Multiculturalism in Science Fiction

While browsing the site of Flow TV, I came across the article Becoming the Other: Multiculturalism in Joss Whedon's Angel, by Jane Stadler. I found this article particularly interesting because I felt it could be best translated for classroom use. I think about all of the multicultural literature that we teach, but never thought of using science fiction series to teach important issues such as immigration and race. This show could be used with my novel The Giver by Lois Lowry. In this novel, the society is controlled by a person called The Giver. No one in the community is allowed to think for themselves, no one is allowed to choose their profession, what they eat, or even feel emotions. Everyone is treated the same. They believe that sameness is so important in order to protect their people that they even look alike in appearance. Students could look at ways by which the characters in the show Angel are different and critique how they are treated the same or different based on their appearance. Once they have had time to critique and compare the Giver's world to the characters in Angel they would have to explain which world is better and why in a five paragraph essay.

Another part of Stadler's criticism that I found interesting is that the characters in Angel seem to be two-dimensional in the sense that characters seem to possess both good and evil traits and it is their struggle in controlling the two that makes the characters both dynamic and intriguing. Although we are all human and possess the ability to be both good and evil, science fiction seems to make these attributes more physically visible. Jane Stadler further argues that "Whedon's cult status suggests that characters and conflicts represented in his work tap into widespread concerns and warrant scrutiny. Examining how ideological messages about race, culture, and power are communicated through the interplay of heroism and villainy, she argues that the show Angel can be interpreted as a critique of this fear of foreigners" (Stadler, page 1). If you can then hook the viewers into the show by making the characters both vulnerable and heroic and then teach a message to them on the underlying conflicts in our world, you have a successful show. Therefore, it would be a media of high interest to students and another creative way to get your curriculum across to your students.

In other shows, they seem to tackle race and looks specifically at "white anxiety" in association with unwelcome foreigners. These foreigners are looked at directly as a threat that needs to be taken down in order to preserve their way of living. These episodes in general would be a great place for students to look at our current issues in regards to immigration and compare and contrast the views on the show to people's view of immigration in society. You could have students look at people who are both pro-immigration and anti-immigration and compare/contrast their different points of view. They could then have a formal debate where they would need to persuade the class to their side. They would need to do research, create an outline, use note-cards, and include one visual aid.

Interestingly enough, one way the show Angel undermines negative stereotypes, according to Stadler, is through casting people of color in central roles (Stadler, page 1). One demon character, Doyle, is actually protected in the show by fascist soldier demons who attempt genocide to ensure a pure bloodline. This episode in general would be great to have students look at in comparison to the unit I teach on genocide in the Holocaust. What role does the demon character play that would be comparable in Nazi controlled Europe? How do you think Doyle feels having to be in fear of his life and those like him just because of the way he looks? How could we re-write this episode with Doyle being the lead character? How can we re-write history to portray a more democratic and unified nation that does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, ethnicity, etc? I think after reading this critique, I will definitely explore the science-fiction series such as Angel, Star Wars, Buffy, Star Trek and others to help teach critical themes in the classroom.

Sports as Popular Culture

Teaching Versus Coaching

I found the article titled Expertise in coaching and teaching: A qualitative study of physical educators and athletic coaches particularly interesting. It seems to me that this idea of the phy-ed coach who cares more about coaching than teaching is a theme too often seen in today's public schools. I guess I feel that our culture puts more emphasis and importance on team sports and their success (or lack there of) then what is going on educationally in the classroom. You see it when you look at the pay scale for someone teaching speech, theatre, tutoring, clubs...they are all paid considerably less than a football or hockey coach. And why is that? Aren't both equally important to ensuring a well-rounded individual?

