Curiosity about Cultures: The Intentionality and Responsibility of Curricular Planning
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Presenter Bio
Velina Hasu Houston, a Distinguished Professor at the University of Southern California School of Dramatic Arts and USC’s Resident Playwright, is a multi-genre writer working in theatre, musical theatre, opera, essays, poetry, and film whose artistic creation explores the global and domestic intersectionalities of ethnicity, culture, and gender; and the disintegration of artificial borders that support identity formation. She has received honors from the Mellon Foundation, Kennedy Center, and Rockefeller Foundation. A Fulbright Scholar and Berklee College Trustee, she continues to shape the theatrical landscape while advocating for multiethnic and BIPOC voices in the arts.
Presentation Description
Broadening and deepening of students’ perspectives of global and domestic humanity cannot be accomplished without equally deep and broad exploration of cultures, class standings, and sociopolitical backgrounds that differ from that of the mainstream. Teachers must be curious about such differences and, with intentionality, provide curricula that integrate these differences. Such efforts contribute healthfully and comprehensively to students’ education and support their cultivation of society.
Pre-Session Materials
READ: Why diverse voices on reading lists are important,” Pearson International Schools. https://blog.pearsoninternationalschools.com/why-diverse-voices-on-reading-lists-are-important
WATCH: “Why is a diverse reading list important to students?” University of Leeds Libraries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnpnnEtUDKM
Post-Session Exercise
Create a short reading/viewing list for a particular class you teach; create with intentionality and a sense of responsibility to broaden and deepen your students’ knowledge across cultures, class, sexuality, gender, disability, or other dimensions of difference. Ask your students which of the items on the list most appeals to them and why they believe that item is important.
Keywords
intersectionality; cirricular design
Publication Date
4-7-2025
Campus
Berklee Online
Recommended Citation
Hasu Houston, Velina and Pedagogy Arts Collective, "Curiosity about Cultures: The Intentionality and Responsibility of Curricular Planning" (2025). Pedagogy Arts Collective. 24.
https://remix.berklee.edu/pac/24