I’m on a 2/2 load (for non-academics, this means I teach two courses each semester). During the fall, one of my courses is always online so there is no change here. However, I’m also teaching my advanced qualitative methods course and thinking through how to design the course for multiple modalities occupied a better partContinue reading “Early Reflections on Fall Teaching”
Author Archives: stephaniemasta
Why I’m Participating in #ScholarStrike
Although I’m not a tenured professor, I am participating in the Scholar Strike for Racial Justice, a mass action of higher education professionals protesting racist policing, state violence against communities of color, mass incarceration and other manifestations of racism. Scholar Strike is meant to disrupt the everyday routines of academia and show solidarity for otherContinue reading “Why I’m Participating in #ScholarStrike”
The Summer That Wasn’t
Hi! I know that I mentioned taking August off but the research factory resumes paying me today and I thought some reflections on the summer were in order. I’m on a 9-month contract at Purdue and generally take the summers off. Every fourth year or so I’ll teach a summer course. It’s also not unusualContinue reading “The Summer That Wasn’t”
What I’m Reading — August 2020
The semester is starting soon so I’m taking August off from posting to focus on that, but I here’s what I’m reading this month: Red Skin, White Masks: Rejecting the Colonial Politics of Recognition — Glen Sean Coulthard The Obelisk Gate — N. K. Jemisin Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About RaceContinue reading “What I’m Reading — August 2020”
The Helpful Rejection
About six weeks ago, I submitted a manuscript to a fairly well-known journal in my field. Within three weeks, I received a desk reject–the editors did not send it out for peer review. I can’t say I was totally surprised by the rejection–I was aware the manuscript had flaws. But what did surprise me wasContinue reading “The Helpful Rejection”
Why Teaching Sovereignty Matters
On July 9, 2020 the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 5-4 ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma, which held that under the Indian Major Crimes Act, lands reserved for the Creek Nation in eastern Oklahoma constituted Indian Country. This decision was a major win for Indigenous peoples in the U.S. Legal scholarship is not my area ofContinue reading “Why Teaching Sovereignty Matters”
My Letter to the Board of Trustees
This is a letter I sent to Purdue’s Board of Trustees this morning regarding the formation of a task force to address racial equity on campus. My name is Stephanie Masta and I’m an assistant professor in the College of Education, with courtesy appointments in the College of Liberal Arts and the School of EngineeringContinue reading “My Letter to the Board of Trustees”
The Fetishization of Historical Actors
As someone who studies how we talk about a particular type of history (Native/Indigenous) I wasn’t surprised when I found myself typing the following tweet: “All statues are is visual proof of the never-ending fetishization of single actors (which starts in elementary school, particularly the ‘founding fathers.’ they should all come down.” I deleted itContinue reading “The Fetishization of Historical Actors”
The Reluctant Writer
Confession: when I first drafted this post I titled it “The Intrepid Writer” and then looked up intrepid to confirm it meant what I thought it had meant…and no! It does not! I thought intrepid meant cautious or timid, instead it means fearless or adventurous. And while I’d like to think I’m those things inContinue reading “The Reluctant Writer”
Seeking Manuscript Reviewers
I’m guest editing an issue of the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education featuring manuscripts authored by graduate students using critical/Indigenous methodologies. if you’re willing to review, please provide your information here. For many students, this is their first solo-authored paper, and the first time they’ve explored this part of their scholar identity. Reviewers should beContinue reading “Seeking Manuscript Reviewers”
Doing Indian Country Research 