Hello My Name is Jen Moon. I’m an Associate Professor of Instruction in the College of Natural Sciences and a Provost’s Teaching Fellow. And, I’m Katie Dawson, an Associate Professor in the College of Fine Arts and Provost’s Teaching Fellow. Jen: We are two of the rotating co-hosts for this show, a podcast for teachers who are good enough teachers to know that we could be better. Katie: We are recording today’s episode during a time of deep crisis in the US. A time when a global pandemic has revealed many of the deeper problems in American society. One of the most critical is our 401 year old, ongoing history of racism, police violence, and social inequality. Faculty from the University of Texas, including today's guest Dr. Peniel Joseph, are doing essential work bringing to the public the history and contemporary implications of these issues. Today we want to talk to Peniel about the intersections between his research, activism, and teaching. ** Specifically we are excited to hear his thoughts about how every university teacher can be actively working to cultivate a more just, equitable and anti-racist learning environment for our students. Jen: Before we get to the questions, let us briefly introduce Dr. Peniel Joseph. Peniel Joseph holds a joint professorship appointment at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the History Department in the College of Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. He is also the founding director of the LBJ School’s Center for the Study of Race and Democracy. His career focus has been on “Black Power Studies,” which encompasses interdisciplinary fields such as Africana studies, law and society, women’s and ethnic studies, and political science. Peniel has written a number of award winning books, with his most recent book entitled The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Peniel - thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us today. I know we’re short on time, so let’s jump right into it. Jen: In our faculty learning community we talk alot about the fact that who we are as people shapes who we are as teachers. So, we’d love to begin by learning more about your personal story. How does your life experience shape who you are as a teacher? Possible Follow-Up: * What shaped your desire to study and teach about race, social inequality, and other related issues? * How and why do you bring your personal experience into the classroom? Katie: We also talk about how our students’ backgrounds and experiences shape the quality of their engagement in our classrooms. We’d love to hear how your teaching engages with your students’ background and experiences? Possible Follow-UP: * Your Provost Teaching Fellows project “Race, Democracy and Global Social Justice: How studying inequality and vulnerability can transform the world” examines the intersections of history and contemporary policy, specifically its disparate impact on communities of color...Do you have any tips or reminders for our listeners about how to make sure our Black, Indigenous and other students of color are seeing their lives and experiences reflected in our coursework and classroom instruction? * How do you make space to discuss questions and issues related to whiteness and racism ? (can reference learning community syllabi workshop) JEN: As we have experienced though our work with the Provosts Teaching fellows, building community is an effective way to scaffold teaching and learning environments in and outside the classroom. Can you talk a little bit about the The Center for the Study of Race and Democracy which you direct. In what ways does your Center work to foster a community of faculty and students with common research interests? [a]How do you see the power of such networks as enhancing your teaching and research mission? [b] Katie: You are a first year Provost’s Teaching Fellows and are just beginning your project. How will your project expand upon the community building work of your center? Jen: What can we ALL do to promote an inclusive or ideally an actively anti-rascist environment in (and outside) our classrooms? Follow up: (Maybe?) How important is bringing a global perspective to students in their study or understanding of race and democracy? KD: Peneil we’d like to end our conversation by asking you to share a memorable teaching moment--something that happened in the classroom that really impacted your approach to university teaching. This could be something that was really positive, or a moment of significant learning. **Or, a memorable teaching moment! *** Do we ask the same questions in blue above to our other guests?? (Yes - maybe slightly reworded?) We focus on the personal stories of faculty members and explore how our lived experiences shape our research and teaching. We don’t have all the answers here, so we like to close with what we’re still trying to get right. Hello, my name is Stephanie Seidel Holmsten. I’m an assistant professor of instruction in the International Relations and Global Studies program in the Government department. I’m a Provost’s Teaching Fellow. Hello, my name is Jen Moon. I’m an Associate Professor of Instruction in the College of Natural Sciences and a Provost’s Teaching Fellow. JM: Our guest is Dr. Chelsi West Ohueri (oh WHORE ee)…who brings a unique perspective to her teaching and research on race -- that comes out of her life and work in the US and abroad. SH: Dr. Chelsi West Ohueri is a cultural anthropologist and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies She has appointments in the Department of Anthropology and the Department of African and African Diaspora Studies. Her scholarship and teaching are primarily concerned with the study of racialization, marginalization, and structural inequality. She has conducted extensive ethnographic research throughout Albania and is interested in configurations of race and belonging among Albanian, Romani, and Egyptian communities in Southeastern Europe. She has published numerous articles on these issues, but also on race and health disparities in Austin Texas. SH: Chesli - hello! Thanks for joining us today! We are excited to talk with you about your research, anthropology, race, marginalization and teaching and what we’re still trying to get right. 1. SH: We wanted to start with asking you a little about yourself -- tell us about growing up in Mississippi and explain how in the world you ended up in Albania?? 2. JM: You have an amazing platform to speak with students about race. How does your research affect the way you structure the class or affect the kinds of work you do in the classroom? SH: How are you sensitive to race and gender in your classroom? 3. SH: This is a particular moment, for sure, a global pandemic, deep wrestling with race and persistent systems of marginalization, and upcoming election. How will you approach your class this fall? 1. How do you think college students are experiencing this moment? How do you equip students, arguably our next generation of leaders, to be a part of breaking down these systems of marginalization? Where is your hope coming from? 4. JM: We’d like to end our conversation by asking you to share a memorable teaching moment--something that happened in the classroom that was an aha moment or maybe a moment that made you think...what are you still wrestling with in the classroom? * How has personal experience shaped your teaching on race and inequality? * How have found and worked through communities of research or teaching practice to support your own teaching? * How have you tried to create communities of learning in your classes? ****** BIO for Peniel Joseph, Ph.D. In Fall 2015, Dr. Peniel E. Joseph joined the University of Texas at Austin as Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy. He received a joint professorship appointment at the LBJ School of Public Affairs as the Barbara Jordan Chair in Ethics and Political Values and at the History Department in the College of Liberal Arts. Prior to joining the UT faculty, Dr. Joseph was a professor at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, where he also founded the school’s Center for the Study of Race and Democracy to promote engaged research and scholarship focused on the ways issues of race and democracy impact the lives of global citizens. He received a B.A. from SUNY at Stony Brook and a Ph.D. from Temple University. Dr. Joseph’s career focus has been on what he describes as “Black Power Studies,” which encompasses interdisciplinary fields such as Africana studies, law and society, women’s and ethnic studies, and political science. He is a frequent national commentator on issues of race, democracy and civil rights, and has authored award-winning books Waiting ‘Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America and Dark Days, Bright Nights: From Black Power to Barack Obama. Dr. Joseph’s most recent book, The Sword and The Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. examines the political lives of two social-movement leaders who assumed divergent, but crucially similar roles. Stokely: A Life, has been called the definitive biography of Stokely Carmichael, the man who popularized the phrase “black power” and led the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, known as the SNCC. The recipient of fellowships from Harvard University’s Charles Warren Center, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Ford Foundation, his essays have appeared in The Journal of American History, The Chronicle Review, The New York Times, The Black Scholar, Souls, and American Historical Review. Dr. Joseph is a frequent contributor to Newsweek, TheRoot and Reuters, and, his articles, Op-Eds, and book reviews have been published in newspapers from The Washington Post to The New York Times. Dr. Joseph’s commentary has also been featured on National Public Radio, The Colbert Report, PBS, and MSNBC. [a]Mary will work on ! :) [b]Jen, this section still seems a little clunky. I can work on it or I can leave it to you.