Wednesday, May 18, 2011
SJ Reflection 2
What a crazy weekend! So many emotions flying. This class continues to be a bit of a struggle to engage in, but I'm trying hard to listen and comment where I can. As a future leader, I still can't imagine hiring based on anything other than ability and experience. I do see a need to create healthy workplaces for all employees, but that's about as far as my social justice in business lens is taking me so far. I can understand the importance of human rights, and protecting culture and language, and how that can be a part of a business plan too. It's a little disappointing that in a business environment that has put so much attention on making everything social, that we haven't explored that aspect at all. This subject has so much potential depth to it that our superficial rumblings are almost painful. I respect all of the professors for coming clean and admitting to not bringing their "A Game" to the class, but I really think that though it is a difficult class to teach, if your not gonna show up fully then you shouldn't be there. It's not a good way to have difficult conversations nor create a safe space for open dialogue. To think that the students wouldn't immediately pick up on the hesitations of the teaching staff was not a particularly good strategy. After finally breaking the ice, I was hoping that there would be a marked difference in the Elluminate but it seems that there has been no adjustments. I continue to feel that our time is not being utilized fully.
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Hey there Benjamin,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry that the class continues to disappoint. I do have a few comments to make to your post, and I hope you hear me do it in a non-defensive way.
1. "As a future leader, I still can't imagine hiring based on other then ability and experience."
I can honestly say that we are not asking you to do otherwise. The intention of introducing you to power and privilege is to show you that not everybody as access to have the same access to ability and experience. Maybe that may mean that you might consider mentoring less privileged people: women, poor, ethnically considered the 'down' group; disabled people and others not having an equal playing field. Also, maybe you will consider challenging not paying women the same amount as men even if the organization has established policies.
2.We did have a discussion period in the following elluminate. Michele was asked to break into rooms at about 20 minutes to 6, but a question made it occur at 15 minutes to. It could have been longer, agreed, but Michele had already been prepped based on the previous model and yet we still attempted to incorporate a change. Please consider giving credit where credit is due even if it doesn't entirely meet your criteria.
3. This is a survey course necessarily because social justice is such a broad area. We don't go deeper because there are so many areas and so little time. This year we even cut out metrics and micro-finance. This was discussed this at the beginning of the course. Consider this course something like Psychology 101 where you do a broad survey and then the following quarters you take specialty areas like Abnormal Psych, or Social Psych. You can go deeper next year with a Da Lamanga class about Methods of Poverty Reduction.
4. I don't remember the faculty saying that we were not at our A game. I do know that I show up fully for you and give you more than my all. I also know that we said how difficult is is to teach this class. Each member of the faculty is top notch in our area, and we open our hearts and soul to you. I am sorry that I have not been able to make this visible to you. I feel disappointed in myself that I am not able to touch you.
masai