Abstract
We propose a feminist course approach wherein instructors build what Amie Macdonald (2002) called "communities of meaning" in their classrooms (p.120). Through an intentional focus on supporting students' 1) individual identities, 2) holistic well-being, and 3) epistemic "buy-in" to classroom content, students will connect more deeply not only to themselves and their classmates, but also to the course material. We suggest four community-building touchpoints as a starting point for instructors looking to integrate this course approach. We start with an activity to lessen awkwardness around first-day name pronunciation. We emphasize the importance of creating collaborative classroom expectations with students, and provide an example of how to facilitate that conversation. Focusing on students' holistic well-being, we suggest one way to incorporate anonymous mental health check-ins. Finally, we integrate Yosso's (2006) cultural wealth model into a touchpoint that can help students recognize the value they each bring to the classroom. In addition to these four touchpoints, we encourage instructors to find their own feminist frontiers, developing their own touchpoints to create and re-energize community in their classrooms.
Recommended Citation
Heise, Nancy A. and Ahmed, Anum
(2025)
"Creating and Re-Energizing Communities of Meaning throughout a Course,"
Feminist Pedagogy: Vol. 6:
Iss.
1, Article 4.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/feministpedagogy/vol6/iss1/4
Included in
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