At the End of the Day...errr Semester

Throughout the course of this class, I’ve learned a lot about the kind of teacher that I want to become one day. I’ve always known that I want to teach, but I’ve never felt it so strongly as I do now. The whole process of learning is something that I want to facilitate in others. As a capstone class for the English Subject Matter degree, I expected more emphasis on various texts. With a course name like Multi-genre Literature through a Global Context, I expected more global texts. I was surprised to find that the real content of this course was examining the way in which media globalizes society. Though that is a worthy goal, I wish that there had been more emphasis on how this idea of global information should impact our teaching strategies, since the Subject Matter degree is aimed towards prospective English teachers.

Because this is how I went into the course, I had a bit of a challenge getting into the groove of the class. It took me a few weeks to reposition myself into the framework that was presented to me and change my expectations of the class. Once I did this, I was pleased to take advantages of the class discussions that we had over the course of the semester.

My favorite assignment, as far as the content was concerned, was the mythology portion of the class. This was the clearest example of how global texts can be brought into the classroom setting. I had so much fun examining different myths and formulating ideas about the cultures that created those myths. I really enjoyed leading a discussion on sacred places too. That was hard for me during the planning stages because I wanted to be careful not to let the discussion get overly religious which is difficult when discussing sacred places. I loved working with Michelle on the project and thought that we both brought some excellent insight into the specific mythology that we read.

Coupled with the media literacy assignment (which was my favorite assignment to present), I found that I am definitely a teacher who seeks out classroom discussion. Those presentations were much more fun once I was able to get responses from students—regardless of whether they were peers or not. I truly had more fun, learned more, and cared more when the presentations involved some interaction beyond reading off of a Powerpoint presentation.

Finally, the one assignment that I struggled with was the final paper. I had a truly terrible time reading the supporting articles and relating them to my life. Not only were they ridiculously dense, but I had a huge challenge seeing how they were necessary to an English Subject Matter capstone course. It made the movie much more difficult to view because I knew that the information I gathered was incompatible with the supporting material that I had to use as well as the future of my teaching career. I was able to get through it, and I’m quite proud of my final essay (the last essay of my undergraduate career!). I just had such a hard time seeing the initial point. Once I made my way through and received some clarification from Dr. Wexler about what was appropriate for the final work, I felt much more confident.

Ultimately, I’m truly grateful for the experience of taking this class. I really did learn a lot about how I desire to teach, as well as the wonder that multiple forms of media provide for classes. I was amazed by some of the cool ideas that other classmates brought from other classes that they either taught or sat in on. Whether or not it was the class that I expected when I had to register for it, I’m glad that I had the chance to interact with others and learn about a more globalized view of literacy.

Final World Text Analysis

Alicia Rogers

Steven Wexler

Multi-Genre Literacy in a Global Context

13 May 2013

Slumming for Education:

The Value of Real World Knowledge in Slumdog Millionaire

         In America there is a tendency to discount knowledge that is gained outside of traditional education.  People trust it less and, therefore, count it less.  There’s a belief that going to school will lead to a good job and complete success.  It comforts people, especially in this country where we believe that success stems from one’s own efforts; if you just work hard enough, then you have no choice but to succeed.  There are the few lucky people, like Bill Gates, who manage to be successful outside of traditional models, but even they are often distrusted and seen as the exceptions that prove the rule.  Yet as Gayle Gregory and Carolyn Chapman say in their book, Differentiated Instructional Strategies: One Size

Doesn’t Fit All, ““we all learn in different ways, process information differently, and have distinct preferences about where, when, and how we learn” (19).  In many ways, the film Slumdog Millionaire can be seen as a clear critique on this very issue—especially when coupled with the running theme of globalization.  The film is very much a social commentary on the global aspects of gleaning knowledge through myriad ways—even those outside of traditional models.  

