Teaching
Revelry and Resistance: The Politics of Carnival in the Caribbean
What happens when celebration itself becomes an act of resistance? Emerging from the entangled histories of slavery, colonization, and migration, carnival in the Caribbean has become a contested arena for identity, critique, and survival. This course explores carnival and carnivalesque celebrations in the region as spaces where joy, masquerade, and performance both disrupt and reimagine social order. Tracing the development of several “carnivals” across the Caribbean, we will investigate how these celebrations become sites of freedom, social commentary, and creative resistance.
Intro to African American History
This course introduces students to the study of Black/African American people in the United States while also making connections to other African diaspora communities to frame the inextricable ways that slavery, colonialism, and imperialism has impacted the diaspora as a whole. This course is an exploration in the historical, cultural, and intellectual experiences in Black/African American life and offers students an overview of the field and is an introduction to the discipline
Foundations for Building a Just Society
In this course, students will develop awareness, knowledge, analytical tools, and interpersonal skills related to diversity that will provide a foundation for exploration, growth, and constructive contributions to the University community and beyond. Students will identify ways that past and current societal forces (structures, political agendas, policies, practices, narratives) perpetuate or resist hierarchies of social identity; we will highlight racism and antiracism as clear exemplars of these dynamics.
Mason Service Corps
Community Based Learning in the form of Service-Learning is a key component of this course. Students will connect reading assignments, reflection and service learning to explore concepts of community engagement, with particular attention to: social change, effectiveness in groups, and personal leadership development. Students will learn about various social justice issues, critically analyze community engagement and understand elements that create positive social change.
