Learning, Diversity, and Urban Studies: Reflection and Action LDUS: - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Learning, Diversity, and Urban Studies: Reflection and Action

LDUS: Who are we?

The LDUS program is a non-certification Masters of Education program centered on issues of equity, social justice and anti-oppressive education for all learners.

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Three-semester Program: 31 Credits

• Year-long seminar (6 credits)
• Internship Praxis (6 credits)
• Inquiry into Contexts (3 credits)
• Urban Education Research, Theory, and

Practice (3 credits)

• Capstone seminar (1 credit)
• 12 credits of electives (T&L; Peabody; and

sometimes Vanderbilt at large).

LDUS Faculty

Focus on Praxis

• Developing visions for community leadership, advocacy, and

action;

• Promoting equity and justice in schools and other educational

settings

• Inserting underrepresented voices into the public arena and

national policy dialogues

Experiences: Utilizing VU Resources as Curriculum

• Accessing Vanderbilt’s Resources: Black

Cultural Center; K.C. Potter Center for LGBTQI Youth; The Women’s Center; The Office for Active Citizenship and Service; Center for Latin American Studies.

Experiences in the Community: Internship Opportunities

• Working with Local Community Organizations:

Nashville Public Library—Story Corps, Civil Rights Room, Conexion Americas, Casa Azafran, Oasis Center, Dismas House, Nashville Hope Exchange, Nashville Rescue Mission.

Outreach Experiences

• Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
• Attending TEDx—Nashville Convention;
• Presenting at National Conferences
• Engagement with Scholars, Activists, and Journalists, etc. (e.g., Sonia

Nazario, Enrique’s Journey, Kimberlé W. Crenshaw: The Urgency of Intersectionality, Betting Love, We Want to Do More Than Survive)

Salon: Reflection and Action

Intergenerational: Cohorts on the move

Capstone Experiences: Public Scholarship + Reflection

– School-to-prison pipelines – Black girls: discipline and mental health – Restorative Justice Practices in Metro Schools – The Null Curriculum

Community-Engaged Scholarship; Public Scholarship

• TEDx; OpEd, blog space, conference

presentations, short documentary or podcast,

• r some other digital space.

And in the end. . .

• The LDUS program can be summed up in two words:

“Life Changing;”

• LDUS has opened up my mind to the vast role

education plays in life in and outside of a formal classroom setting;

• This program has completely transformed my lens of

the world;

• LDUS has helped me rethink my role as an educator

and has given me the confidence to push back;

• LDUS has helped me grow in ways I never imagined.

What are they now?

• Restorative Justice Practices Facilitator for Metro Schools
• Educational Development Coach for the Commodores
• CEO| RAW Performance Organization Academic and Athletic

development

• Teacher of the Year MNPS
• Full scholarship for pursuing a Ph.D.
• Co-Executive Director, Healthy and Free Tennessee

Developing Community Leadership

Example: Bailing Out Mom’s this Mother’s Day by Briana Perry

• http://www.forharriet.com/2017/05/bailing-
• ut-black-moms-this-mothers-

day.html#axzz4gjPmCkwe

Being a good human. . .