TOPIC 5: Exploring Poverty through Elements of Theater

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Workshop Leaders on Tuesday, August 10

Sangeeta Bishop and Mahatapa Palit

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Schedule (in outline)
Tuesday, August 10 — 9am – 2pm

9:00	—	10:00	Reflection and discussion about topic themes and readings
10:00	—	10:15	Break
10:15	—	12:00	Pedagogy Workshop
12:00	—	12:30	Plan together for fellows follow-up meeting (scheduled for August 16) & Complete Post-Institute Survey.
12:30	—	1:00	Lunch break
1:00	—	2:00	TBD (We may choose instead to reconvene in the early evening for a happy-hour celebration in honor of all the participants)

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Description

The last topic of our Institute will look at the various ways playwrights, and performers give critical expression to poverty and social identity. On Friday Erica Richardson will discuss the Harlem Renaissance in relation to African American Drama. Deepa Purohit will discuss the intersectionality of poverty with the concepts of class, caste (as defined in the Indian subcontinent) and gender – from both the historical point of view and immigration in the U.S. Karl O’Brian Williams will lead a workshop on dramatizing learning and discuss strategies for helping students reinforce their learning through low stakes dramatic writing and role-play. On Tuesday, facilitated by Institute co-directors Bishop and Palit, we will share our lesson plans and curricular ideas in progress and we will reflect on how this work relates to the multi-year project, “Voices and Experiences of Poverty – A New Interdisciplinary Humanities Curriculum.”

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Key Questions

• How did Harlem Renaissance theater educate and influence its various audiences?
• What makes an expression “authentic”?
• How do specific plays open us up to thinking about the intersectionality and distinctions among and between caste/class/poverty + wealth.
• The translator’s point of view: What is it and how does it impact the translation and, in turn, the reading of a text?
• What is it like to “be” another person (rich, poor) and imagine a life quite different from one’s own through theater?
• How can CUNY students be empowered to think critically by engaging in/with theater?
• Why would the “alienation effect” in art be important for fighting Poverty?

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Topic 5 –  Required Readings and Resources

Required readings will be available on our website and @ the “Required Readings Folder.”

[reading-and-resources]

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Topic 5 – Additional Readings and Resources Folder

Click the above link to go to the Institute Folder for Additional Readings and navigate to Topic 5 for an evolving list of readings and resources.

TOPIC 5: Exploring Poverty through Elements of Theater

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Guests on Friday, August 6

Erica Richardson, Assistant Professor of English, Baruch College
Deepa Purohit, Artist, Playwright and Founder of Finding Your Authentic Voice.
Karl O’Brian Williams, Deputy Chair/Theatre Arts Coordinator, Department of Speech, Communications, and Theatre Arts at BMCC and Artistic Director, Braata Productions
Moderator: Sangeeta Bishop

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Schedule (in outline)
Friday, August 6 — 9am – 2pm

9:00	—	9:10	Greetings and check-in with Faculty Fellows
9:10	—	10:10	Presentation by Erica Richardson
10:10	—	10:20	Short break
10:20	—	11:20	Presentation by Deepa Purohit
11:20	—	11:30	Short break
11:30	—	12:30	Presentation/workshop with Karl O’Brian Williams
12:30	—	1:00	Lunch Break
1:00	—	2:00	Discussion of the day’s activities with the three guests and all participants.

---

Description

The last topic of our Institute will look at the various ways playwrights, and performers give critical expression to poverty and social identity. On Friday Erica Richardson will discuss the Harlem Renaissance in relation to African American Drama. Deepa Purohit will discuss the intersectionality of poverty with the concepts of class, caste (as defined in the Indian subcontinent) and gender – from both the historical point of view and immigration in the U.S. Karl O’Brian Williams will lead a workshop on dramatizing learning and discuss strategies for helping students reinforce their learning through low stakes dramatic writing and role-play. On Tuesday, facilitated by Institute co-directors Bishop and Palit, we will share our lesson plans and curricular ideas in progress and we will reflect on how this work relates to the multi-year project, “Voices and Experiences of Poverty – A New Interdisciplinary Humanities Curriculum.”

