Papers by Robin Redmon Wright
Routledge eBooks, Jun 21, 2023
Routledge eBooks, Apr 22, 2016
Food preferences not only originate from a person's dietary habits, but also reflect personal val... more Food preferences not only originate from a person's dietary habits, but also reflect personal values and consumer awareness. This study addresses "food identity" or the relationship between food preferences and personal attributes based on the concept of "food left-wing" (e.g., vegetarians) and "food right-wing" (e.g., fast-food lovers) by analyzing social data using information entropy and networks. The results show that food identity extends beyond the domain of food: The food left-wing has a strong interest in socio-environmental issues, while the food right-wing has a higher interest in large-scale shopping malls and politically conservative issues. Furthermore, the social interactions of food left-wing and right-wing factions show segregated structures, indicating different information consumption patterns. These findings suggest that food identity may be applicable as a proxy for personal attributes and offer insights into potential buying patterns.
New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education
International Journal of Lifelong Education, 2009
Journal of Developmental …, 2002
This report outlines a method for learning about the internationalization processes at institutio... more This report outlines a method for learning about the internationalization processes at institutions of adult and higher education and then provides the analysis of data gathered from the researchers ’ own institution and from site visits to three additional universities in the United States and the United Kingdom. It was found that campus internationalization requires a deep understanding and appreciation of the institutional context. In addition, although elements of internationalization may be implemented, the findings indicate there is a need to underpin these approaches with (a) a shared understanding of what interna-tionalization is and the ways it should ultimately impact student learning within an institution and (b) a collection of assessment methods for evaluating internationalization efforts and learning outcomes. Implications and recommendations for further research are also offered. Keywords internationalization of adult and higher education, internationalization of teac...
Popular Culture as Pedagogy
Whovians is the given name for Doctor Who fans. In order to be a true Whovian, enthusiasts must w... more Whovians is the given name for Doctor Who fans. In order to be a true Whovian, enthusiasts must write at least one piece of Doctor Who fan fiction in which they subvert the series' form to deal with a topical issue such as drugs, unemployment, child abuse. ~ TVCream.co.uk (in Jarman & Davies, 2010, p. 243)
Disney, Culture, and Curriculum
Using the theoretical frameworks of embodied learning and gender performativity, we examine the n... more Using the theoretical frameworks of embodied learning and gender performativity, we examine the narratives of nine other-‐‐than-‐‐heterosexual adult male actors for their experiences of gender identity development through theatre performance. Actors communicate with each other and with their audiences through their bodies. An actor’s body becomes what Gilbert (1994, p. 477) has called a “sign-‐‐vehicle”-‐‐-‐‐ the primary channel through which a performer communicates her or his unspoken feelings, intentions, and messages. Just as an actor portrays herself or himself differently to express polar emotions of joy and grief, she or he may embody gender differently to convey traits of a character. The purpose of this analysis is to explore the embodied learning about gender identity in male actors who identify as gay or bisexual. We sought to understand the ways participants intentionally explored gender through acting, and how they made meaning of that process. The data analyzed he...
We examine the modernist underpinnings of traditional adult learning and development theories and... more We examine the modernist underpinnings of traditional adult learning and development theories and evaluate elements of those theories through more contemporary lenses. Drawing upon recent “public pedagogy” literature, we argue that much learning takes place outside of formal educational institutions. We look beyond modernist narratives to consider the possible implications for critical adult learning occurring in and through contemporary fragmented, digital, media-saturated culture. The field of adult education has long relied on theories of adult learning and development that are grounded in master narratives of modernity. Rosenau (1992) links modernist narratives to humanism, which places the human subject at the center, emphasizing “the individual as a potentially effective, rational agent. Humanists are said to be naively optimistic about the nature of humankind, the potential for improvement in the human condition, and the scope of human accomplishments” (pp. 47-48). Individual...
