Grant application was submitted! yay!!
Question:
For this week's response, we ask you to reflect on the term 'raising critical consciousness.' What is the difference between the very common phrase 'raising awareness' and what we've presented as 'raising critical consciousness'? How does the notion of ‘raising critical consciousness’ inform your sense of what you hope to give or gain through your EdGE experience, both in the short term and in the long term? Please discuss at least one example of ‘raising critical consciousness’ (in history or in your personal life). Who was driving this effort? Why was it an important effort? What was the impact?
My response:
Raising awareness is more about a group than about an individual. Raising awareness is to let a population know that something exists. It literally "raises" a population to be more "aware." "Raising critical consciousness" is to go beyond just knowing a situation. One is not to be informed, he or she must question and discuss. He or she must rise above just acknowledging a situation. Often times, many people conform because it is easier than to portray different, individual beliefs. It is easier to conform when there is a group involved, which is more likely with "raising awareness" than with a more individual process, "raising critical consciousness." Raising critical consciousness allows one to understand the many biases, then use it to understand the problem and proceed towards change or a solution. It is a personal battle. It is up to the individual to be actually aware of the situation, know the ins and outs, and initiate a forum to solve a complex problem. Also, it is not a temporary process. " It is a lifelong struggle." It requires all of the senses of the body. One must observe, listen, question, and commit once they have started. I hope that I am able to raise critical consciousness in myself and in others. I want to have a mutual educational experience. I want to know actually how my volunteer experience will help me and the local population. Long term, I hope this EdGE course causes me to question simple situations. I do not want to believe what others say just because they say it. I want to have that zeal to do some research myself, invigorate my own beliefs, question those in my group, and believe a situation and solution because I have thought about it and not because others have already thought for me. I think I started 'raising critical consciousness' last year. I was assigned to write a persuasive paper for a composition class. In bold headlines, the title read something along the lines of, "Clothing correlated with rape." At first, I believed it. In other countries, most woman cover themselves completely. The few who went against the norms were punished. However, when I started doing research, I realized that these women who went against the norms were formidable. They were volatile and capricious. Men would rape more of the covered woman because they would not speak out loud and they would not make the heinous act public if they cared about their social status and family. It shocked me. Fashion and rape had barely anything to do with each other. From then on, I try not to let something settle me. I try to work with it, argue with it, and reason with it, whatever "it" may be. Now, this course is allowing me to question things I was not sure I should even question. I mean, the newspaper did say it in bold, right? Wrong. "Raising critical consciousness," I think, is about raising yourself and looking beyond the ordinary and looking through different perspectives. It is to bring yourself into the picture.
Question:
For this week's response, we ask you to reflect on the term 'raising critical consciousness.' What is the difference between the very common phrase 'raising awareness' and what we've presented as 'raising critical consciousness'? How does the notion of ‘raising critical consciousness’ inform your sense of what you hope to give or gain through your EdGE experience, both in the short term and in the long term? Please discuss at least one example of ‘raising critical consciousness’ (in history or in your personal life). Who was driving this effort? Why was it an important effort? What was the impact?
My response:
Raising awareness is more about a group than about an individual. Raising awareness is to let a population know that something exists. It literally "raises" a population to be more "aware." "Raising critical consciousness" is to go beyond just knowing a situation. One is not to be informed, he or she must question and discuss. He or she must rise above just acknowledging a situation. Often times, many people conform because it is easier than to portray different, individual beliefs. It is easier to conform when there is a group involved, which is more likely with "raising awareness" than with a more individual process, "raising critical consciousness." Raising critical consciousness allows one to understand the many biases, then use it to understand the problem and proceed towards change or a solution. It is a personal battle. It is up to the individual to be actually aware of the situation, know the ins and outs, and initiate a forum to solve a complex problem. Also, it is not a temporary process. " It is a lifelong struggle." It requires all of the senses of the body. One must observe, listen, question, and commit once they have started. I hope that I am able to raise critical consciousness in myself and in others. I want to have a mutual educational experience. I want to know actually how my volunteer experience will help me and the local population. Long term, I hope this EdGE course causes me to question simple situations. I do not want to believe what others say just because they say it. I want to have that zeal to do some research myself, invigorate my own beliefs, question those in my group, and believe a situation and solution because I have thought about it and not because others have already thought for me. I think I started 'raising critical consciousness' last year. I was assigned to write a persuasive paper for a composition class. In bold headlines, the title read something along the lines of, "Clothing correlated with rape." At first, I believed it. In other countries, most woman cover themselves completely. The few who went against the norms were punished. However, when I started doing research, I realized that these women who went against the norms were formidable. They were volatile and capricious. Men would rape more of the covered woman because they would not speak out loud and they would not make the heinous act public if they cared about their social status and family. It shocked me. Fashion and rape had barely anything to do with each other. From then on, I try not to let something settle me. I try to work with it, argue with it, and reason with it, whatever "it" may be. Now, this course is allowing me to question things I was not sure I should even question. I mean, the newspaper did say it in bold, right? Wrong. "Raising critical consciousness," I think, is about raising yourself and looking beyond the ordinary and looking through different perspectives. It is to bring yourself into the picture.
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