I have a fantastic new job! I started work about a month ago, interviewing candidates for a 3-month college course in the humanities at Willamette University. The class is called Humanity In Perspective (HIP), and it is organized by the Oregon Humanities (O.Hm.). 3 Willamette professors teach the course in 5-week sections, and my job is multifaceted. I am sort of a teaching assistant, present in every class and there to provide extra academic support. I am also a link between Willamette and O.Hm. and each of the 3 profs. I'm the go-to person for questions/concerns/feedback, and I get to do a lot of cheerleading and encouraging in the meantime!
The class is designed to be a thematic introduction to the humanities for adults without college degrees who are also experiencing poverty. The class is completely free (books, pens, paper, transportation, child care, tuition); the idea is to eliminate as many barriers to education as possible, following the ideas of education activist Earl Shorris. Beautiful in its idea stage, and much more so in practice! Tonight was the first night of class, and I am so impressed and inspired by the level of dedication and excitement I felt from the students. They jumped right in to discuss The Melian Dialogue, and are more than apt at making connections to modern democracy and society. Athens and Sparta came alive!
The hippest thing of all was the way I saw students come alive. Already, there are English Language Learners taking risks to read out loud for the class. Others are stopping the class to ask a question. Others are volunteering when the professor asks to hear from new voices, and making great comparisons and conclusions.
Anybody wanna hip?
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