GLI PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE: LOCAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT II SERVICE LEARNING IN WOMEN AND GLOBAL POLITICS DR. JENNIFER LEIGH DISNEY ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE SEPTEMBER 17, 2011

HOW IS GLOBAL DEFINED BY THE GLOBAL LEARNING INITIATIVE (GLI)? GLOBAL: “LOCAL, REGIONAL, NATIONAL, AND/OR INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES THAT MAY DIFFER FROM ONE’S OWN CULTURE.” VEALLAUDIENCES.PDF

HOW IS A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE COURSE DEFINED BY THE TOUCHSTONE PROGRAM? “THE COURSE DEALS PRIMARILY WITH SOCIETIES AND CULTURES OUTSIDE THE DOMINANT HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL EXPERIENCE OF THE UNITED STATES.” “THE COURSE RELATES TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND FUNCTIONING OF THE MODERN WORLD.” (TOUCHSTONE PROGRAM COURSE APPLICATION: GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE COMPONENT, NE/FORMS/PROPOSALS.HTM) NE/FORMS/PROPOSALS.HTM

WOMEN AND GLOBAL POLITICS SERVICE LEARNING ASSIGNMENT #1 THIS CLASS WILL INCLUDE A SERVICE LEARNING/DIRECT ACTION PROJECT. EACH OF YOU WILL BE ASKED TO VOLUNTEER AT ONE OF SEVERAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS IN ROCK HILL WITH A WOMEN, GENDER, RACE, CLASS, ETHNICITY, SEXUALITY AND/OR FAMILY COMPONENT: A PLACE FOR HOPE (IMPOVERISHED AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER), INTERFAITH HOSPITALITY NETWORK (PROVIDES PLACES TO STAY AND SUPPORT FOR HOMELESS FAMILIES); PILGRIM’S INN (EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE, COUNSELING, AND HOUSING FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN), ST. ANNE’S CATHOLIC CHURCH (VIETNAMESE AND LATINO ESL CLASSES); THE INTERNATIONAL CENTER OF YORK COUNTY (IMMIGRANT CITIZENSHIP CLASSES AND UNITED WAY LATINA BATTERED WOMEN PROGRAM); THE CATAWBA INDIAN RESERVATION; CATAWBA CARE COALITION (HIV/AIDS).

WOMEN AND GLOBAL POLITICS SERVICE LEARNING ASSIGNMENT #1 SERVICE LEARNING IS DESIGNED TO BE 50% SERVICE AND 50% LEARNING. SO, YOU WILL BOTH: (1) PROVIDE A NEEDED SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION WITH WHICH YOU CHOOSE TO WORK; AND (2) LEARN FROM THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION AND THE WOMEN IN THAT COMMUNITY AND SHARE WHAT YOU LEARN THROUGH A DIRECT ACTION PROJECT DONE ON THE WINTHROP UNIVERSITY CAMPUS. YOU CAN SELECT A PARTICULAR ISSUE (WOMEN’S HEALTH, WOMEN’S ACCESS TO EDUCATION, REPRODUCTIVE AND SEXUAL RIGHTS) OR THEME (CULTURE, LANGUAGE, RACE, CLASS, SEXUALITY, ETHNICITY) TO EXAMINE THROUGH THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION WITH WHICH YOU ARE WORKING. YOU CAN WORK ALONE, IN A PAIR, OR IN A GROUP. I WANT YOU TO THINK CREATIVELY AND MAKE A POSITIVE EDUCATIONAL IMPACT IN THE COMMUNITY YOU SERVE AND IN OUR CAMPUS COMMUNITY.

WOMEN AND GLOBAL POLITICS SERVICE LEARNING ASSIGNMENT #1 THE SERVICE LEARNING COMPONENT OF THE CLASS IS 20% OF YOUR GRADE AND WILL CONSIST OF: (1) 15 COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS; (2) ONE DIRECT ACTION PROJECT HERE ON CAMPUS CREATIVELY DESIGNED BY YOU TO EDUCATE THE WINTHROP COMMUNITY ABOUT YOUR ISSUE, ORGANIZATION, OR CLASS OF WOMEN; (3) ONE 1 PAGE DIRECT ACTION REPORT, WHERE YOU TELL ME WHAT YOU HAVE DONE OR WHAT YOU INTEND TO DO FOR YOUR DIRECT ACTION ON CAMPUS; (4) ONE 2 PAGE CRITICAL/REFLECTIVE ESSAY ON YOUR SERVICE LEARNING AND DIRECT ACTION PROJECTS, BASED ON A CULMINATION OF YOUR REFLECTIONS MADE THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER.

