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TransactionalPR

~ Community-Identity-Communication

TransactionalPR

Tag Archives: race and media

Celebrating That Which Is Difficult

10 Tuesday Mar 2015

Posted by metagcarstarphen in Conversations

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

graduate education, OU President David Boren, OU Unheard, race and media

When classes began January 12th at my university, I was not there. I am on what is called a sabbatical, which is usually defined as a period of rest. And while I occasionally sleep in a little later than before, and certainly read a lot less email, I have not been idle.

For me, this brief period has become about embracing complexity and struggle. My research projects are pushing me to read widely and think deeply. I have writing deadlines, some self-imposed, that are demanding that I plan my time carefully and strategically. And I have signed up for classes where I can learn new things.

In one of these new classes, I am without a doubt the worst student in the class. No really—I am that bad. Later, I will write more about this experience because I am sticking with it and I am determined to improve. But what I am already taking away from this new challenge are things that will surely help me when I go back to my own classroom. This includes that feeling of not quite catching on to something as quickly as you feel others are mastering something. It also includes the powerful effect of having a teacher not give up on you, of someone sharing encouragement when you most need it, as my marvelous instructor has done. I think that everyone who teaches something should take a turn at learning something in unfamiliar terrain.

All of this is on the heels of a challenging job I just finished as director of the graduate program at the Gaylord College at OU. In my four-year tenure, 76 students from our combined Masters of Arts, Master of Professional Writing and Ph.D. programs completed their degrees. Five students I assigned in instructional support roles received top teaching awards from the university. On an annual basis, I oversaw the academic progress of anywhere from 73 to 92 students who could enroll in most of our programs on a rolling basis throughout the calendar year.  I also wrote about 274 petitions on behalf of my students, requesting a range of allowances for them, including anything from a missed paperwork deadline to the more serious issues involving personal struggles or death of family members.

One of my biggest challenges was finding out during my first semester on the job that the five-year probationary period the state granted us for our new Ph.D. degree was expiring, but we had not made our project enrollment and graduation goals. I took the lead on crafting a memo requesting an extension, and when it was granted in 2011, I got to work.

The biggest task was to get students in the program and out in a timely manner and with sufficient numbers to keep going. My efforts wound up helping all of our graduate students, including the creation of our first course rotation, an expanded roster of graduate faculty who could serve on committees, the launch our first online graduate class, an increase of our weekend/evening 1-credit class offerings, and the addition of graduate classes to our summer schedule.

This was definitely NOT sexy stuff. But by May 2014, we had confirmation that our program was off probation and tracking well. And when I passed the baton in December 2014, it was after co-chairing a small task force of faculty and staff members to help chart out future directions for our program. I left a short report of our ideas for new certificates, a combination undergraduate/graduate degree and new professional degrees that our amazing faculty had proposed. I am looking forward to seeing what exciting futures are in store for the graduate program.

For the past few days, I have once again been reminded to celebrate difficult things, as I watch OU President David Boren move swiftly and with conviction to counter the racism a viral video exposed. Students in a class I created, JMC 4853: Race, Gender and the Media were actively involved in supporting the student-led rallies but covering these events as fledgling journalists. My doctoral advisee, Amanda Kehrberg is teaching the class this semester and is doing a masterful job in fulfilling one of the goals of the class: to “provide a safe place” for students to grapple with current issues of social justice and make practical applications of that knowledge.

Doing what is right in public must be hard, because we seem to see so few people doing it, particularly under the glare of media attention. Kudos to President Boren for showing by example how it can be done. Cheers to the students of @OU_Unheard for organizing such a powerful call-to-action. And, a big salute must go to the students who had the courage to expose the video in the first place, in the hope that things would change for the better.

Imagine what could happen if we all took on something difficult. I’ve told you about some of my choices. What are yours?

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A “native” Holiday, From a Native Point of View

22 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by metagcarstarphen in Conversations, Ethnic Media, Observances

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

American Indian heritage, Indian culture, Native American Day, President Obama proclamation, race and media, Thanksgiving Day

It’s the kind of question that we throw out frequently around this time of year.  It seems harmless enough, and more often than not, we know what the answers will be.

