MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

Honoring that students already know that the popular culture they consume is simultaneously empowering and oppressive—that they are in many ways already engaging in what Hip Hop feminist Joan Morgan identifies as “a feminism that is brave enough to fuck with the grays,” this roundtable discussion will provide attendees a space to reflect on and discuss how deploying popular culture at the right time, and in the right way, can teach students how to apply critical thinking and writing skills in an era where oppression on the axes of race, class, and gender are complex and uncertain. Mary Parish (Associate Director of Online Learning and Strategy at Duquesne University), Alexandra Reznik (Assistant Professor of Humanities at Chatham University), Kenza Glass (Director of English Language Learning Services), as well as undergraduate students Sayaka Ojima and Megan Kolides will provide key insights into popular culture’s power to uphold the salience of a liberal education in the twenty-first century. An important aspect of this discussion will be how hungry the students are for skills; how much they don’t know about the past; and how much they realize their lives can change if their rights are dismantled. Many of them are afraid and angry, and justifiably so. Three areas of focus during our discussion will be: Using the historical record to recognize the risks inherent in present conditions; developing an intersectional worldview that respects diverse voices and provides much needed strength, creativity, and resilience to all social justice movements; leveraging an understanding of the systemic and institutionalized power of patriarchy and white supremacy into specific actions to create social change.