---

Key Questions

• How did Harlem Renaissance theater educate and influence its various audiences?
• What makes an expression “authentic”?
• How do specific plays open us up to thinking about the intersectionality and distinctions among and between caste/class/poverty + wealth.
• The translator’s point of view: What is it and how does it impact the translation and, in turn, the reading of a text?
• What is it like to “be” another person (rich, poor) and imagine a life quite different from one’s own through theater?
• How can CUNY students be empowered to think critically by engaging in/with theater?
• Why would the “alienation effect” in art be important for fighting Poverty?

---

Topic 5 –  Required Readings and Resources

Required readings will be available on our website and @ the “Required Readings Folder.”

[readings-and-resources]

---

Topic 5 – Additional Readings and Resources Folder

Click the above link to go to the Institute Folder for Additional Readings and navigate to Topic 5 for an evolving list of readings and resources.

TOPIC 4: Poetry and Stories from the City

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Guest on Tuesday, August 3

Jen Hoyer and Nora Almeida, volunteers, Interference Archive, Brooklyn
Workshop leaders: Christine Farias and Cara O’Connor

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Schedule (in outline)
Tuesday, August 3 — 9am – 2pm

9:00	—	10:00	Reflection and discussion about topic themes and readings
10:00	—	10:15	Break
10:15	—	11:15	Virtual Teaching Tour led by volunteer Jen Hoyer and Nora Almeida
11:15	—	11:30	Break
11:30	—	12:30	Pedagogy Workshop
12:30	—	1:00	Lunch break
1:00	—	2:00	Pedagogy Workshop, cont.

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Description

This Friday/Tuesday explores the poetry, personal narratives, and creative engagements with city life that challenge us to think differently about housing insecurity. On Friday, Robert Robinson and Emanuel Xavier will present their activist, theoretical, and poetic work and discuss sources that have inspired them. Participants and guests will join in conversation about translating raw personal experience into creative and constructive work, and what this might mean for our students. On Tuesday, in addition to the pedagogy workshop, Jen Hoyer and Nora Almeida will lead participants in a teaching tour of the Interference Archive in Brooklyn, (https://interferencearchive.org). Participants will learn how an archive can be used to explore the relation between cultural production and anti-poverty movements. The pedagogy workshop will be led by Farias and O’Connor.

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Key Questions

• What are some of the main drivers of homelessness and housing insecurity in NYC? 
• How are both realities and cliches about homelessness conveyed and challenged by poetry, documentary, and personal testimony?
• How do creative writers and researchers use archives to uncover new voices and new visions of the past and future, and can our students learn to use archives as part of their studies?
• How can the use of personal narratives about poverty benefit our students?
• What are some of the specific challenges and creative responses to homelessness that come out of LGBTQIA+ experiences?
• How can CUNY students’ diverse local neighborhoods become areas of historical and literary interest to them?

---

Topic 4 –  Required Readings and Resources

Required readings will be available on our website and @ the “Required Readings Folder.”

[reading-and-resources]

---

Topic 4 – Additional Readings and Resources Folder

> Click the above link to go to the Institute Folder for Additional Readings and navigate to Topic 4 for an evolving list of readings and resources.

TOPIC 4: Poetry and Stories from the City

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Guests on Friday, July 30

Robert Robinson, Staff Volunteer, Partners for Dignity and Rights (formerly National Economic and Social Rights Initiative (NESRI))
Emanuel Xavier, American Latinx poet, spoken word artist, author, editor, and LGBTQ activist
Moderator: Christine Farias

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Schedule (in outline)
Friday, July 30 — 9am – 2pm

9:00	—	9:15	Greetings and check-in with Faculty Fellows
9:15	—	10:30	Presentation and Q&A with Robert Robinson
10:30	—	10:45	Break
10:45	—	12:00	Presentation and Q&A with Emanuel Xavier
12:00	—	12:45	Lunch break
12:45	—	2:00	In-depth round table discussion with all participants

---

Description

This Friday/Tuesday explores the poetry, personal narratives, and creative engagements with city life that challenge us to think differently about housing insecurity. On Friday, Robert Robinson and Emanuel Xavier will present their activist, theoretical, and poetic work and discuss sources that have inspired them. Participants and guests will join in conversation about translating raw personal experience into creative and constructive work, and what this might mean for our students. On Tuesday, in addition to the pedagogy workshop, Jen Hoyer and Nora Almeida will lead participants in a teaching tour of the Interference Archive in Brooklyn, (https://interferencearchive.org). Participants will learn how an archive can be used to explore the relation between cultural production and anti-poverty movements. The pedagogy workshop will be led by Farias and O’Connor.

