What if we made our own version of "native studies", turning the magnifying glass onto Euro-Canadian society? This one started out as satire, but it sounds like a very useful educational experience.
Course Outline:
Read a ton of books, articles, documents and papers about the growth of Western Civilization. Suggested reading list to include Roland Chrisjohn, John Borrows, Ward Churchill, Noam Chomsky, UN Treaty Study, Eduardo Galeano, William Blum's reports on CIA/US Military action since WW2, r.u.p.e. India, Justin Podur, Sharon Venne, Janice Switlo, Parecon, Mondragon, Kevin Annett, Orientalism, plus more good stuff.
Alternate between classroom talks and field trips to look at real live white people.
Alternate between classroom talking circle discussions, field trips to look at real live white people, and direct action experiments designed to test theories about the white people.
To assist class members who are reading-challenged, assign confident readers to cover specific texts, who then lead classroom talking circles on the contents.
Minimum 15 minute Cree immersion language set at the beginning of each class, to help less fluent speakers participate in the field trips and direct action experiments. When viewing white people up close, use as little English as possible. Probably an exchange will develop, with the less confident readers helping the less confident speakers during immersion time, and the reverse during reading material discussion time.
Minimum of 4 whole class sweatlodge ceremonies during course, to pray for help for the white race.
Whole class demonstration project involving the active combination of theoretical and practical knowledge.
Stewart Steinhauer is an internationally-known stone sculptor who lives on the Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Alberta, where he was born and raised. He enjoyed success as a market gardener, a furniture builder and a house builder, before he turned to sculpting. He is the author of Voice from the Coffin, about life on the Rez. Visit his website at www.indigenius.biz (below).
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URL 1: www.indigenius.biz Recommend this Post
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Stewart Steinhauer, "White Studies 101½," Straight Goods, June 27, 2006.
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