This is a course meant to explore aspects of identity as they are constructed within relations of power, historically and to the present day. We will explore how race, culture, class, gender and sexuality are constructed socially with real, material effects. Through reading, writing, film and discussion in small and large groups we will explore the nature of human identity, the extent of our differences and sameness, and how larger social structures shape our understandings of ourselves and our relations with other people.
The work you do in this course is meant to be relevant, and to engage a broader audience beyond our classroom walls. In this course you will not only explore the scholarship on identity from a sociological perspective, but also experiment with and build skills related to website design, peer leadership and peer feedback, skills you can apply across contexts.
Our coursework is hosted here on the HASTAC platform. HASTAC (pronounced Hay-stack) is an academic social network that enables the value of your work in this course to extend beyond the course itself. Through public blog posts, website page design, video, art and peer feedback what you do in this course is not solely for the sake of the grade, or for the instructor. What you do in this course matters as contributing to ongoing discussion, debate, connection and knowledge. I hope that you can forge connections with others inside and outside of this class, so that through learning we are all more connected. Using HASTAC (and this pedagogical approach) is new to me, so I am still learning how to navigate the site. As a teacher, I believe it is important to try new approaches and strategies. I want my teaching to evolve beyond the traditional, expected methods that do little more than teach conformity. As a teacher, I am also a learner. Taking my courses to HASTAC is an expression of this learner-mindset, and the accompanying vulnerability inherent in trying something new, in going beyond the comfort zone. I hope you will choose to do the same in this time and space together, to push yourself outside of predictability, to try new things and to appreciate that no one ever finishes growing, evolving, changing. I look forward to our time together!
About me
My name is Hope Andromeda Kitts. I was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I went to college at The New School, in New York City. I worked as a waitress, grocery store cashier, and gallery hand throughout college. After college I tagged along with two friends to France and India. In India I was fortunate to discover Vipassana, ghee and chai. In 2009 I earned my Master’s degree in Education for Students with Disabilities from Brooklyn College in Brooklyn, New York. I worked in NYC as a special education teacher, until 2010, when the rats, the noise, the lonliness of the big city and the endless hussle and bussle drove me to seek out quieter, greener spaces. In 2010 I hiked the northern 700 miles of the Appalachian Trail–from Maine to Massachusetts–ready to settle wherever home was next meant to be. I wrote about this adventure here: https://andromedakitts.wordpress.com/
To my surprise I ended up back in Albuquerque. And I am glad I did. It was there that I met my husband, had our two children, walked with my grandmother as she passed from this life to the other side, earned my Ph.D., and made great friends I miss to this day. It was a very busy few years, to say the least. I earned my doctorate in Language, Literacy & Sociocultural Studies from the University of New Mexico in the summer of 2022. My dissertation research examined the intersections of critical pedagogy and teachers’ ideologies in public school settings, as well as the utility of teacher study groups for professional development on topics related to social justice.
I moved with my husband, dog and two young children to Duluth in June 2022 to start this tenure-track role of Assistant Professor in the department of Education at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. I am still new to UMD and Duluth, so I am still discovering so much about this place and learning the ways of people here. I will say, I find this place to be magical in many ways, and I feel so thankful to be invited to teach, research and serve here at UMD.
Please introduce yourself below!
Create a post here to let us know about you. This is a good opportunity to experiment with the HASTAC platform, settings, blog format and options. Don’t worry about it being perfect! Let it be messy and imperfect. Give yourself and others grace. So, who are you? What do you like to do? What is important to you? Why are you taking this class? What do you look forward to? How do you envision your life unfolding? What does “human diversity” mean to you? (Some big questions in there, I know. Just some ideas to get you started)
(Choose headings by clicking the plus sign at the right, then paragraphs/images to add content). (I plan to go over this as a whole group in class our first day or two).
