December 16, 2024: Fall Semester Reflections: 20C Af Am Lit

[I thinkwe could all use some reminders these days of the best of our communities andconversations. So for this year’s Fall Semester reflections series, I wanted toshare one moment from each of my classes that embodied those collective goals.I’d love to hear about your Falls in comments!]

I’m goingto start this series by breaking my own stated rules slightly, but I think you’llagree that this counts as an inspiring moment, if one that we had to pay offevery day thereafter. At the first class meeting of my 20th CenturyAfrican American Literature course, I made a request for the first and so faronly time in my career: I asked them to stay off of their phones as much aspossible (recognizing that life happens and it’s sometimes necessary) in thecourse of our semester and discussions. We were gonna be talking about some consistentlychallenging and often fraught and painful texts and topics, and I wanted us to bein it together as much as we could. I was so proud of how much we honored thatrequest, and how fully we did stay in our collective space and conversations,leading to some of my favorite discussions and days in any class in my 20 yearsat FSU. I won’t make this request too often, I don’t imagine, but I’ll knowthat I can if and when it feels right, and as with everything I know our FSUstudents will rise to the challenge.

Nextreflection tomorrow,

Ben

PS. Whattaya got?