This paper summarizes a study of reality television programming on Disney-owned cable channels. F... more This paper summarizes a study of reality television programming on Disney-owned cable channels. Fantasy theme analysis via symbolic convergence theory indicates that these pseudo-reality shows featuring working-class people reinforce cultural myths of the US as a meritocracy, promote neo-liberal politics, and glorify laissez faire capitalism, while masking the realities of workers’ lived experiences and the undemocratic realities of the dominant plutocratic system.
As the opening quotation indicates, many Doctor Who fans care about improving lives and curing so... more As the opening quotation indicates, many Doctor Who fans care about improving lives and curing social ills. Meisner (2011) asserts that the Doctor is “an activist” who is “an example to concerned citizens everywhere” (p. 7). While scholars differ in their interpretations of the show’s texts, most agree that many episodes contain overt anti-totalitarian storylines, progressive social messages, and educative political parallels.
Democratic ideas cannot exist without the public spheres that make them possible. Culture in the ... more Democratic ideas cannot exist without the public spheres that make them possible. Culture in the form of the Internet and mass media is the most powerful influence now used by the hyper-dead to promote their zombie politics. ~Henry Giroux, 2010, p. 159 Background, Purpose and Theoretical Framework Many critical researchers in cultural studies have focused on how "cultural texts or artifacts are used in everyday life" (Mackay, 1997, p. 3). As Giroux points out in the epigraph above, mass media is an instrument used by a powerful few to whom he refers to metaphorically as zombies: "the immoral, sub-Nietzschean, id-driven 'other' who is 'hyper-dead' but still alive as an avatar of death and cruelty" (Giroux, 2011, p. 2). These zombies of capital and politics are wanton "casino capitalists" who view competition as a form of social combat, celebrate war as an extension of politics, and legitimate a ruthless Social Darwinism in which particular individuals and groups are considered simply redundant, disposable-nothing more than human waste left to stew in their own misfortune-easy prey for the zombies who have a ravenous appetite for chaos and revel in apocalyptic visions filled with destruction, decay, abandoned houses, burned-out cars, gutted landscapes, and trashed gas stations. (p. 2) Dictating virtually all the content of mainstream media, these hyper-dead "represent the new face of the culture of cruelty and hatred in the second Gilded Age" (p. 2). Giroux further asserts that the media steeps us in thoughtless self-gratification which, by way of this constant exposure, becomes the sanctioned norm. These promoters of selfishness and cruelty include popular venues such as television, movies, magazines, blogs, and various social media. We are saturated in the messages produced by such popular culture creations. Critical educators recognize the educational power of popular culture in constructing our lives and our worldviews. Furthermore, as critical educators, we must investigate popular culture for its influence on, and its implications for, social justice movements. Almost all of the media in the US is owned, and its content controlled, by 5 multinational conglomerates with decidedly neoliberal agendas and with profound involvement in a myriad industries including weapons, pharmaceuticals, communications, and food production (Kunz, 2007; Miller, 2007). Moreover, Lester (1997) suggests that popular culture is "an entry point into social education… [and we] learn early and well from mass media" (p. 20). And Van Zoonen (2004) contends that political positions are formed and political decisions are made based, in part, on what is seen in popular media. Critical adult educators, then, must consider what and how adults are learning from the public pedagogy of popular culture. Additionally, it is important that pockets of resistance to the neoliberal, capitalist ideology that manage to exist within popular culture be identified and analyzed, and their impact on fan groups explored. McLaren and Hammer (1996) argue that TV is the primary "way in which capitalism is able to secure cultural and ideological totalization and homogenization" (p. 106). I concur that most of the representationsincluding the fictional and the semi-fictional, such as pseudo-news cable channels like Fox News-are created and produced by the imperial hubris of corporate oligarchies. Most television programming reinforces dominant, oppressive, inequitable power structures, promotes U.S. consumption and global imperialism, and simultaneously structures and solidifies the illusion that they are promoting democracy (Jarvis, 2008; Usher,
This paper is one part of a larger study of scholars with working-class backgrounds. The purpose ... more This paper is one part of a larger study of scholars with working-class backgrounds. The purpose was to find factors in their working-class upbringing that led to their pursuit of a doctorate and life in the academy. In this section, I use symbolic conversion theory and biosemiotics to in the analysis and discussion of two major threads running through the study: the role of parochial education and an early passion for reading. Although social class is rarely evident in adult education discourse, no one should doubt its existence. ~ Tom Nesbit, 2011 I have a confession to make. I probably shouldn‘t do this—in fact, I realize that I‘m taking a risk; after all, I‘m not yet tenured. But this is the field of adult education, with roots in social activism and radical pedagogy, right? Still, I realize that the profession as a whole has shifted away from those social-justice roots toward teaching skills to increase job security, improve individual skills, and support existing capitalist st...
