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Compost Me: A More-Than-Humanifesto speaks to my desire to be composted, exploring what human composting is and how the process works, in addition to what human composting can teach us about being and becoming more-than-human. As part of this more-than-humanifesto, I advocate for an extended sense of self – one that mixes and mingles with other beings and bodies – to compost discourses that present humans as separate from, and superior to, the ecologies in which they are intimately a part. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this activity, students employ mock campfire storytelling to "make the familiar strange" in the same spirit as Horace Miner's (1956) classic tale of the "Nacirema." Students work individually, in pairs, or as small groups (around three) to create a whimsical story that deconstructs a mundane, everyday ritual (event, activity, practice) into a mythical or folkloric re-vision. Through storytelling, students are experimenting with performance while learning to integrate vocal variation (pitch, pace, power, pauses, and exaggeration) with gestures, movement, and sensory-rich language. By critically and creatively examining a cultural practice or event, students re-story everyday experiences, often left unexplored or unexamined. The interactive format of this exercise provides the class the opportunity to interact with each other's stories in a fun, challenging, and informal way. By creating a mock campfire, lowering the classroom lights, and sitting in a group circle, students feel more confident experimenting with vocal presentation and non-verbal cues. This activity works well in classes with 30 or fewer students, when incorporated into discussions about culture, creativity, and/or storytelling. To prepare students for this activity, it is helpful to introduce Conquergood's (1985) "four ethical pitfalls" as a tool to help students critically "witness" how they perform their own cultural traditions and those of others. By introducing Conquergood's (1985) ethical stances in combination with Miner's (1956) "Nacirema" and Hughes' (1974) "The Sacred Rac," students have the opportunity to "make strange" their own everyday practices, and, as a result, hopefully engage with cultural diversity in a more sensitive, compassionate, and ethical manner. (Contains 3 notes.) A list of references and suggested readings is included.

In this teaching reflection, the author discusses the benefits of incorporating learners' input into classroom content design, starting with the syllabus, to invite a more democratic learning process. She suggests four guiding questions teachers can employ throughout their courses, working with learners to create a collaborative classroom culture and encouraging individual and group creativity, while connecting the course content and material to students' multiple learning styles and everyday lives.

This story discusses how my fieldwork with the Rainbow Family of Living Light shaped my understanding and definition of ethnographic “research” and how, if at all, my work has “fit” (or has not fit) within the institutional review board’s (IRB) definition of this concept. To explore this more fully, I situate this story within current debates surrounding ethnography and IRB oversight. By doing so, my goal is to propose a redefinition of IRB terms, offering an alternative ethical framework based on Rainbow philosophy, which positions ethnography as a type of “ethical spectacle.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this essay, I introduce fireside chats as a critical pedagogical practice, which can strengthen students' compassion and contemplation by enhancing communication practices and opening discussion about students' learning ideas, dreams, reflections, questions, and fears, while changing hierarchical communication patterns between teachers and students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employing performative writing, this essay asks the reader to consider the role contemplative practices could play in both teaching and learning. By building bridges to connect critical and contemplative pedagogy, I situate teaching not only as a practice of compassionate engagement, but also as an opportunity to embrace and practice mettacommunication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]