As our goal on this project is to create a podcast, I recall that my first thoughts were to bring in student voices and experiences to conversations about language, oral and written communication, and, of course, identity. I envisioned students sharing their work and their insights about their work and, I would hope, thinking about identity as a thing both formed and forming.
Obviously, an overabundance of elements go into creating our identity in that moment that we stop to think about what it is, but as a thing in perpetual flux, a constructive self-awareness, such as we would like to foster, is a most valuable attribute, especially if we remember that we’re creating both our perception of ourselves and our world through language. Of course, many of my aspirations are also more practical and their impact more clearly applicable to student learning outcomes.
Where do I see this project going? Pending IRB approval and release forms signed by those students we would invite to participate, we could have students share their insights on language and identity by reading and discussing excerpts from reflective writing assignments. Perhaps they could pose their own questions to us. Maybe we could have several students in round-table discussions. Dr. Hamilton and I could have brief discussions or commentary with each other or with the students. We might have students from different disciplines query each other. Eventually, guest experts could even be invited to share insights.
Ideally, after we have satisfactorily met our ethical and legal obligations, we would move on to our professional obligations. We would continue our cross-disciplinary exchange and maybe expand on it by bringing in other disciplines from the sciences and the arts. We could create a database of podcast episodes and individual interviews and conversations that could be used in our classrooms. We could contact people beyond the university, both local and regional, to join our conversations about the role of language and its perception in shaping what we think of ourselves and others. In any event, I believe it’s exciting and important to be mindful of these goals as we work our way through these preliminary steps.
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