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.

Slumdog Millionaire

Viewing Slumdog Millionaire was tough for me. I just really didn't want to do it. I realized too late that it had an R-rating, which I typically do not view due to moral beliefs. However, I didn't want to make a fuss about it with only a few days left to view the film. It was my own fault for waiting so long.

After watching the movie, I was pleasantly surprised. There was no nudity, fairly mild language, and the violence was hardly worse than the violence in The Lord of the Rings movies (that are PG-13 and I love). I'm not quite sure how it required an R-rating, to be honest.

In general, I liked the movie. (Although, I still say that the best part is the dancing at the end credits. AMAZING!) I appreciated that it showed how knowledge can be gleaned in uncommon ways. Traditional education does not alway succeed, but real life experience can often give individuals more knowledge than they need. I also liked that it really was a "feel good" movie. Another interesting aspect was the fact that it was a hybrid film, meaning that it had both American directors and Indian directors.

I actually disliked the love-interest aspect of the film. I think it may be that I'm coming at it from a Western sensibility, but destiny did not seem like enough of a pull for me to become involved in their relationship. I wish that there had been slightly more interaction between Latika and Jamal so that I could become invested in that aspect of the film.

The hard part now is writing an essay about it.

Digital Media

One of the greatest things about our modern day is the ease of information access and the ease of collaboration available to us. I really think that we often take this ability for granted. I'm old enough to remember needing to go to the library for information, but my daughter will probably never have to experience this. At three, she knows what a computer is for and how to use my iPhone. She "types essays" on her own toy laptop just like mommy. Odds are that she will never be unable to answer her own questions. In many ways, this is a beautiful thing.

With my group, I'm able to prepare a presentation without ever needing to meet up at a public location. We can easily communicate with one another without even leaving our homes. I fear that this may lead to future generations closing themselves off to deep, in-person connections with other people. I don't want us to lose that as a species. We are, by nature, social and that sociality sometimes needs to be physical as opposed to virtual.

Mythology Should Be Fun!

With all of the stress about mythology presentations, I think people just forgot that mythology can be such a fun subject. There are so many fascinating things about the cultures around us, as well as those cultures of the past. It's amazing to find the similarities and differences between different groups of people.

I have to say that I was at first a little upset to present Myths of Sacred Places, but the material was so much more interesting and applicable than I previously realized. We all, whether religious or not, hold different places sacred. It can be your home, the beach, a public area, a private space. Anywhere! This unit made me so much more interested in connecting with people via the places that they hold sacred. You can really learn so much about an individual that way.

It made me think of all the places that I hold sacred myself. There's the obvious religious places like the LDS Temples that take a strong hold in my heart. But then there are the more subtle places...like birth areas in the hospital and libraries. I hold both of these places sacred as well.

 

Poetry for All

Hello, everybody! I missed class on Monday, so I don't have a class reflection. I do, however, have a few poems that I've been working on. I write in free verse. I just seem to struggle so much with finding creativity in the constraints of closed form.

I can't think of a good name for this first poem...so if you have any ideas...throw them down!

Ophelia of LA by Alicia Rogers

The world is still, a breath caught within the lungs,

soft lungs that collapse into shades of blue and grey.

I can smell the pain. It’s waiting

just beyond the borders of who I am, who I was,

who I am yet to be.

Ophelia. driven to madness in Lake Los Angeles.

But the world isn’t still. It shifts and moves.

It bobs and weaves faster than my hands can reach out and take hold.

And I don’t want to take hold.

Let’s run free

from these conventions, from these expectations, from the bullshit lines that draw our circumstances.

It’s happenstance created by indecision

and revision.

We insist, we chant, we scream “I’m so deep. Look at me, I’m so deep.”

But we aren’t.

This is universal: the overwhelming force of drowning in my own insistence.

The flowers in the lake, the welcome darkness of the water—

ink to blot out what I know too well.

I breathe the water and it breathes me,

dragging me under.

A year from now I’ll know that this was real,

that I was born from the coughing

choking

gagging

screaming

that brought me down to death

Carpe diem.

I’ll seize that day and fall back

to the earth that birthed me into its stillness of grey and black.


And here's the second poem:

After by Alicia Rogers

You promised me shooting stars

that we’d catch on our tongues

as we wove our bodies together.

I promised you the sea, the ground, the foundation.

I gave you permanence.

You gave me flight.

But flying is transitory, and I fell

down

in a different land.

A strange land.

A broken land.

lost