The purpose of this symposium is to explore multi ple perspectives on the role of media in the ed... more The purpose of this symposium is to explore multi ple perspectives on the role of media in the education and mis-educatio n of adults, and to consider how educators might draw on media in developing a c ritical public pedagogy. Introduction: Why Study Popular Media in Adult Education Elizabeth J. Tisdell Media has a powerful influence on all of us. Consi der the following statistics put out by the Media Education Foundation about media and its role in our lives: (a) The average adult watches more than four hours of TV per day; (b) Fou r hours of television programming contains about 100 ads; (c) The average American child sees about 200,000 violent acts by age 18; (d) The average American youth spends about 1023 hours watching TV every year, but only 900 hours in school; (e) The average American sees near ly two million advertisements by age 65; (f) Thirty percent of local TV news programming is comm ercials. Indeed, these statistics are both surprising and a larming. We are constan...
The Palgrave International Handbook on Adult and Lifelong Education and Learning
This chapter explores the impact of and the potential for adult learning through engagement with ... more This chapter explores the impact of and the potential for adult learning through engagement with popular culture. Considering that we live in a ‘convergence culture’ (Jenkins in Convergence culture: Where old and new media collide. New York University Press, New York, 2006), where popular cultural products weave across multiple platforms (television, movies, books, websites, social media, etc.) and become major factors in adult lives, it is imperative that the field of adult and lifelong education recognise and understand the learning that happens in these everyday spaces of learning. After an overview of how popular culture operates as an arena of education and a site for adult learning, I review the most recent empirical and theoretical literature within adult education which has focused on adult learning and popular culture and add selected studies from other disciplines that may be significant to the field. I conclude with a discussion of the current and future research trends, focusing on the intersection of popular culture, adult learning/learners, and adult education.
adulterc.org
Twenty-five self-identified working-class scholars were interviewed about their life histories in... more Twenty-five self-identified working-class scholars were interviewed about their life histories in an effort to understand their career choice. Participants credited the incidental and informal learning they received from consuming film, television shows, popular music, comic books and novels as expanding their world view and instilling a desire to succeed academically.
adulterc.org
This paper summarizes the results of a study of 22 self-identified poetry readers. The project wa... more This paper summarizes the results of a study of 22 self-identified poetry readers. The project was designed to discover the reasons why adults read poetry, how the love of poetry was inspired, and what they learn from poetry. Through qualitative data analyses, findings indicate that through multiple reading strategies and reflective personal engagement with the prose, our participants construct changed and enhanced personal meaning in their lives. Implications on how poetry and embodied, emotional, and spiritual knowing can be effective learning resources for critical adult educators are provided.
adulterc.org
This paper offers two important historical examples, The Guerrilla Girls and The Raging Grannies,... more This paper offers two important historical examples, The Guerrilla Girls and The Raging Grannies, as ways to explore, experience, and better understand the value of embodied learning through culture jamming and critical performative pedagogy.
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Papers by Robin Redmon Wright