---

Key Questions

• What are some of the main drivers of homelessness and housing insecurity in NYC? 
• How are both realities and cliches about homelessness conveyed and challenged by poetry, documentary, and personal testimony?
• How do creative writers and researchers use archives to uncover new voices and new visions of the past and future, and can our students learn to use archives as part of their studies?
• How can the use of personal narratives about poverty benefit our students?
• What are some of the specific challenges and creative responses to homelessness that come out of LGBTQIA+ experiences?
• How can CUNY students’ diverse local neighborhoods become areas of historical and literary interest to them?

---

Topic 4 –  Required Readings and Resources

Required readings will be available on our website and @ the “Required Readings Folder.”

[readings-and-resources]

---

Topic 4 – Additional Readings and Resources Folder

> Click the above link to go to the Institute Folder for Additional Readings and navigate to Topic 4 for an evolving list of readings and resources.

TOPIC 3: Intersections between poverty, care, embodied identity, and personal motivation

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Guest

jean amaral, Open Knowledge Librarian and Associate Professor, BMCC

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Workshop leaders

Cara O’Connor and Christine Farias

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Tuesday, July 27 — 9am – 2pm

9:00	—	10:00	Reflection and discussion about topic themes and readings
10:00	—	10:15	Break
10:15	—	12:30	Pedagogy Workshop with jean amaral
12:30	—	1:00	Lunch break
1:00	—	2:00	Pedagogy Workshop with Farias and O’Connor

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Description

The focus of the day will be exploring identity and types of embodiment and their implications for how we think about poverty, care, and aspiration. On Friday Ramos-Zayas, Wolfe, and Morton will bring their expertise to different facets of this topic. On Tuesday we will have workshops and a discussion about locating resources led by jean amaral and institute co-directors O’Connor & Farias.

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Key Questions

• What does it mean to “embody” poverty and deprivation, on the one hand, or well-being on the other?
• What do looks, acts, gestures, and accents have to do with perceptions of who is poor and what “kind” of poor person they are? (deserving or undeserving; safe or dangerous)

• Why is dependency treated as the exception rather than the norm?
• What are the potential costs of upward mobility?
• How do first person-narratives push back against objectification of poor bodies?
• How do representations of poverty affect the way people see themselves?
• What does addressing poverty tell us about ethics of care and what does ethics care tell us about addressing poverty?

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Topic 3 –  Required Readings and Resources

Required readings will be available on our website and @ the “Required Readings Folder.”

[readings-and-resources]

---

Topic 3 – Additional Readings and Resources Folder

> Click the above link to go to the Institute Folder for Additional Readings and navigate to Topic 3 for an evolving list of readings and resources.

TOPIC 3: Intersections between poverty, care, embodied identity, and personal motivation

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Guests on Friday, July 23

Ana Y. Ramos-Zayas, Frederick Clifford Ford Professor of Ethnicity, Race, and Migration and Professor of American Studies and Anthropology, Yale University, CT
Katharine Wolfe, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, St. Lawrence University, NY
Jennifer Morton, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania
Moderator: Cara O’Connor

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Schedule (in outline)
Friday, July 23– 9am – 2pm

9:00	—	9:10	Greetings and check-in with Faculty Fellows
9:10	—	10:10	Presentation by Ana Y. Ramos-Zayas
10:10	—	10:20	Short break
10:20	—	11:20	Presentation by Katharine Wolfe
11:20	—	11:30	Short break
11:30	—	12:30	Presentation by Jennifer Morton
12:30	—	1:00	Lunch Break
1:00	—	2:00	Round table discussion with all participants

---

Description

The focus of the day will be exploring identity and types of embodiment and their implications for how we think about poverty, care, and aspiration. On Friday Ramos-Zayas, Wolfe, and Morton will bring their expertise to different facets of this topic. On Tuesday we will have a pedagogy workshop led by Institute co-directors O’Connor & Farias.

