Brittney Smith
Rhetoric/Composition Senior Seminar
Short Paper 1
February 17, 2009
Black Identity and Pedagogy
Kennedy, T. M., Middleton, J.I., & Ratcliffe, K. “The Matter of Whiteness: or, Why
Whiteness Studies is Important to Rhetoric and Composition Studies.” Rhetoric Review
24.4 (2005): 359-373.
This discussion, conduct by a panel of scholars and professors across the United States, analyzes
the effect of white discourse and its purpose or role in rhetorical studies. Using previous
discourse on the study of whiteness, the panel argues the misconceptions surrounding the idea of
whiteness. By referring to the matter of whiteness in terms of existing theory, pedagogy, and
technology, the panel invokes the value and materiality of white discourse to construct a holistic
approach to white studies in rhetoric and composition. Because the information in this article
was submitted by reputable scholars, then compiled by a panel of reviewers from the Rhetoric
Review, this source is accurate and authoritative. In addition, the discussion exhausts as well as
explores every aspect of the conversation concerning white rhetorical studies. This source
presents varying ideas about white discourse, and thus will aid in the portion of my research that
explores the role of whiteness in the African American classroom.
Morrison, Toni. Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination. London: Vintage,
1993.
Toni Morrison is a celebrated African American writer known for her racially insightful novels
and staunch criticism of white canons in literature. In this book, Morrison explores the effects
that racism has had on American writing and society. Morrison argues that the characterization
of blacks in works by famous white authors like Edgar Allen Poe and Mark Twain has shaped
the black identity. Morrison cites many sources such as articles and primary bodies to support
her argument. This source is critical to my research due to its emphasis on white literature and its
effect on black identity. Negative portrayals of African American through literature read in the
classroom could be related to the way black students view themselves which could affect
academic performance.
Hooks, Bell. “Representing Whiteness in the Black Imagination.” Cultural Studies. Boston:
South End Press, 1999. 338-46.
Bell Hooks is a well-known and respected American writer and social activist. Her writings
typically explore racial oppression in society. In the chapter nineteen, “Representing Whiteness
in the Black Imagination,” of Cultural Studies, Hooks reveals the “profound psychological
impact of white racist domination” on African Americans (346). Hooks also evaluates the
perception of “sameness” that is subjected on blacks by whites. By offering a description of a
typical heated classroom debate involving race, Hooks asserts that whites lack comprehension of
the ethnographic gaze of blacks due to the invisibility of blacks to whites. Hooks claims that
blacks cope with invisibility by pretending to be comfortable in the face of whiteness. Hooks
argument will contribute to my research about black identity in relation to performance in the
classroom because it provides socially subjugated psychological reasons for black
underachievement.
Lewis, C.W., James, M., Hancock, S. “Framing African American Students' Success and
Failure in Urban Settings: a Typology For Change.” Urban Education 43.2 (2008):
127-153.
This study was conducted by researchers from Texas A&M University and the University of
North Carolina to explore the reasons for the success or failure of the African American student.
By studying data recording the gap between white and black students as well as the Matrix of
Achievement Paradigms, the article provides solutions to the dilemma of black academic
underachievement. The extensive research methods used in this study will benefit my research
concerning African American underachievement and its connection to contemporary pedagogy.
MacCann, Donnarae. The White Supremacy Myth in Juvenile Books About Blacks. Michigan:
U.M.I Dissertation Services, 1994.
This document is a printed version of a submitted thesis created by Donnarae MacCann for the
Doctor of Philosophy degree at the University of Iowa. In his thesis, MacCann contests the
adequacy of children’s literature in the classroom. He argues that presence of the white
supremacy myth in children’s literature has shaped American ideology. MacCann calls for
pluralism in literature studied in the classroom to ensure multicultural learning. This document
will be useful to my research because it relates to my argument that children’s identities or
perceptions of themselves are shaped by the literature that they are exposed to in the classroom.