Deeper Discovery
“The Moral of the Story”: A Case Study in the Literary Humanities View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Marie Therese C Sulit
In the spring of 2023, a colleague and I co-taught, “The Moral of the Story” (ENG/PHL 2265), for the first time, at Mount Saint Mary College, a Dominican institution located in the Hudson Valley of New York. Dr. Charles Zola, with his specialization in Philosophy, and I, in English, created this Honors Interdisciplinary Seminar with the specific goal of bridging ancient narratives of the traditional Western tradition, like _The Odyssey_ and _Gulliver’s Travels_, with contemporary and global ones, like Ruta Sepetys’ _Salt to the Sea_ and Kwame Alexander’s _Light for the World to See: A Thousand Words on Race and Hope_. Thematically, what was illuminated by bridging the old with the new? Pedagogically, what was affirmed by bridging these two disciplines in a small liberal arts college catering to students in professional programs? Professionally, what was accomplished in its structure wherein every class was facilitated by two instructors from their disciplinary perspectives? What were its limitations and challenges in its first iteration? What can its next iteration account for and accomplish? This paper frames its discussion by situating “The Moral of the Story” within the current conflicting zeitgeists across the U.S., e.g., white supremacy and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, as we swiftly approach the national election of 2024. This study not only hopes to affirm the role of this literary humanities course, cum critical cultural studies, in one liberal arts college and its replicability across institutions, but also hopes to reflect the importance of a humanities education.
Teaching and Learning for the Common Good
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Zehlia Babaci Wilhite, Matthew Motyka
In our paper we introduce the course "Professional Pathways through Ignatian Engagement" that we have recently created at our institution, the University of San Francisco. The course is designed to help students apply their theoretical and practical learning not only to their personal development, but also to foster an engaged and ethical civic attitude, practiced through the component of various professional internships. Students will learn to examine and develop course concepts towards professional praxis and finding solutions in a community setting. Our methodology is inspired by the pedagogical tradition of the Jesuit Order, of which our university is a notable offspring. The name "Ignatian" comes from the founder of this order, Ignatius of Loyola, whose "Spiritual Exercises" have had a worldwide influence on the development of student-centered pedagogies. Ignatian education, which could be captured in a practical paradigm known as the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm, seeks to create the conditions for the intellectual, spiritual, and emotional development of students regardless of their faith background. Students will acquire knowledge about the concept of humanization link to Paolo Freire's pedagogy to help them maintain or regain their humanity. Students will experience the real world, reflect on its workings, and then take action for the welfare of society. The course is designed for students in their final year of study in various majors to help them integrate skills and techniques in a reflective process that would contribute to the formation of well-rounded individuals with lifelong learning habits to positively influence their social environment.
Does She Know How to Cook?: Mathematical Insight into the Culinary Culture of the Assamese Society View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Parishmita Kakati
Cooking, a transformative process, holds profound cultural significance worldwide, with food serving as identity markers for each community. As a girl coming from rural Assam, India, I have observed how Assamese cuisine is predominantly upheld by the female members. Despite men generally handling cooking during festivities and ceremonies, daily culinary responsibilities involve active participation from women. Girls undergo comprehensive practical and mental training in culinary arts from a young age and are expected to acquire essential cooking skills before marriage. There is a saying that offering delightful meals is a powerful method to secure a husband's affection. Consequently, a girl's family often prioritizes her culinary skills. The inherited cooking process demands precision in serving delicious dishes, requiring cooks to perform intricate mental calculations throughout. This involves considerations like ingredient quantities for a specific number of people, choosing appropriate utensil sizes, estimating cooking times, and determining the sequence of ingredient additions. Viewing food items and the cooking process as culturally significant, interdisciplinary research explores their connection to mathematical concepts through ethnomathematics, shedding light on the intersection of culture and mathematics. Using Assamese cuisine as a case study, this research utilizes an autoethnographic method to delve into the mathematical underpinnings of the cooking process. It also explores how certain food items derive their names from geometric shapes that they resemble and investigates how girls in Assamese society acquire cooking skills and values, techniques, and knowledge from older female members, utilizing their culinary skills to carry on the semblance of culture and heritage.