            For Jamal in Slumdog Millionaire, learning took place as it applied to his life rather than through a traditional schooling model.  Even at the beginning of the film, the ideology of traditional schooling is portrayed as an imperialist element. When Jamal and Salim are in school, they are literally beaten over the head with a text from their colonial oppressors.  The symbolism would be lost had they been studying a native Indian text.  This moment sets up the initial conflict, not only with the global issues of imperialism, but also the far more personal conflict that Jamal faces.  Jamal fits into the same framework that Frederic Jameson emphasizes when he says that “we are all shackled to an ideological subject-position, we are all determined by class and class history, even when we try to resist or escape it” (46).  Jamal is shackled to the state of being from the slums of India.  He cannot contemplate a better life for himself because his reality is shaped by the conditions that created him.  His goal in joining “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” was not fame or fortune, but rather seeking out his predestined love.  In fact, the police and the other people in power cannot reshape their reality enough to believe that Jamal can have the knowledge that he has to answer the game show questions.

The whole structure of the movie emphasizes this fact.  As each question is asked, Jamal relies on a concrete experience from his past to determine the answer.  From the opening scene of the film, there is tension because of the aforementioned belief that knowledge must be gained through traditional means in order to count.  Because Jamal did not complete a traditional education program, the police believe that he cannot have the knowledge that he has on the show. Because Jamal comes from the slums, he must be cheating.  The Inspector puts it most clearly in the opening sequence of the film when he bursts in frustration that “professors, lawyers, doctors, general knowledge wallahs never get beyond sixteen thousand rupees…What the hell can a slum dog possibly know?”  This is an extension of the distrust that many people have over non-traditional education and poor people, in general.  It’s an extension of Jameson’s knowledge that our minds our imprisoned “in a non-utopian present” wherein there is no reality of utopia because it resides outside of our life experience (Jameson 46).  The film structure highlights the problems with this framework by undermining the imperialist nature of traditional education.

Jamal’s education is life-based; everything that he knows was learned through a directly applicable moment in his life.  He is a concrete sequential thinker with learning “based in the physical world identified through [his] senses” (Gregory 22).  He notices the details around him and recalls them easily.  It’s the way his brain works to organize information.  Jamal doesn’t need the structure of traditional education; details are openly apparent for him.  Additionally, later in the film, the Inspector mocks Jamal for not knowing an answer that he viewed as easy.  Jamal fights this perception when he asks the police a question that “everyone in Juhu knows…even five-year-olds” (Boyle).  This moment emphasizes the accessibility of traditional education.  Jamal knows the things that apply to his life.  Because he did not have access to traditional education, the things that are typically taught don’t apply to him.  Again, the film highlights the need to make knowledge applicable to each individual student, to individualize it outside of the broad outlines that imperialism dictates.  Jamal’s learning is just as valid as that of a more classic approach; it’s just that it’s individualized and specific.  Not all learners need traditional structures of reading and writing and lecture.  In fact, for many students these methods do not work at all. 

            The global accessibility of information through education is contrasted through the film by the aspects of cultural globalization.  When Maman entices young Jamal to join his group of youth, he presents the poor boy with a bottle of Coke—an American icon.  This is a pure moment wherein “imperialism has returned full throated to the councils of international relations, [while] finance is rarely seated at the table” (Martin).  The life with Maman was still one of poverty.  Yet, the poverty was masked by the American icon of Coca-Cola.  These two images are placed beside each other to mark the contrast between imperial models and real world truths.

            Throughout the course of the film, audiences are led on a journey through the life of Jamal Malik and through the contrasts between a globalized society and real world truths.  This journey directs viewers to broaden their minds in regards to what matters intellectually.  It questions the importance of traditional education and asks readers what answers they have in their own lives—what risks they are willing to take even.  The story of Jamal proves that knowledge only stays with a person insofar as it can be applied to his/her own life.  In fact, Jamal’s seemingly worthless mind held onto the knowledge that eventually earned his livelihood.  More telling than that, however, is the fact that his last answer had to come from his gut instinct—a pure and simple guess—to the tune of twenty million Indian rupees.

Works Cited

Gregory, Gayle H. and Carolyn Chapman. Differentiated Instructional Strategies: One Size

Doesn’t Fit All. Thousand Oaks, Ca: Corwin Press, 2002. Print.

Jameson, Fredric. “The Politics of Utopia”. Political Quarterly 24 Aug. 2005: 35-54. Web. 7

May 2013.

Martin, Randy. “Where Did the Future Go?” Logosonline. Logos 5.1, 2006. Web. 9 May 2013.

