1. Jacqueline Jones Royster asks, "What might happen if we treated differences in subject position as critical pieces of the whole, vital to thorough understanding, and central to both problem finding and problem-solving? This society has not, as yet, really allowed that privilege in a substantial way" (34). Royster wrote "When the First Voice You Hear Is Not your Own" in 1996. While there has been some progress in the research and discourse taking place within academia since then, there has also been further polarization and division in our country, which makes this work all the more vital and yet all the more challenging. How do you envision incorporating this work into the composition classroom?
2. In "Where We Are: Disability and Accessibility: Moving Beyond Disability 2.0 in Composition Studies," Tara Wood et al. acknowledge that "moving beyond Disability 2.0 requires us to start with teacher training" (148). What kind of training do you think would be most useful for you when thinking about how to construct a course and teach in an accessible and inclusive manner?
HI Annaliisa,
ReplyDeleteAbout your first question. I think that you are completely right to mention how polarized society is today, which means that teaching students to navigate contact zones in a way that treats all students with respect is even more important than ever. I believe that the first step for a composition teacher will be to make the classroom a space where every student is free to voice their identities and concerns, to be understood as being authentic and free from performance, and where other students actively listen and learn.