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Building a Multiracial, Multicultural Society in South Africa

Patricia Owen-Smith, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology and Women’s Studies
Director, Service Learning/Theory Practice Program
Director, Women’s Studies Program
Oxford College of Emory University

In the spring of 2007, I was awarded the Ping Fellowship that supported my participation in the Summer IFD Seminar: Building a Multiracial, Multicultural Society in South Africa. This seminar initiated my current sabbatical for the 2007-2008 academic year and is providing support and much of the framework for two scholarly processes that I am focusing on for this year: (1) the co-editing of a collection of articles on teaching from a multicultural perspective, and (2) the revision of my courses in both Psychology and Women’s Studies so as to expand the multicultural perspective I currently use. Specifically, this particular seminar experience in South Africa is contributing to and influencing my scholarship in the following ways:

1. Classroom Impact – The IFDS South Africa experience has deepened my understanding of what it means to “build a multiracial, multicultural society” to the extent that I am in an excellent position to construct a classroom experience that promotes this understanding on the part of my students. I returned from the seminar with a substantive global perspective that only an experience of this type affords. As a result I am better able to integrate this perspective into my daily work with students both as an academic advisor and as a teacher. As an advisor, such an experience also positions me to guide students in terms of careers in public and international service.
   
   
2. Program Impact – As Director of both the Service Learning and Women Studies Programs, I have a significant amount of influence on curricular design and structure. Both of these programs have as their fundamental underpinnings an emphasis on social consciousness and social justice issues. The IFDS experience afforded opportunities for collaboration and exchange with those who already have and will continue to assist me in expanding and deepening our approaches to these issues. Certainly, Quinton Redcliffe contributed significantly to my deeper understanding of multicultural and social justice issues.
   
   
3. Institutional Impact – The mission statement of my university’s Center for Teaching and Curriculum includes a commitment to assisting our students in learning “to think critically and synthetically and reflect ethically and personally on ideas and experiences.” While most faculty members and administrators are certainly committed to these important goals, they often lack confidence in their ability to construct a campus and classroom ethos that contributes to this type of learning. The IFDS experience provided a new way for me to think about the ways that I might assist our institution in honoring the mission statement and the university’s commitment to the ethical and personal growth of our students. Certainly no factor contributes more to this type of growth than a multiracial and multicultural perspective. As a result of the IFDS I have assumed responsibility for leading the faculty and administration in the integration of this perspective.
   
   
4. Community Impact – Our College resides in one of the most impoverished counties in our state. Illiteracy rates are the highest in the state, and we have one of the largest percentages of immigrants without work in this county. While we are slowly beginning to work closely with the local community in a variety of ways to ameliorate some of the more critical problems, there is still a fundamental gap between the academic world of the college and the world of the local community residents. As academics, we often find ourselves lacking the practical skills and the cultural understanding to work with the local community. I believe that the more exposure we have to perspectives different from our own, the greater the potential for improving the welfare of others. My experiences in South Africa have provided me with a deeper understanding of the cultural and systemic barriers that the privileged rarely see. In other words, the IFDS seminar has broadened the lens that I use to view these issues.
   
   
5. National Impact – I was designated as a Carnegie Scholar in 2000-2001 and now enjoy many opportunities to speak to colleges and universities around the country. One of the most enduring areas of concern on the part of faculty members is the lack of understanding in terms of how to teach to a diverse community of students. The IFDS afforded me the opportunity to become more thoughtful and intentional in a national discussion of diversity as it intersects with teaching and learning. I attended the seminar with Dr. Isa Williams who is also located in an Atlanta area college. We have a long history of collaboration and often present workshops and papers together on both the national and international level. Our intention is to continue our collaboration with more emphasis on multiculturalism and to construct a series of presentations one of which will be to the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Specifically, we are interested in focusing on experiential learning and multiculturalism.
   
   

I would like to thank those responsible for awarding me the Ping Fellowship. I feel very privileged to have received this award and will be mindful of the responsibilities and obligations that accompany it.