Reflections on Race

LIEP Instructor Christina Indovina

LIEP Student Grciela Rodriguez

The Loyola Intensive English Program (LIEP) Culture Class, taught by LIEP instructor Christina Indovina, has been exploring the various cultural groups that make New Orleans such a culturally rich city. The class has explored the early inhabitants of New Orleans--French, Spanish, Native American Indians (largely of the Houma Nation), African Americans (both slaves and free people of color)--as well as the current cultural communities of such groups as African Americans, Native Houma people, Isleños, Latinos, Vietnamese, whites of European ancestry.

As part of this on-going theme, the Culture Class has looked at race and what race has meant in the United States. As Christina says, "This topic is of particular importance in New Orleans because not only did the city once support a large slave population, but it also was home to large communities of Creoles and free people of color. As part of this exploration, our Culture Class went to the U.S. Mint in the French Quarter to view an exhibition titled 'RACE: Are we really so different?'" The exhibit contends that there is no physiological or DNA evidence for race, but that race is an invention of human minds. Race is a way that humans assign meaning to certain differences in physical appearance.

Below, LIEP student Graciela Rodriguez of Venezuela shares her experience of the exhibit: "RACE: Are we really so different?"

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REFLECTIONS ON RACE by Graciela Rodriguez

History has shown us that people are different, so different that we had a world war because one person thought his race was better. Countries have fought bloody civil wars because of these differences, and many people have died. But are we that different? Who was the first to say that some race is better than another? What is race?

I don't know. We might look different on the outside because of the color of our skin or the shape of our eyes but we are all humans. Sometimes we forget that we already belong to a common group when we segregate ourselves. What we are doing is separating each one of us from the others. It is like a bag of candies--all the pieces are candies, different colors, different flavors, but all candies from the same factory.

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Thank you, Graciela Rodriguez, for these important thoughts about race, and thank you, Christina Indovina, for raising this important issue in the Culture Class and for arranging this visit to the exhibit "RACE: Are we really so different?"

Our next post will introduce you to the common book that all three LIEP Reading Classes are currently reading--ZEITOUN by Dave Eggers. ZEITOUN tells the true story of the Zeitoun family during and after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. To prepare for reading this book, the LIEP Reading Classes recently came together to watch the Hurricane Katrina documentary STILL WAITING. The book ZEITOUN and the documentary STILL WAITING will be the subject of our next post.

New Orleans Architecture Scavenger Hunt

LIEP student Andy Uscilowski

LIEP Instructor Christina Indovina

Houses in New Orleans are different from houses in other cities in the United States. Christina Indovina, an instructor in the Loyola Intensive English Program (LIEP), recently took her Culture Class on a scavenger hunt to discover various types of typical New Orleans houses in the Marigny, one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city.

Christina's class chose the Marigny because it is filled with brightly-colored typical New Orleans houses and because it was populated by Creoles and free people of color in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The students found Creole cottages, shotgun houses (with rooms directly behind one another so that you could shoot a bullet straight through the front door and out the back door), camelbacks (shotguns with an additional story toward the rear of the house), and houses that did not fit into any specific category.

Below is an account by LIEP student Andy Uscilowski of Poland about his architectural findings on the scavenger hunt.

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ARCHITECTURAL SCAVENGER HUNT by Andy Uscilowski

I chose this house because it is original and because it reminds me of a Polish house. Also, I like huge houses, so this building caught my attention. This building doesn't fit into any classification: it's not a shotgun or a camelback. It's just a huge unique house. Houses on the other side of the street are small. Most are just single shotgun houses, so this house "stands out from the crowd."

This house is big and unique as well. I like it, not only because of the size, but also because of the bright blue color. Once again, this house doesn't fit into any classification. The surrounding houses are pretty big, like this one, but none are so colorful.

The last building I photographed is a typical shotgun double. These colors remind me of a house from a fairy tale. I think that  the colors -- blue, white, and red -- are harmoniously arranged. Almost all of the houses on this street are single or double shotguns.

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Our thanks to LIEP student Andy Uscilowski for sharing his architectural scavenger hunt findings with us and to LIEP instructor Christina Indovina for initiating this project.

Our next post will reflect on the Culture Class's visit to the U.S. Mint in the French Quarter, where they explored an exhibit titled "RACE: Are we really so different?"

Swing Dance Lessons

On Thursday, December 2, members of the Loyola community gathered for swing dance lessons taught by the LIEP students of the New Orleans Culture Class. We began with the basic swing dance step sequence, upon which all other movements are based. For men, this is a long step to the left, a long step to the right, quick step to left, quick step to right. Women begin on the right and do the same sequence of steps, mirroring the men.


Below, James Zhang and Kevin Li show a chart they have prepared to illustrate the steps.

James also illustrates the sequence of steps with gestures.

Then, James demonstrates the step sequence as learners watch.

After the demonstration, we engage in some slow individual practice. Below, Shelly Zhang works with John Ellison on the step sequence.

Finally, we form lines, couples join hands, and all begin to dance!

Below are some especially attractive swing dance movements.

Near the end, Jack Suzuki and Jonathan Lam catch their breath by enjoying a snack and soft drink.

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year! We look forward to reporting again in January on our Spring Semester 2011!

LIEP Faculty Member Jess Haley and the New Orleans Culture Class

Jess Haley teaches our New Orleans Culture Class. “The New Orleans Culture Class is great for me because I am also a transplant,” Jess says. “What our students need to learn and understand about New Orleans is what I also need to learn and understand.”
 

Jess has come to the Loyola Intensive English Program from the University of Mississippi, where she worked as an archeologist. Her love for linguistics, cultural anthropology, and teaching led her to the field of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). Jess holds Masters degrees in both anthropology and TESOL.

Jess believes that the cultural context of language is as important as the structure of language. “It is important to learn not only the language structures but also what you can do with language,” she says. “I encourage students to be creative and relevant with how they learn English.”

Jess describes New Orleans as “daunting, colorful, crazy, and exotic.” To help students make sense of the city, Jess first teaches vocabulary, history, and traditions, using lectures, exercises, and class discussions. “But,” she says, “it’s one thing to talk and another to see, hear, touch, smell, and taste.” So the Culture Class continues with experiences beyond the classroom walls.

• The students learn about Cajun cooking . . . and then the class cooks and eats a flavorful jambalaya.
• The students learn about Halloween . . . and then the class throws a Halloween party with candy, masks, and the thriller dance.
• The students learn about the French Quarter . . . and then the class rides the streetcar to the French Quarter, where they use maps and their skill in asking directions to find their favorite spots.
• The students learn about styles of New Orleans music . . . and then the class sings and dances. In fact, the Culture Class is in the process of preparing a dance hour when they will teach dances to Loyola students and faculty.

“I want the students to teach themselves more than I give them in class,” says Jess. “I want them to see language not just as a subject to be studied but as a tool for getting around successfully in their lives in New Orleans.”

The New Orleans Culture Class has a blog, where you can find more about their explorations of New Orleans culture, at this link:

http://englishinneworleans.blogspot.com

Our next post will feature several of our advanced LIEP students who are preparing to study for graduate degrees in various fields.

Photo credit: Wadner Pierre
You can find more of Wadner's work on his photo website at http://www.loyno.edu/%7Ewpierre/photovoice.html or on his blog at http://wadnerpierre.blogspot.com