Monday, June 19, 2006
Day 15!
Karen and I met last Friday (June 16) to come up with a "Plan B" for this week of classes. (Remember, we were supposed to be in Oaxaca, not San Antonio, this week!) I think we came up with a good plan that covers both humanities and news reporting/writing.
Today, we met back at SAC on the seventh floor of the Moody Learning Center. (Thanks for letting us have our "nest" back!) Karen discussed the nine common characteristics of civilization (agricultural production, government/law, religion, written language/literature, art/architecture, buildings, metallurgy, trade with other groups, and conflict with other groups), and we were able to see that the Zapotec and Mixtec cultures fit the bill. Karen also spoke of the Four C's: contact, conflict, confluence, and conquest, and the three G's: gold, God, and glory. I recommended that the students see two films on their own: "The Mission" (1986 Oscar-winner that features Jeremy Irons and Robert De Niro) and "The Robe" (1991 Canadian film). Though it's been awhile since I've seen them, I remember that they are very thought-provoking and powerful.
Next, we watched "This is what democracy looks like," a film about the 1999 World Trade Organization protests in Seattle, Washington. Having just experienced being tear gassed by the state police of Oaxaca, I wanted our students to know that this action is not limited to Mexico's state police. In 1999, the police of Seattle tear gassed citizens who were peacefully protesting the presence of the World Trade Organization by chanting slogans like, "People before profits!" and raising signs like, "Close the global wage gap!" Besides being tear gassed, a large number of protestors were jailed. Interviews with protestors reminded viewers that the U.S. Constitution guarantees citizens the right to assemble and the right of speech, both of which were denied in Seattle.
Fortuitously enough, Jill Freidberg, one of the "This is what democracy looks like" filmmakers, recently spent three years in Oaxaca covering the teachers' movement. I found an interview with her on DemocracyNow! about the events of June 14. (It was one of the few news outlets that had any news of Oaxaca!) I met Jill when I served on a documentary film festival panel several years back, and I invited her to Palo Alto to screen her film. I couldn't believe that "my" Jill was now working on a film about the teachers' movement in the state of Oaxaca. I e-mailed her right away, and found out that her film, "Granito de Arena" (Grain of Sand)is complete, and I requested a copy. I hope that it arrives before the end of the summer session! Regardless, we'll have a screening at Palo Alto College this fall.
Tomorrow, we head to Mission Espada and Mission Concepcion. The students are to catch up with their "The Art of Creative Nonfiction" (Chapters 1, 2, 9, 8, 12, 10 and 3) reading, continue their blogs, and begin narrowing down the topic they'd like to explore for their 750-word final project.
Today, we met back at SAC on the seventh floor of the Moody Learning Center. (Thanks for letting us have our "nest" back!) Karen discussed the nine common characteristics of civilization (agricultural production, government/law, religion, written language/literature, art/architecture, buildings, metallurgy, trade with other groups, and conflict with other groups), and we were able to see that the Zapotec and Mixtec cultures fit the bill. Karen also spoke of the Four C's: contact, conflict, confluence, and conquest, and the three G's: gold, God, and glory. I recommended that the students see two films on their own: "The Mission" (1986 Oscar-winner that features Jeremy Irons and Robert De Niro) and "The Robe" (1991 Canadian film). Though it's been awhile since I've seen them, I remember that they are very thought-provoking and powerful.
Next, we watched "This is what democracy looks like," a film about the 1999 World Trade Organization protests in Seattle, Washington. Having just experienced being tear gassed by the state police of Oaxaca, I wanted our students to know that this action is not limited to Mexico's state police. In 1999, the police of Seattle tear gassed citizens who were peacefully protesting the presence of the World Trade Organization by chanting slogans like, "People before profits!" and raising signs like, "Close the global wage gap!" Besides being tear gassed, a large number of protestors were jailed. Interviews with protestors reminded viewers that the U.S. Constitution guarantees citizens the right to assemble and the right of speech, both of which were denied in Seattle.
Fortuitously enough, Jill Freidberg, one of the "This is what democracy looks like" filmmakers, recently spent three years in Oaxaca covering the teachers' movement. I found an interview with her on DemocracyNow! about the events of June 14. (It was one of the few news outlets that had any news of Oaxaca!) I met Jill when I served on a documentary film festival panel several years back, and I invited her to Palo Alto to screen her film. I couldn't believe that "my" Jill was now working on a film about the teachers' movement in the state of Oaxaca. I e-mailed her right away, and found out that her film, "Granito de Arena" (Grain of Sand)is complete, and I requested a copy. I hope that it arrives before the end of the summer session! Regardless, we'll have a screening at Palo Alto College this fall.
Tomorrow, we head to Mission Espada and Mission Concepcion. The students are to catch up with their "The Art of Creative Nonfiction" (Chapters 1, 2, 9, 8, 12, 10 and 3) reading, continue their blogs, and begin narrowing down the topic they'd like to explore for their 750-word final project.
