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Pedagogical Impacts

The impact of my pedagogy is probably most responsible for my teaching success. I utilize oppositional questions to mobilize discussion as well as creative writing and performance as strategies for self-expression in courses focused around theoretical analysis. 

Innovative Course

Classes that I have designed, my pedagogical practice and aspects of my research are all intertwined. The courses in which these elements have fused most effectively are “Hip Hop as Poetry, Literature and Cultural Expression” (which I taught from 2006-2020) and “Introduction to African American Literature” (which I taught from 1998-2019). The article, “Pedagogical Poetics and Curricular Design in the Interracial Classroom: A Black Female Perspective” addresses the pedagogical approach I have used in both classes. Additionally the video “Writing Stories,” gives a brief overview of the origins and impact of this course.

Embedded Study Abroad Programs 

I pioneered the first study abroad programs between the University of Oklahoma and Jamaica. In 2002 I took four students for an “Africana Studies Practicum” to the rural community of Woodside Jamaica. They studies with established writer, historian, novelist and community activist Erna Brodber, taught in the village summer school, lived with rural residents, learned about the music and culture of the region and participated in the community’s emancipation celebration. I co-led a second program in the summer of 2016. The group consisted of six students, two faculty members as well as a staff member. The attached video and pictures showcase aspects of that trip.

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