Thursday, June 11, 1998
Students bid farewell to ‘Cunningham Pedagogy’
PEDAGOGY: Department fails to acknowledge English professor’s
contributions
By May Ying Lee
More often than not, we sit in a classroom where the professor
rambles on in academic jargon as students attempt to absorb his or
her expertise. As college students, many of us mechanically sit
through lectures like robots, only to brainlessly regurgitate the
material in our notes, papers and exams. Unfortunately, those
holding doctorates are often disillusioned by the fallacy of
professorial discourse, whereby professors abandon all forms of
comprehensible communication. We have all observed professors
becoming unapproachable androids, standing in front of the lecture
hall babbling seemingly brilliant insights, not noticing that we
barely understand. In fact, most of the untouchable academics
practice something they believe to be professionalism, which
translates to lack of caring for the students.
Once in a lifetime, an inspiring professor steps into the
classroom and resurrects the learning experience. We – the
undersigned – hereby acknowledge the teachings of a brilliant
professor, Chris Cunningham, a lecturer in the English department.
He has inspired us with his compassion for students as well as his
expertise on and passion for the subject matter.
This spring, Professor Cunningham’s U.S. education class
attracted many students from various backgrounds and interests. As
the quarter comes to an end, we join in solidarity and unanimously
regret the loss of this memorable professor, as his position no
longer exists within the English department. For this very reason,
we wish to commemorate the power of Cunningham Pedagogy – the art
of Professor Cunningham’s teaching – to the entire UCLA
community.
Mere words cannot express how much we appreciate Professor
Cunningham. We rely on our humble articulation to convey the
valuable experiences we have gained in his classroom. What sets
Chris apart from other professors is his desire to enrich students
on all levels – not just academic.
Breaking the conventions of traditional pedagogy, Professor
Cunningham approaches critical thinking and writing from a cultural
studies perspective. He engages students in an active dialogue,
drawing on individual experiences to make connections to criticisms
of the texts. Most importantly, he raises us to a higher level of
consciousness, not only in regards to the U.S. education system but
also about current social issues (i.e. homophobia, class, race and
gender issues) with which most of us can identify.
Professor Cunningham deserves credit for being an outstanding
UCLA professor. His classes fill up faster than other classes in
the department, and waiting lists are always overflowing with
students begging to enroll. His popularity attributes to the
open-door policy that welcomes students regardless of official
hours, and sure enough, the room is often overcrowded with admiring
students.
It is a great disappointment that the UCLA English department
refuses to recognize Professor Cunningham’s popularity as
representative of the students voicing their educational needs and
desires. The bottom line is, those in power simply do not care.
Like a brave warrior (or warrior princess), Chris Cunningham
stands alone in the struggle against injustice. Unlike professors
on the tenure track, he is not afraid to take a stand on racism,
sexism and homophobia. But most memorable are his efforts in
support of the students.
Recently, Professor Cunningham displayed his solidarity with his
students by participating in the affirmative action protest and
addressing Professor Michael Allen’s offensive comment at the
chancellor’s inauguration. Very rarely will a professor side with
us students and risk his job by putting students first, yet he
continues to question and challenge the departmental corruption,
for "only a dead fish swims with the stream" (Kristen Grant, Senior
American Literature and Culture).
We, therefore, representing grateful disciples of Chris
Cunningham, are calling out the decisionmakers in the English
department for neglecting the students’ demands. The fact that the
University terminates popular and influential lecturers (such as
Professor Cunningham and "Best Lecturer of the Year," Julie Giese)
leads us to question this department’s priorities.
We are deeply saddened for the next generation of students who
will not benefit from Professor Cunningham’s enrichment of the UCLA
community. It is apparent that the enthusiastic teaching of
Professor Cunningham has passionately inspired us.
However, it is truly disheartening that there are not more
professors like him. With tears in our eyes and chuckles in our
throats, we say farewell to Professor Chris Cunningham. We will
forever treasure his memories and dedicate the following passage in
his honor: "You’ve got to dance like nobody’s watching and love
like it’s never going to hurt."
JAMIE SCANLON-JACOBS/Daily Bruin
Professor Chris Cunningham lectures on his final day of
instruction.