Vel Phillips Papers (Teaching, Box 3)

Kevin R. Jung

I enjoyed the class very much. I would normally study Black Political Power but having had ever a short mini-course about the subject has increased my knowledge about the subject and has enlightened me to a better understanding of its past, present, and future. The most enjoyable part of the course was when you - Vel - shared with the class some personal experiences and stories. I think this part of the class was the most interesting and most profitable. A meaning or point that is being made is conveyed in a much better way and is easier to understand through these personal stories. One of the most important things that I got out of the class was the fact that this type of material was presented to me. I probably would never take a course in Black history and Black politics. It is something that doesn't really interest me and hasn't affected me as far as being in an area where it is a widely talked about subject. I am from Manitowoc, Wis. where there are at the most three black families living in the city. Having taken the course, I was confronted with old and new ideas about which I never really thought about. The discussion groups were good in that they allowed the students to give some of their opinions and allowed them to do a little reading and research instead of being passive, sitting back and letting the instructor do all of the work. The discussion groups allowed the class to hear different opinions and interpretations of the material. I personally got a lot out of the discussion groups. It allowed me to present my interpretations of the material explaining what I thought was important. I never really thought about the type of material presented in the book.

Kevin R. Jung

But having read through the book I am beginning to understand to a greater degree what the black people are talking about and what they want.

Examining a January Term

In evaluating what I learned from William Law, it is hard to say exactly what I did find out. I read the books and handouts and became very confused. I didn't feel that I was cleaning, as much as I felt that I was being persuaded over to his point of view, the libertarian's point of view. I am sure that he is a very learned man in his field, but he failed to communicate much of his knowledge to me. It is my fault for not questioning when I didn't understand, but it is also in part his fault for the manner in which he presented his lecture to the class. He taught, or so I felt, the class as if we had more knowledge on economics. He used terms, names and graphs as though we had seen these all once before and that it was just review to us all. I felt very lost and very unsure of what to question him on. I now know that money is the commodities in circulation, factional reserve banking causes inflation and Rousseau thought man was good, ect., but I don't really understand how it all relates. I am not sure of what I suppose to learn from him. I think if he would have had more time, like the whole month, to present his material I would have gotten more out of it. The way it was presented in a week tried to cram too many facts and new points of view and new knowledge in too short of a time period. Also I would have gotten more out of the course had I more interest in economics and would have some fraction of an idea of what he was talking about.

In the six sessions with Vel Phillips, I think I was made more aware of things I never really concerned myself with. Her course wasn't so much academic learning as much as it

was a learning in human matters. I can say I learned more from Vel Phillips than William Law, because I was more interested by her and by the books she had for us to read. At first I did resent the fact that we had to form groups and that we had to present the material to the class. I wanted to know just what she was going to do. But by having us give the material to the class, I got more out of the course. I had very little education in the history of Blacks, so whatever I found out in class was something new to me. I also found out more about the Black point of view. By just by the manner in which she spoke of different things. The Blacks do have a suppressed history when it comes to politics. They have to handle problems that no other minority group had to face. They have to deal with the lack of pride and confidence in themselves as people, which no other minority group had to do. Ms. Phillips brought this point across more clearly than any book could with the stories of her own chidren and their view on Black people. The course not only stopped and mad you think about how this minority of Blacks were being treated by white politicians, but also about how obscured the history. Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Japanese ect. must be. The main reason why I felt that I did learn so much more from Ms. Phillips than from William Law in that I didn't feel intimidated by Ms. Phillips as I did by William Law. She talked more on a basic level than he did and didn't use the terminology that she could have. The main point that she did make me painfully aware of is that I really was deprived. Children should

have early contac with those of other ethnic and racial backgrounds to remove any myths one might hold about the other. It is a fact that helped me see a part of my education as a person that is lacking. I would suggest that if you could to get her back next January and give her a whole month. I think she could teach alot about Black history but more than that she could give those students more of an understanding of Black and other minority people.

I am sorry to say, because someone told me it was your turn as head of January term, but I was very disappointed in the month. I felt, and so do a lot of the students I have talked with, ripped off $300 for this month. I feel ripped off mainly because of my course. I didn't get anything out of William Law, I resented having to go out and find someone the 2nd week, and I enjoyed Vel Phillips, but for too short of time. I just do not feel the education I got was worth $300. Others share this sentiment. For example, a student in "So You Want to Run a Union," felt it was a bunny course and that they had learned nothing. The teacher constantly changed their mind on how the course was to be taught, speakers that were to come in never did and field trips to other unions were never taken. The only trip they did take was to the brewery and whatever they were told there was forgotten the next day. And if the courses are not bunny courses they