I teach a senior public speaking elective. It’s small, 6-8 students that I get to have a lot of fun with. I am always looking to have a theme for the course and had been coming up dry until I ran into this clip from filmmaker Terrence Nance, White People Won’t Save You.
My students are all non-white and they are coming into themselves in some trying times. If I can construct a class where they develop their speech skills and recognize and utilize their innate power to be the amazing people they are meant to be, I call it a win.
I am thinking of structuring the 4 quarters as so:
- IDENTITY: I AM, I FEEL
- COMMUNITY: I DO, I LOVE
- ARGUMENTATION: I SPEAK, I SEE
- PRESENTATION: I UNDERSTAND
This structure also follows the path of the chakras from root to crown so I will be adding assignments/classwork that incorporate color, images, and more. All of this will be guided by “White People Won’t Save You.”
My students and I are in for a treat.