Opening a space for participation
“[Social media] makes it easier for activists to express themselves, and harder for that expression to have any impact. The instruments of social media are well suited to making the existing social order more efficient. They are not a natural enemy of the status quo.”
– Malcolm Gladwell (2010)
One day for lunch Cindy and I went to another house where Sebastian and Sula were eating lunch. I can’t remember the house name or the name of the House Father that we ate with, but from the moment we stepped in the door I felt welcomed. In the days before I had eaten at Sycamore and other than the others villagers who were very friendly and talkative, the house felt very cold. The House Mother, Taya, was very stiff and seemed constantly stressed. So when I went to lunch I wasn’t expecting to have much of a conversation with anyone but Cindy, Sebastian, and Sula.