My Teaching Approach

KNOWLEDGE:

* I believe:

1. Knowledge comes from a multitude of voices and perspectives.
   
2. Personal experiences are an important source of knowledge.
3. Teaching is a political act. I will not impart objective knowledge to you. I do not believe such a concept exists. I question and reject the idea of the professor as the 'privileged voice.'
4. Every participant in our class (including me) comes to the table with knowledge that is situated and 'incomplete.'

* I will strive for:

1. The democratic creation of knowledge in our classroom through egalitarian relationships.
   
2. A collaborative learning environment where your ideas are contributions to our collective knowledge.

RESPONSIBILITY

1. Students are responsible for their own learning.
2. My active-learning/discussion-based approach in the classroom requires active student participation. This entire process is contingent upon student preparation. You must do your reading.

"Feminist education - the feminist classroom - is and should be a place where there is a sense of struggle, where there is a visible acknowledgement of the union of theory and practice, where we work together as teachers and students to overcome the estrangement and alienation that have become so much the norm in the contemporary university. Most importantly, feminist pedagogy should engage students in a learning process that makes the world 'more real than less real.'"

-bell hooks