This presentation explores the process of encouraging activism in a course team taught by a historian and legal scholar in a freshman first year seminar. Our classes focused on the Hunger Games books and films, and this popular culture topic allowed us to connect the themes of poverty and hunger to both the world of Panem and our own community. Discussing issues such as activism, poverty, and rural homelessness can be politically, religiously, and economically loaded for students, yet beginning these conversations in the realm of popular culture offers a safe space for students and faculty to explore ideas and consequences. In the middle of our course, we transition from thought to action as students participate in a food drive with our local homeless shelter. As we are located in eastern Kentucky, the word activism often has a political connotation that alienates students, but through this approach we seek to change their perception of activism. Although our hands-experience is minimal, we require students to explore future actions they can undertake to assist with local issues. Our approach, while still evolving, reveals that even a minor exposure to service based teaching can lead to increased awareness and engagement. Our experience inspires us to incorporate activism as a relevant aspect of humanities education and to encourage others to engage their students though popular culture to stimulate students’ interests in local activism.
About the presentersKristina DuRocher
Associate Professor of History at Morehead State University