I found the study, in many ways, reinforcing some of my beliefs. The fact that the study proved that coaches spent more time on instructional strategies for game day than in the classroom speaks loud and clear to what is important: sports. I guess I have always known that this double standard was present, but one thing I didn't think about before was the pressure these teachers have to win games and how winning games decides their fate in the school system. I found it interesting that coaches "are seldom fired for teaching inadequacy but are recurrently terminated for losing in athletics" (Hardin, page 2). What then does this say about our society? It states very clearly to students, teachers, administration, and parents that our values in the culture by which we live puts higher value on athleticism than intellect. As an educator that teaches English, I find this particularly disturbing.

I think a lesson on the topic of value and what makes something valuable could be interesting in relation to this article. I think having students page through some old yearbooks (maybe even mine) and pull out what they felt were the "valued" aspects of that year and explain why would be a great starting point.

My hope is to have students really center on the value that is placed on sports in school. I may then show images of a basketball, football player with that of an National Honor Society member and see which one is more important or valuable and why? We could then talk about whether or not the value placed solely on sports is good. What other traits other than athleticism might an individual need to be successful in life? Are they valued in the school setting? Why or why not? Hopefully after this mini-lesson students will be able to better understand the power value has in society and how it shapes who and what we are.


The Gulf War Superbowl

I remember being in the twelfth grade and finding out that one of my close friends was headed off to the Gulf War. Not being much of a sports fan back then, I do not remember watching the Super Bowl that year, but I am sure that I must have tuned in at one time or another.

I was shocked that at a time of war that the Super Bowl was even aloud to be broad casted. to me, it seems like a huge conflict of interest to be covering the Gulf War at half-time. This idea that the troops would even have time to watch the first half of the Super Bowl is absolutely ridiculous. I personally think Coca-Cola had it right. Pull their ads and make a huge donation. I guess I can also understand that at time of war and international crisis, the American citizens need a distraction which the Super Bowl can fill.

If I was to teach this in the classroom, it could possibly fit into my Holocaust Unit in talking about war propaganda. I think some follow-up questions could be:

What is propaganda and when is it appropriate to use it?
Do you think the Super Bowl should have been televised? Why or why not?
Do you think that this could be seen as a tribute to our troops or was it more of a distraction?
Do you think that at times of war, the American people need a distraction from the "task at hand?" Why or why not?
Do you think Coca-Cola did the right thing by pulling their ads during the Super Bowl?

Week 7 Assignment

Read Cameron White’s article:
“Integrating Music in History Education”

Read and Click through the SlideShare presentation:
“The Beatles: The Original Boy Band in the Global Village”

The musical "artifact" that I chose was the Buffalo Soldier by Bob Marley and Jamaican disc jockey named King Sporty which came out in the 1980's on the Confrontation album. Below is a music video and the lyrics to the song.



Here is another video as well:



Buffalo soldier, dreadlock rasta:
There was a buffalo soldier in the heart of america,
Stolen from africa, brought to america,
Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival.

I mean it, when I analyze the stench -
To me it makes a lot of sense:
How the dreadlock rasta was the buffalo soldier,
And he was taken from africa, brought to america,
Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival.

Said he was a buffalo soldier, dreadlock rasta -
Buffalo soldier in the heart of america.

If you know your history,
Then you would know where you coming from,
Then you wouldnt have to ask me,
Who the eck do I think I am.

Im just a buffalo soldier in the heart of america,
Stolen from africa, brought to america,
Said he was fighting on arrival, fighting for survival;
Said he was a buffalo soldier win the war for america.

Dreadie, woy yoy yoy, woy yoy-yoy yoy,
Woy yoy yoy yoy, yoy yoy-yoy yoy!
Woy yoy yoy, woy yoy-yoy yoy,
Woy yoy yoy yoy, yoy yoy-yoy yoy!
Buffalo soldier troddin through the land, wo-ho-ooh!
Said he wanna ran, then you wanna hand,
Troddin through the land, yea-hea, yea-ea.

Said he was a buffalo soldier win the war for america;
Buffalo soldier, dreadlock rasta,
Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival;
Driven from the mainland to the heart of the caribbean.