Question: “What are you doing for Thanksgiving?”

Possible Answers:  “I’m having dinner at my place for [pick a number] people.”  “I’m going to [pick a family member]’s house for dinner.”  “My friends and I are going out to eat at [pick a restaurant].  Throw in a little football or a newly released movie, and you would describe the ritual for a lot of us.

Now, it seems, we have a new option: shopping.  As major retailers [you know who they are] announce that they will open they overstuffed doors on Thanksgiving Day instead of the day after, media commentators debate the significance of this shift.  For instance, Katrina Trinko argues that we have gone too far, while her USA Today colleague, Matthew Shay, counters that we are only getting what we asked for.

Lost in the fog of food and bargain-shopping is the designation of November as Native American Heritage Month.  On November 1, 2012, President Obama signed a proclamation that officially recognized this month.  In the call-to-action, the proclamation does not whitewash the difficult histories of Native peoples in the Americas.  Instead, it says that ,“In paying tribute to Native American achievements, we must also acknowledge the parts of our shared history that have been marred by violence and tragic mistreatment. “

My friend and colleague, John Sanchez, brought this home to me one year when I asked him about his Thanksgiving Day plans.  Although he is based in Pennsylvania and I in Oklahoma, we worked together for three years to produce a book, American Indians and the Mass Media.

My book, published this year by the University of Oklahoma (OU) Press

Our book breaks ground with a singular focus on the involvement of Native/American Indians in all aspects of the media, from newspapers to online media; from stereotypical marketing portrayals to independent film images; from strategic public relations efforts to media law challenges.  After a particularly intense work session on one phase of this project, I longed for the upcoming holiday breaks.  I asked John “the question.”  After a pause, he said he didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving and explained the many reasons way.  Ironically, I already knew intellectually the reasons why he wouldn’t want to celebrate Thanksgiving in the national tradition, but this knowledge was disconnected from the human, and often emotional, impact of our Thanksgiving myths.

We all know the iconic stories about noble Indians joining weary Puritans for a grand meal in 1621 to celebrate new friendships and partnerships.  Along the way, Indians are said to have taught these English settlers key farming and food techniques that saved the newcomers’ lives and communities.  To celebrate these ideas, we have decorations, plays and art, such as this famous painting by artist Jean Leon Jerome Ferris, named The First Thanksgiving.

Myth becomes art in this iconic painting, The First Thanksgiving.

This romanticized 20th century painting, according to the book, History of the Portrait Collection, Independence National Historical Park, has factual errors that nevertheless have become fixed in American cultural memory because of the powerful influence of this art,

But as this renowned Native writer and scholar explains in this blog post, the Thanksgiving observances heap injury upon insult upon the true and complicated stories of Indians in the Americas.  And our public schools can be the worst offenders, creating plays and pageantry encouraging children to embrace stereotypes and false information.

Photograph by Robert C. Lautman

Thankfully, places like the National Museum of the American Indian exist, as stewards of honest interpretations of native history, culture and contemporary life.  And while Thanksgiving festivities may not be part of all American Indian family traditions, there is Native support for this month, and one day especially, designed to call attention to Native American heritage.  In a poignant coincidence, the winner of the National Book Award, announced this month, was Indian author Louise Erdrich, for her latest novel, The Round House.  Harvard Scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. does a fascinating interview with Erdrich about her background that I often use in training workshops and classes about the multiple dimensions of race and identity.

It seems to me that there can be plenty of good reasons to set aside a time during the year to be thankful for the blessings in our lives.  Thanksgiving is as good a time as any.  But we can make it all the more meaningful by pausing to learn something that is true, inspiring, and factual about American Indians, and there are plenty of resources to do so.  If we must shop, it might not hurt to observe the small business shopping day initiative by seeking out Indian-owned businesses, too.

Be blessed, and Happy Native American heritage month to you!

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Dr. Meta G. Carstarphen

Professor
Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication
405.310.9081
mcarstarphen@ou.edu
**Check out my personal blog about learning, life, and engagement at http://metaprof7.wordpress.com

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