Andria Timmer
Christopher Newport University
Sociology, Social Work, and Anthropology
In this class, we will ask what it means for people to be forced from their homelands in the face of violence, persecution, poverty, or environmental destruction. We explore displacement and migration, not as a problem to be solved, but as sites of social and political critiques of colonization, war, human rights, and structural violence. We will address factors that lead people to flee their homes as well as the physical and emotional traumas involved with leaving one’s home under duress and the obstacles and opportunities awaiting them in the new home countries. The foundational question that we will seek to answer in this class is: Why do migrants and refugees present such a problem in the world today? In posing this question, we will also explore several sub-questions: Who gets to be defined and accepted as a refugee? Who is defined as a migrant? What differentiates a refugee from a migrant and others who may leave or flee their countries of origin? What are the challenges involved with moving to a new country? What policies and procedures impede and support their movement? How are they treated upon their arrival? What cultural adaptations are needed both on the part of the new arrivals and the residents of the recipient countries?
I will be teaching it fall 26 and I anticipate teaching it again fall 27
I believe that higher education needs to change if it is going to be useful in the current climate. Universities need to shift away from being producers and regurgitators of knowledge. They instead should be seen as valuable community resources. Students should leave a college classroom not just with information about a problem, but with an understanding of 1) who the problem affects, 2) why they should care, and 3) what they can do about it. I am interested in participating in the Teaching Social Action course development program because I have been teaching community engaged learning classes and I would like to take them to the next level to include a social campaign. I do not feel equipped to do that yet. In a world where students can get any information they want at their fingertips, a university education needs to look different. I would like to expand my teaching so that I can work to empower students to do something with the knowledge they have. That being said, I think there are some real limitations to the service learning model that has come to dominate much of higher education. Students should see themselves as part of the community - not just as visitors who can help out. It is my hope that engaging in this workshop will provide me with the language and skills to include this perspective in my classroom.
I have taught several of my classes as community engaged learning (CEL) courses in which I work with a community partner. Through a combination of service learning and community based participatory research, students learn about the perspectives of the community partner and create research products that are valuable to this partner. To aid in this, I took part in workshop (Tidewater Faculty Fellowship) to help build my CEL course. Students gain valuable skills and insights in these classes, but they are not social action. I look forward to gaining skills to bring social action into my classes. I am proposing to modify my class Migration, Displacement, and Refugees, but I hope to gain transferrable skills that I can use in all of these classes that I offer.
Immigration advocacy, information and social awareness campaigns, policy advocacy, access to rights
Brooke Dinsmore
Associate Professor
- Migration and displacement - Refugees and their challenges - Social and political critiques - Community engaged learning - Immigration advocacy - Cultural adaptations
The course focuses on migration, displacement, and refugees, exploring the social and political critiques surrounding these issues. It aims to empower students to understand the complexities of forced migration, the challenges faced by migrants and refugees, and the necessary cultural adaptations. The instructor seeks to enhance community engagement and social action within the curriculum, moving beyond traditional service learning to foster active participation and advocacy among students.
- Course on migration, displacement, and refugees. - Focus on community engagement and social action. - Emphasis on understanding the impact of displacement. - Exploration of challenges faced by migrants and refugees. - Aim to empower students with actionable knowledge. - Teaching experience in community engaged learning. - Course scheduled for Fall 2026 and anticipated again in Fall 2027.
Virginia
Motivation to Teach Social Action:
I believe that higher education needs to change if it is going to be useful in the current climate. Universities need to shift away from being producers and regurgitators of knowledge. They instead should be seen as valuable community resources. Students should leave a college classroom not just with information about a problem, but with an understanding of 1) who the problem affects, 2) why they should care, and 3) what they can do about it. I am interested in participating in the Teaching Social Action course development program because I have been teaching community engaged learning classes and I would like to take them to the next level to include a social campaign. I do not feel equipped to do that yet. In a world where students can get any information they want at their fingertips, a university education needs to look different. I would like to expand my teaching so that I can work to empower students to do something with the knowledge they have. That being said, I think there are some real limitations to the service learning model that has come to dominate much of higher education. Students should see themselves as part of the community - not just as visitors who can help out. It is my hope that engaging in this workshop will provide me with the language and skills to include this perspective in my classroom.
Course Description:
In this class, we will ask what it means for people to be forced from their homelands in the face of violence, persecution, poverty, or environmental destruction. We explore displacement and migration, not as a problem to be solved, but as sites of social and political critiques of colonization, war, human rights, and structural violence. We will address factors that lead people to flee their homes as well as the physical and emotional traumas involved with leaving one's home under duress and the obstacles and opportunities awaiting them in the new home countries. The foundational question that we will seek to answer in this class is: Why do migrants and refugees present such a problem in the world today?
In posing this question, we will also explore several sub-questions:
- Who gets to be defined and accepted as a refugee? Who is defined as a migrant? What differentiates a refugee from a migrant and others who may leave or flee their countries of origin?
- What are the challenges involved with moving to a new country? What policies and procedures impede and support their movement? How are they treated upon their arrival?
- What cultural adaptations are needed both on the part of the new arrivals and the residents of the recipient countries?
Taught By:
Andria Timmer
Associate Professor
Sociology, Social Work, and Anthropology
Christopher Newport University
Read profile here.