Overview of Week:
As we enter the last section of the course, please read the Introduction to Working for Community and Justice, which introduces this last section of the course.
“There are so many silences to be broken.” -Audre Lorde
Words have tremendous power to hurt, heal, provide solace and challenge; however, regardless of the intent and effect of our words, the act of writing or speaking a word breaks a silence, in other words, it is a social action that we take to communicate something. This week, we will consider how various expressions and uses of words are used to break silences in order to push for social change. These writers, poets, singers, and artists use their words to take social action—to elucidate the problems and to ultimately transform our societal hurts into healing. Using their words as a springboard, we will then create our own presentation of words highlighting a social justice issue that is important to us. As we do the work of this unit, we should consider our own work of “evoking hope,” as stated in the St. Catherine University Leadership Statement.
We will address the following course outcomes this week:
Introduction to Learning Video:
As we enter the last section of the course, please read the Introduction to Working for Community and Justice, which introduces this last section of the course.
“There are so many silences to be broken.” -Audre Lorde
Words have tremendous power to hurt, heal, provide solace and challenge; however, regardless of the intent and effect of our words, the act of writing or speaking a word breaks a silence, in other words, it is a social action that we take to communicate something. This week, we will consider how various expressions and uses of words are used to break silences in order to push for social change. These writers, poets, singers, and artists use their words to take social action—to elucidate the problems and to ultimately transform our societal hurts into healing. Using their words as a springboard, we will then create our own presentation of words highlighting a social justice issue that is important to us. As we do the work of this unit, we should consider our own work of “evoking hope,” as stated in the St. Catherine University Leadership Statement.
We will address the following course outcomes this week:
- Apply an understanding of social justice, as an active member of the St. Catherine community of scholars, with a particular focus on dismantling systemic racism
- Lead and influence
Introduction to Learning Video:
Critically Read, Watch and Annotate:
Critical Thinking Questions:
Create and Write:
Post:
Critical Thinking Questions:
- How do the filmmakers of Healing Words explore the question of how art can help the healing process? In the stories that they share, what evidence is presented that shows how art can create a more just healthcare system?
- In what ways is Hamilton an artistic expression that works for social justice?
- Rosling uses different kinds of words than Hamilton or poetry, but he is using words to make numbers more relatable and understandable. How does this work make Rosling an agent for social change?
- In Transformation of Silence into Language and Action by Audre Lorde, Lorde writes of her own struggle to express herself openly and honestly. What does the following quote by Lorde’s daughter indicate about the struggle to take social action: "Tell them about how you're never really a whole person if you remain silent, because there's always that one little piece inside you that wants to be spoken out, and if you keep ignoring it, it gets madder and madder and hotter and hotter, and if you don’t speak it out one day it will just up and punch you in the mouth from the inside."
- Leon Bridges says of his video “River,” “I believe it has the power to change and heal those that are hurting.” How do the words sung along with the images shown in this video create both a space to grieve and heal?
Create and Write:
- The final revision of your researched paper.
- An Artistic Expression of Social Action
Post:
- Your final social justice researched paper under Week 11.
- Post your “Artistic Expression of Social Action" to your learning community discussion board and respond to 2-3 other members in your community. When you respond, also say a word about which artist, scholar or musician most impressed you as engaging in effective social action through words.