Singing, woy yoy yoy, woy yoy-yoy yoy,
Woy yoy yoy yoy, yoy yoy-yoy yoy!
Woy yoy yoy, woy yoy-yoy yoy,
Woy yoy yoy yoy, yoy yoy-yoy yoy!

Troddin through san juan in the arms of america;
Troddin through jamaica, a buffalo soldier# -
Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival:
Buffalo soldier, dreadlock rasta.

Woy yoy yoy, woy yoy-yoy yoy,
Woy yoy yoy yoy, yoy yoy-yoy yoy!
Woy yoy yoy, woy yoy-yoy yoy,
Woy yoy yoy yoy, yoy yoy-yoy yoy! /fadeout/

First of all, for people to truly understand the lyrics in the historical context which Marley is referring to, one must know what a Buffalo Soldier is and their contribution to the history of the United States. There are several important websites that help make sense of this part of history such as:

Buffalo Soldier Wikipedia Page
Forgotten American History Page
Memorial of the Ninth Cavalry
Buffalo Soldiers and Indian Wars
Who Are The Buffalo Soldiers?
Buffalo Soldiers and the Constitution

I remember when I first heard this song. I was in middle school and thought it had a cool beat. I also thought that it had a good message, but didn't think much more about it--except thinking what is a buffalo soldier? Being young and naive, I assumed it was slang for something I didn't know anything about.

Now, re-listening to this song, I realize the true importance of it and how we have been mis-educated in regards to American history. It is interesting to see what is taught, not taught, or conveniently left out in our schools. In reading information I found in the above mentioned websites I have been re-educated. I catch this happening a lot in regards to history. I think maybe that is why I am so fascinated and passionate about learning about the past. According to Wikipedia, the title and lyrics to Bob Marley's song Buffalo Soldier refer to the black U.S. cavalry regiments known as "buffalo soldiers" that fought the Indian Wars after 1866. The "buffalo soldiers" were the first peace time all black regiments in the regular U.S. army. Many cultural historians have criticized this movement because many times this cavalry were known as "shock troops" meaning that they were the first to go in against the enemy and clearly had the biggest chance of death. Here is a video that tells a little about the Buffalo Soldiers history.



Here is a video done by actual buffalo soldiers



If I was to teach this to a group of middle school students, we would first listen to the song and have them interpret what the lyrics meant, what Marley was referring to by the buffalo soldiers, and what is the over-arching message? Once students have analyzed that, I think it would be important to teach them a little bit about the buffalo soldiers from this time period. This would be a good place to share the timeline. I believe that this timeline could be used in a lecture about the history of the Buffalo Soldier prior to them doing their research on the ninth and tenth cavalries. This way students have some prior knowledge going into their topic and will be able to narrow their information.One way we could do this is by having them pair up and research one of the cavalries and report to the class what they learned. They could also state what they didn't know previously to this assignment, and how this information may be relevant in today's world.
Here is my timeline which I made into a movie that highlights African Americans in the armed forces from 1812-present.




We could then open this up into a discussion on race relations, discrimination, racism and prejudice. What examples do we see in our society that deal with these issues? When you see this, what do you do? What should you do? How can we change this in society? One way to look at these issues is to look at images in the media throughout history. On the website Planet Tolerance, they do exactly this. The lesson is entitled Images in Action. Historical and modern day images often contain hidden messages about us, about others and about our world. These subtle lessons lie just beneath the surface. In order to see them, we must replace passive consumption of images with critical analysis. We can no longer accept a sculpture or a logo at face value. We must dig deeper. We must ask questions about why we perceive things the way we do. I would like to have students explore this site. After they have had time to explore and take the information in, I would end the lesson with having them do the following:

Based on your own research, what types of prejudice and racism do you think the buffalo soldiers were faced with? Draw a picture and explain it. Then, have students draw the depiction that the buffalo soldier should have been viewed as and explain it. Have them share these with the class.

Some other useful websites are as follows:

Tolerance
Fight Hate and Promote Tolerance