Larry E. McDaniel Jr. Humanities and Social Science
Afrocentric Curricula: A Powerful Enough Force to Curtail Negative Classroom Behavior?
My research project will ask if a consistent classroom discourse on relevant curriculum to ones ethnic group, historical ethnic heritage, and cultural makeupspecifically African Americans in this caseis a powerful enough force to curtail or positively shift the behavior of African American adolescent students who display negative behavior in a classroom setting. This research is not to suggest that African American students are intrinsically ill behaved; thus, a curriculum needs to play the role of mediator. However, it is to acknowledge that these children, more often than not, bring economic and familial stresses into educational spaces, which inform their behavior. Therefore, the rationale behind this research is to explore the intersection between student, social condition, curricula, and behavior, and understand if Afrocentric curricula can mitigate these traumas by exposing students to culturally relevant curricula that might enlighten them to their lived experiences.
Message To Sponsor
As a transfer student at Berkeley, at times it can feel like you are not on par with traditional students. SURF has instilled confidence in me that, not only am I on par, but I am on track to achieve my dream of conducting research within the academy, and has affirmed my desires to pursue a doctorate degree in Sociology. Through SURF mentorship, I look forward to developing both professionally and intellectually. Thanks to SURF and the Wishek Fund, I have the opportunity to hone my research abilities, and explore issues that plague our communities.