Slumdog Millionaire. Dir. Danny Boyle. Perf. Dev Patel, Saurabh Shukla, Anil Kapoor.

Celador Films, 2008. Digital Stream.

Slumming for Education: The Value of Real Wold Knowledge in Slumdog Millionaire Draft 1

Alicia Rogers

Steven Wexler

Multi-Genre Literacy in a Global Context

6 May 2013

Slumming for Education:

The Value of Real World Knowledge in Slumdog Millionaire

         In America there is a tendency to discount knowledge that is gained outside of traditional education.  People trust it less and, therefore, count it less.  There’s a belief that going to school will lead to a good job and complete success.  It comforts people, especially in this country where we believe that success stems from one’s own efforts; if you just work hard enough, then you must succeed.  There are the few lucky people who manage to be successful outside of traditional models, but even they are distrusted and seen as the exceptions that prove the rule.  In many ways, the film Slumdog Millionaire can be seen as a clear critique on this very issue.  It is a social commentary on the global aspects of gleaning knowledge through myriad ways—even those outside of traditional models.  

            Not all information is best gained through visual and auditory methods.  There are a variety of ways to learn and no single model will fit each learner because “we all learn in different ways, process information differently, and have distinct preferences about where, when, and how we learn” (Gregory 19).  For Jamal in Slumdog Millionaire, learning took place as it applied to his life.  The whole structure of the movie emphasizes this fact.  It’s what the framing conflict relies upon for the cohesion of the film.  As each question is asked, Jamal relies on a concrete experience from his past to determine the answer.  From the opening scene of the film, there is tension because of the aforementioned belief that knowledge must be gained through traditional means in order to count.  Because Jamal did not complete a traditional education program, the police believe that he cannot have the knowledge that he has on the show; he must be cheating.  The Inspector puts it most clearly in the opening sequence of the film at (time sequence goes here) when he bursts in frustration that “professors, lawyers, doctors, General Knowledge Wallahs never get beyond sixteen thousand rupees.  And he's on ten million?  What the hell can a slum dog possibly know?”  This is an extension of the distrust that many people have over non-traditional education and poor people, in general.  Jamal’s education is life-based; everything that he knows was learned through a directly applicable moment in his life.  He is a concrete sequential thinker with learning “based in the physical world identified through [his] senses” (Gregory 22).  He notices the details around him and recalls them easily.  It’s the way his brain works to organize information.  Jamal doesn’t need the structure of traditional education; details are openly apparent for him.  Additionally, later in the film, the Inspector mocks Jamal for not knowing an answer that he viewed as easy.  Jamal fights this perception when he asks the police a question that “everyone in Juhu knows…even five-year-olds” (citation).  This moment emphasizes the accessibility of traditional education.  Jamal knows the things that apply to his life.  Because he did not have access to traditional education, the things that are typically taught don’t apply to him.  Again, the film highlights the need to make knowledge applicable to each individual student.  Jamal’s learning is just as valid as that of a more classic approach.  Not all learners need traditional structures of reading and writing and lecture.  In fact, for many students these methods do not work at all. 

            The global accessibility of information is emphasized through the film by the aspects of cultural globalization.  More support goes here.  The Coke bottle, the hundred dollar bill, etc.

            Throughout the course of the film, audiences are led on a journey through the life of Jamal Malik.  This journey directs viewers to broaden their minds in regards to what matters intellectually.  It questions the importance of traditional education and asks readers what answers they have in their own lives—what risks they are willing to take even.  The story of Jamal proves that knowledge only stays with a person insofar as it can be applied to his/her own life.  In fact, Jamal’s seemingly worthless mind held onto the knowledge that eventually earned his livelihood.  More telling than that, however, is the fact that his last answer had to come from his gut instinct—a pure and simple guess—to the tune of twenty million Indian rupees. 

Works Cited

Gregory, Gayle H. and Carolyn Chapman. Differentiated Instructional Strategies: One Size

Doesn’t Fit All. Thousand Oaks, Ca: Corwin Press, 2002. Print.

Slumdog Millionaire. Dir. Danny Boyle. Perf. Dev Patel, Saurabh Shukla, Anil Kapoor.

Celador Films, 2008. Digital Stream.