---

Key Questions

• What does it mean to “embody” poverty and deprivation, on the one hand, or well-being on the other?
• What do looks, acts, gestures, and accents have to do with perceptions of who is poor and what “kind” of poor person they are? (deserving or undeserving; safe or dangerous)

• Why is dependency treated as the exception rather than the norm?
• What are the potential costs of upward mobility?
• How do first person-narratives push back against objectification of poor bodies?
• How do representations of poverty affect the way people see themselves?
• What does addressing poverty tell us about ethics of care and what does ethics care tell us about addressing poverty?

---

Topic 3 –  Required Readings and Resources

Required readings will be available on our website and @ the “Required Readings Folder.”

[readings-and-resources]

---

Topic 3 – Additional Readings and Resources Folder

> Click the above link to go to the Institute Folder for Additional Readings and navigate to Topic 3 for an evolving list of readings and resources.

TOPIC 2: Listening to Our Many Pasts: The History and Myths of Modern Poverty

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Workshop Leaders on Tuesday, July 20

Jamie Warren & Sangeeta Bishop

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Tuesday, July 20 — 9am – 2pm

9:00	—	10:00	Screening and discussion of the 1964 testimony of Fanny Lou Hammer
10:00	—	10:15	Break
10:15	—	12:30	Small group discussions of Topic 2 readings and talks
12:30	—	1:00	Lunch break
1:00	—	2:00	Pedagogy workshop

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Description

Our focus this Friday will be to grapple with and unpack commonly held myths about the historical roots of modern poverty. What are the decisive historical forces that have shaped American poverty today? SenGupta, Westbrook, and Katznelson will bring their expertise to this question. With Westbrook we will focus on one of DuBois’s central texts. DuBois offers a rich example of a scholar who purposefully wove his training as a social scientist with his commitment to creative and expressive prose. On Tuesday we will continue to think about the topic together, through a screening of Fanny Lou Hammer’s testimony and through discussion. Institute co-directors Warren and Bishop will lead a pedagogy workshop where we explore the use of poverty-related historical documents in our classes.

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Key Questions

• How do slavery and colonialism relate to poverty?
• What are the central myths about history and slavery and its relation to modern poverty?
• How can we connect history to our students’ current experiences of obligation to help their family, friends, and neighbors?
• How can we as educators allow the impoverished voices of the past to “speak” in our classrooms?
• How do artistic and literary constructions of home, place, and displacement resonate with these histories?

---

Topic 2 –  Required Readings and Resources

Required readings will be available on our website and @ the “Required Readings Folder.”

[readings-and-resources]

Topic 2 – Additional Readings and Resources Folder

Click the above link to go to the Institute Folder for Additional Readings and navigate to Topic 2 for an evolving list of readings and resources.

TOPIC 2:  Listening to Our Many Pasts: The History and Myths of Modern Poverty

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Guests on Friday, July 16

Gunja SenGupta, Professor of History, Brooklyn College & Graduate Center, CUNY
Randall Westbrook, Instructor – Sammartino School of Education, Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey
Ira Katznelson, Professor of Political Science and History, Columbia University
Moderator: Jamie Warren

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Schedule (in outline)
Friday, July 16 — 9am – 2pm

9:00	—	9:10	Greetings and check-in with Faculty Fellows
9:10	—	10:10	Presentation by Gunja SenGupta
10:10	—	10:15	Short break
10:15	—	11:15	Presentation by Randall Westbrook
11:15	—	11:30	Break
11:30	—	12:30	Presentation by Ira Katznelson
12:30	—	1:00	Lunch Break
1:00	—	2:00	Round table discussion with all participants

---

Description

Our focus this Friday will be to grapple with and unpack commonly held myths about the historical roots of modern poverty. What are the decisive historical forces that have shaped American poverty today? SenGupta, Westbrook, and Katznelson will bring their expertise to this question. With Westbrook we will focus on one of DuBois’s central texts. DuBois offers a rich example of a scholar who purposefully wove his training as a social scientist with his commitment to creative and expressive prose. On Tuesday we will continue to think about the topic together, through a screening of Fanny Lou Hammer’s testimony and through discussion. Institute co-directors Warren and Bishop will lead a pedagogy workshop where we explore the use of poverty-related historical documents in our classes.

