Abstract

 
 
 This essay argues that the first-year composition class and freshman seminar can serve as spaces in which college students from underserved communities develop the skills to deconstruct, analyze, and disrupt systemic racism in texts and in their lives. Through a multi- media analysis of whiteness in the novel, The Help, and the films Dangerous Minds and Avatar, I conceptualize the racial misrepresentations that emerge, provide a vocabulary in which teachers and students can discuss and write about the whiteness in these texts, and suggest classroom activities that prepare and support students in their development of a critical reading practice. This project is furthered by an exploration of how an understanding of normalized presentations of whiteness and systemic racism provide possibilities for cross racial collaboration and by including in the discussion the work of social justice scholars who define and distinguish between allies and saviors.
 
 
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
