Must-Take Class: Real Time/Real Talk

This semester, I’m taking a course called Real Time/Real Talk, a class nearly entirely designed by students. This course aims to create a space where students embrace their responsibility as intellectuals both in and outside the classroom. Using current issues as sites of intersectional analysis, students learn to merge their scholarly activities with public discussion and organizational activism. This course is perfect for the Barnard student who’s just too busy with their activist and personal pursuits, and looking to combine their own initiatives with their academics. For me, this meant having conversations regarding abortion and reproductive justice in the contexts of current systemic issues faced by the U.S and world at large. 

Real Time/Real Talk is taught by Professor Yvette Christiansë, the Ann Whitney Olin Professor of English and Africana Studies, the Chair of the Africana Studies Department, and one of the main proponents (and newly chosen Chair) of the Consortium of Critical Interdisciplinary Studies at Barnard. The class is even considered a CCIS (Consortium of Critical Interdisciplinary Studies) course, meaning that students engage Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; American Studies; and Africana Studies in their research and conversations. Professor Christiansë brings her own experiences and academic interests into discussion, and her contributions frequently lead to deep, introspective connections between our knowledge production (both through readings and guest speakers) and organizational activism. 

The course is part of Barnard’s intensive initiative, meaning that it only meets six times in the semester. (We’re currently meeting once a week on Fridays.) During these meetings, students respond to issues of immediate urgency through guest speakers and activists. While the discussions are certainly fruitful, perhaps the most valuable part of this class is the emphasis on student initiative, particularly when it comes to our guest speakers and activists. We work collaboratively, often in small breakout groups, to choose and reach out to professors, academics, and activists, and organize planned visitor sessions during our class meetings. (We even have a budget for guest speakers, which gives us more flexibility in who we can bring into our classes!) 

Each class, we spend about a half-hour discussing the issue we’re talking about for the week, then spend an hour with our visiting speaker, and lastly, spend a half-hour digesting the information learned and making a plan for the next week. Outside of class, many of us are preparing for the guest speaker, no matter which role we serve. Some students act as moderators, reaching out to the visitor and preparing questions for the presentation. Others comment on discussion boards, complete readings to gain background information, and prepare additional questions/comments based on the issue we’re discussing. The course culminates in a reflection on the guest speakers and knowledge gained throughout the semester. However, Professor Christiansë leaves it nearly entirely up to students to create the final product they’d like, and students are even encouraged to meet with her to propose and work out their own projects instead of the assignment given. Overall, it’s a very freeing experience to be in charge of our education and class in this way. 

Additionally, this course gives students the tools and connections to engage with community organizations (especially in New York City) who are already organizing in fields that students are interested in. Real Time/Real Talk connects theory with practice, allowing students to connect with public, intellectual organizers conducting this work in different parts of the city and world. It’s built upon flexibility, allowing students to divert their attention to what’s going on in “real-time” across the globe. Especially right now, with so much going on in the news and world, Real Time/Real Talk has been an incredibly unique and empowering academic experience. It’s given me the opportunity to explore my personal interests and combine them with my academic ones, while also having meaningful conversations with my peers, professors, and top academics and activists in the field. Not only that, but it’s also quite a distinct experience to get to read and comment on the news for academic credit, and one that I certainly haven’t taken for granted given the current state of the world! 

-Maya Corral