WOMEN AND GLOBAL POLITICS SERVICE LEARNING ASSIGNMENT #2 I WILL ASK EACH OF YOU TO WORK IN PAIRS TO EXPLORE THE LIVES/ORAL HISTORIES OF EITHER: (1) THE WOMEN OF THE BLACKMON ROAD COMMUNITY; (2) THE WOMEN OF THE LATINA COMMUNITY OF ROCK HILL; OR (3) THE WOMEN OF THE VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY OF ROCK HILL. SERVICE LEARNING IS DESIGNED TO BE 50% SERVICE AND 50% LEARNING. SO, YOU WILL BOTH: (1) PROVIDE A NEEDED SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY WITH WHICH YOU CHOOSE TO WORK; AND (2) LEARN FROM THE COMMUNITY BY UTILIZING INTERVIEWING METHODOLOGY AND CONDUCTING AN ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW OF A WOMAN IN THE COMMUNITY.

WOMEN AND GLOBAL POLITICS SERVICE LEARNING ASSIGNMENT #2 COLLECTING THE STORIES OF WOMEN WHO REPRESENT MARGINALIZED, UNDERREPRESENTED, AND/OR UNDEREXAMINED GROUPS, SUCH AS WOMEN OF COLOR AND POOR OR WORKING CLASS WOMEN, IS NOT ONLY NECESSARY TO FILL THE HOLES OF HISTORY, AND ESSENTIAL TO CRITIQUE EXISTING AND CONSTRUCT NEW THEORIES OF FEMINIST AGENCY, BUT THE PROCESS ITSELF IS ALSO OFTEN EMPOWERING TO WOMEN THEMSELVES TO BE ABLE TO SHARE THEIR STORIES WITH THE WORLD. WE WILL WORK AS A CLASS TO CREATE THE SLATE OF INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND DISCUSS ALL OF THE ISSUES CONNECTED TO THIS TYPE OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH, INCLUDING CONFIDENTIALITY AND INFORMED CONSENT.

WOMEN AND GLOBAL POLITICS SERVICE LEARNING ASSIGNMENT #2 THE SERVICE LEARNING COMPONENT OF THE CLASS IS 30% OF YOUR GRADE AND WILL CONSIST OF: (1) 20 COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS; (2) 1 COMPLETED INTERVIEW AND TRANSCRIPT; (3) ONE 5 PAGE CRITICAL/REFLECTIVE ESSAY BASED ON A CULMINATION OF YOUR REFLECTIONS MADE THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER.

WOMEN AND GLOBAL POLITICS SERVICE LEARNING ASSIGNMENT A MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS CLASS IS FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT HOW TO LINK FEMINIST THEORY AND PRACTICE IN YOUR OWN LIVES. CHANDRA TALPADE MOHANTY’S FEMINISM WITHOUT BORDERS: DECOLONIZING THEORY, PRACTICING SOLIDARITY (DUKE UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2003) IS EXTREMELY INFORMATIVE HERE.

THEORIES AND METHODS OF INTERSECTIONALITY ARE GLOBAL INTERSECTIONALITY IS THE RECOGNITION THAT MULTIPLE IDENTITIES (GENDER, RACE, CLASS, NATIONALITY, ETHNICITY, SEXUALITY) AND SYSTEMS OF POWER AND OPPRESSION (PATRIARCHY, SEXISM, RACISM, CLASSISM, CAPITALISM, IMPERIALISM, HOMOPHOBIA) OPERATE IN SIMULTANEOUS AND INTERSECTING WAYS IN THE HUMAN CONDITION AND THE COMMITMENT TO CONDUCT RESEARCH ACCORDINGLY.