---

Key Questions

• How do slavery and colonialism relate to poverty?
• What are the central myths about history and slavery and its relation to modern poverty?
• How can we connect history to our students’ current experiences of obligation to help their family, friends, and neighbors?
• How can we as educators allow the impoverished voices of the past to “speak” in our classrooms?
• How do artistic and literary constructions of home, place, and displacement resonate with these histories?

---

Topic 2 –  Required Readings and Resources

Required readings will be available on our website and @ the “Required Readings Folder.”

[readings-and-resources]

---

Topic 2 – Additional Readings and Resources Folder

> Click the above link to go to the Institute Folder for Additional Readings and navigate to Topic 2 for an evolving list of readings and resources.

TOPIC 1: Measurable and Immeasurable: How conceptions and images of poverty affect our students

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Workshop Leaders on Tuesday, July 13

Mahatapa Palit and Jamie Warren

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Tuesday, July 13 — 9am – 2pm

9:00	–	10:45	Reflection and discussion about Topic 1 themes and readings.
10:45	–	11:00	Break
11:00	–	12:30	Pedagogy Workshop
12:30	–	1:00	Lunch break
1:00	–	2:00	TBD

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Description

On Friday guest speakers Torres, Saldanha, and Sama will give presentations and all participants will engage in discussion of readings, presentations, and key questions. On Tuesday Fellows and Team will continue to reflect on Topic 1 and will participate in a pedagogy workshop facilitated by Institute co-directors Palit and Warren. Small groups will consider one resource and imagine how they might incorporate it into their teaching.

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Key Questions

• How is poverty defined and who is counted as poor?
• How do we and our students face/interact with poverty?
• What does it mean to “fight” poverty?
• How does education in the humanities support people in their fight against poverty?
• How do different texts express dimensions of poverty?
• What do we want to achieve by teaching about poverty?

---

Topic 1 – Required Readings and Resources

required readings will be available on our website and @ the “Required Readings Folder.” Initials in parentheses indicate the name of the Guest Speaker who is requiring each reading.

[readings-and-resources]

---

Topic 1 – Additional Readings and Resources Folder

> Click the above link to go to the Institute Folder for Additional Readings and navigate to topic 1 for an evolving list of readings and resources, links, and (when possible & time-permitting, downloadable pdfs and documents)

> Or copy and paste this link in your browser: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oU1fBZdZ5IEzWHrGGGS0SoSYR3GNQyi6?usp=sharing

TOPIC 1: Measurable and Immeasurable: How conceptions and images of poverty affect our students

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Guests on Friday, July 9

Arlene Torres, Associate Professor of Africana, Puerto Rican & Latino Studies, Hunter College
Helen Saldanha, Community Leader and Former Executive Co-Director, Vivat International, NYC
Linda Sama, Associate Dean for Global Initiatives, Joseph F. Adams Professor of Management and Executive Director, Center for Global Business Stewardship, St. John’s University, NY
Moderator: Mahatapa Palit

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Schedule (in outline)
Friday, July 9 — 9am – 2pm

9:00	—	9:15	Greetings and check-in with Faculty Fellows
9:15	—	10:15	Presentation by Arlene Torres
10:15	—	11:15	Presentation by Helen Saldanha
11:15	—	11:30	Break
11:30	—	12:30	Presentation by Linda Sama
12:30	—	1:00	Lunch Break
1:00	—	2:00	Round table discussion with all participants

---

Description

On Friday guest speakers Torres, Saldanha, and Sama will give presentations and all participants will engage in discussion of readings, presentations, and key questions. On Tuesday Fellows and Team will continue to reflect on Topic 1 and will participate in a pedagogy workshop facilitated by Institute co-directors Palit and Warren. Small groups will consider one resource and imagine how they might incorporate it into their teaching.

---

Key Question

• How is poverty defined and who is counted as poor?
• How do we and our students face/interact with poverty?
• What does it mean to “fight” poverty?
• How does education in the humanities support people in their fight against poverty?
• How do different texts express dimensions of poverty?
• What do we want to achieve by teaching about poverty?

---

Topic 1 – Required Readings and Resources

Initials in parentheses indicate the name of the Guest Speaker who is requiring each reading.

[readings-and-resources]

---

Topic 1 – Additional Readings and Resources Folder

Navigate to topic 1 for an evolving list of readings and resources, links, and (when possible & time-permitting, downloadable pdfs and documents)