CRITICAL DIALOGUES
Introduction: (5 minutes)
Purpose:
• To communicate our own understandings of the role race, class, culture, and language
play in our work as scholars to each other.
• To learn from other people’s experiences and perspectives on these roles
• To discuss how these roles inform our Vision(s) of CEMELA work
• To begin building a repertoire of strategies to proactively and simultaneously affirm
CEMELA’s work and address critiques inside and outside of the academy (e.g.
researchers, schools, public at large).
-- Give examples
Pre-Activity: Setting Ground rules (15 minutes)
In order to participate fully in these activities we need to have ground rules. We’ve put
together a framework that includes some ground rules. I will go over these and we will
have a chance to revise and add to them.
Activity 1: Cultural History (1 hour)
Create a visual representation that addresses the following:
• Describe your cultural identity (e.g. race, class, culture, gender, language).
• Describe a critical moment/incident in which your cultural identity was affirmed.
• Describe a critical moment/incident in which your cultural identity was questioned.
• Describe a critical moment/incident in which your cultural identity impacted your
development as a scholar.
Debriefing questions:
• What patterns are there in our stories?
• How does what we have experienced influence our work as CEMELA Scholars?
BREAK:
Activity 2: Critical Reflections (1 hour minutes)
Think about the various aspects of our work as CEMELA scholars
• Research
• Mentoring
• Professional development
In what ways does our cultural identities inform this work? How does our cultural
identity enable and constrain (strengthen and problematize) this work?
What can be done to affirm our cultural identities while participating in CEMELA?
(Discuss in small groups - by particular cultural groups? Switch midway in the
discussions)
• Debrief discussion: Highlight main points of discussion with group
Activity 3: Coming up with Strategies to Affirm CEMELA’s work (45 minutes)
• In small groups (Cross Site)
Individually: Think about ways we can affirm CEMELA work: as individuals &
collectively
Come up with a 1-2 ideas to address the following questions:
What can I do to Affirm my own work in CEMELA?
What can I do to Affirm my CEMELA colleague’s work in CEMELA?
What can I do to Affirm our CEMELA fellows/post-doc’s work in CEMELA?
What can I do to Affirm CEMELA’s work to the public (Latinos, Non-Latinos)?
What can I do to Affirm CEMELA’s work to professional/academic colleagues (in your
institution, department, schools, fields)?
• Discuss your ideas and write them on poster papers. We will collect these ideas and
continue to revisit them throughout CEMELA activities over the next few years.
CULTURAL IDENTITIES AND CEMELA WORK
Think about the various aspects of our work as CEMELA scholars
• Research
• Mentoring
• Professional Development
A) In what ways does our cultural identities inform this work?
B ) How does our cultural identity enable and constrain
(strengthen and problematize) this work?
C) What can be done to affirm our cultural identities while
participating in CEMELA?
CULTURAL IDENTITIES AND CEMELA WORK
Think about the various aspects of our work as CEMELA scholars
• Research
• Mentoring
• Professional Development
A) In what ways does our cultural identities inform this work?
B ) How does our cultural identity enable and constrain
(strengthen and problematize) this work?
D) What can be done to affirm our cultural identities while
participating in CEMELA?
AFFIRMING CEMELA WORK
Activity 3: Coming up with Strategies to Affirm CEMELA’s work (45
minutes)
• In small groups (Cross Site)
Individually: Think about ways we can affirm CEMELA work: as
individuals & collectively
Come up with a 1-2 ideas to address the following questions:
• What can I do to Affirm my own work in CEMELA?
• What can I do to Affirm my CEMELA colleague’s work in CEMELA?
• What can I do to Affirm our CEMELA fellows/post-doc’s work in
CEMELA?
• What can I do to Affirm CEMELA’s work to the public (Latinos, NonLatinos)?
• What can I do to Affirm CEMELA’s work to professional/academic
colleagues (in your institution, department, schools, fields)?
• Discuss your ideas and write them on poster papers. We will collect these
ideas and continue to revisit them throughout CEMELA activities over the
next few years.