I teach a course called Social Problems to sixty 18-22 year olds each morning from 9:30-10:45. Unlike many other Social Problems courses, my curriculum highlights the process by which we collectively construct social problems. As a teacher, my primary objective is to find a middle ground between the credulousness and cynicism so popular in this age group. I remember leaving my social problems class feeling sad, guilty, overwhelmed, and defeated. These emotions are not typically conducive to learning.
One major element used to study social problems is "framing". The students must grasp this concept - I feel as though it is very complex and requires reading into or seeing through the evidence, rhetoric, and behavioral patterns within a social movement. Complex high level stuff. To teach these concepts I begin with categories. First we categorize household items like hangers, for example. The students are asked to come up with a name, a category, a common use for the item, and then other, more creative uses. This inevitably leads to a pretty funny discussion about how almost everything in the house can be used to kill someone. For example:
Name: Hanger
Category: Closet organizer
Common Use: hang clothes
Other Possible Uses: pick a car door lock, hang pictures, artwork, poke someone's eye out
When they become comfortable with household items we perform the same exercise on "kinds" of people using stereotypes. We then get to catchy social problems like the digital divide, road rage, and NCLB. Finally, I translate all of this categorizing into framing terminology and voila! They can talk about frames. Then they prove they can independently write about frames in 4-6 pages. Not all fun and games my friends.
I know you did not come to this blog to hear about my lesson plans. This does apply in some minor way to how I think of my new self...of pregnancy...of this at least temporary identity. The following is what my students came up with when we performed the exercise on people in my current condition:
Name: Pregnant Lady
Category: Disabled
Common (Stereotypical) Understanding: reduced ability, moody, cry a lot, tense, throwing up, unpredictable, scattered, "pregnancy brain"
Other Possible Understandings: productive, beautiful, fun, smart
It's to be expected right? I get it. These are the top 35% of this demographic (most of them come from inside the state). According to the FSU website: "The academic profile of the middle 50 percent of freshmen accepted in 2010 was: 3.5-4.1 academic GPA; 25-29 ACT composite; 1720-1940 SAT total." Like I said, most of these students are achievers and pregnancy is NOT in their life plan right now. So, they tell themselves a very understandable and helpful story about pregnancy and motherhood, specifically, that it will ruin their lives and demolish their dreams.
I am a walking, talking, physical, reminder of what NOT to do. It's an odd feeling and I can't escape it. I am a pariah on a college campus.
This week we are talking about medicalization - it's in preparation for the idea that sometimes we medicalize what were once social problems. We seem to be more comfortable in a blameless environment. I assigned a reading called PMS and the Biological Flaws of Womanhood. I think opening statement that class will be, "Continue taking your birth control!" or rather "Don't do what I just did!"
I do think the creative, energetic, opinionated college students should be a little nervous about pregnancy and motherhood. I know my "condition" is not relevant specifically to a class on Social Problems, so I do not discuss it in class. I do however hope I can be an example of the other "common understandings" of the Pregnant Lady.
