APP 225 Pacific Islander Culture in Oceania and the US

Purpose: to help other instructors teaching the same course

Common Course ID:  APP 225
CSU Instructor Open Textbook Adoption Portrait

Abstract: This open textbook is being utilized in a Pacific Studies course for undergraduate students by Dr. Jess Marinaccio at California State University, Dominguez Hills. The open textbook provides clear information on the history and culture of the Pacific region. The main motivation to adopt an open textbook was to provide students with no-cost learning materials that were more straightforward than many of the materials typically used in the Pacific Studies discipline. Most students access the open textbook in PDF format on the course management system Canvas.

Course Title and Number: APP 225 Pacific Islander Culture in Oceania and the US
Brief Description of course highlights:  This course is described as “examining the cultural, historical, and contemporary experiences of various peoples of Hawai‘i and the Pacific including the struggle over land, traditions, and sovereignty, state and national political restructurings, and global flows of knowledge, capital, and bodies.”

Student population: This is a 200-level course. It is also a C1 GE. Consequently, there are no pre-requisites and students from a variety of majors attend the course. Most students in the course are typically freshmen, and the majors most commonly taking the course are Criminal Justice, Human Services, Health Sciences, and Psychology majors. 

Learning or student outcomes:  List student learning outcomes for the course.
1. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of Oceania/the Pacific Region, particularly its geography and cultures and traditions.
2. Students will understand and be able to explain how the cultures of Oceania have impacted the United States.
3. Students will be able to analyze special topics in Oceania/Pacific culture, including art, gender, education, religion, and governance.
4. Students will be able to discuss current social movements and conflicts in Oceania and diaspora, including Pacific regionalism, decolonization, and climate change.
5.  Students will have the opportunity to work with art, literature, music, and other forms of aesthetic expression from Oceania and diaspora and have the opportunity to create and evaluate these works as appropriate. 

Key challenges faced and how resolved: Because there is no dedicated Pacific Studies textbook for the US, during my first semester teaching the course, I used popular academic articles from Pacific Studies. This proved to be overwhelming for some students. This semester, I provide students with the option to read chapters from the open-source textbook we are using OR related academic articles. This has allowed all students to better engage with course materials.

Syllabus and Sample assignments: I assign weekly reading summaries. Students choose one of the required readings for the week and discuss the main theme of the reading, an important quote they identified in the reading, and why the quote was important. I usually provide four options each week that students can write about. One of the options is usually a chapter from the open-source textbook we use. 

Textbook or OER/Low cost Title: A. Mawyer (Ed.). (2020). Introduction to Pacific Studies. Honolulu: Center for Pacific Islands Studies, University of Hawai`i-Mānoa.

Brief Description: The textbook provides concise and straightforward information on Pacific history, colonization, indigenous knowledge, Pacific forms of education, etc. The chapters are short and include a number of colorful and attractive images.

Please provide a link to the resource
https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/items/8944961a-31a3-4a6f-a5b3-6ec285c40859

Authors:  Mawyer, Alexander, Ronia Auelua, Hokulani Aikau, Manuhuia Barcham, Zakea Boeger, Stuart Dawrs, Delihna Ehmes, Joy Enomoto, Kali Fermantez, Mililani Ganivet, Joe Genz, Mary Hattori, Vilsoni Hereniko, Tarcisius Kabutaulaka, Tēvita O. Kaʻili, Leora Kava, Kenneth Gofigan Kuper, Monica LaBriola, Kealalokahi Losch, Teoratuuaarii Morris, Angela Robinson, Henryk Szadziewski, Katerina Teaiwa, Patrick Tellei, Jemaima Tiatia-Seath, Finausina Tovo, Patricia Tupou, Joshua Uipi, Lisa Uperesa, Andrew Vai, James Perez Viernes, Julie Walsh, and Terence Wesley-Smith.2020 Introduction to Pacific Studies. Volume 6 of Teaching Oceania Series, edited by Alexander Mawyer. Honolulu: Center for Pacific Islands Studies, University of Hawai'i–Mānoa.

Student access: I post the materials on our course management system (Canvas page). 

Provide the cost savings from that of a traditional textbook.  There are no traditional textbooks for Pacific Studies for the US. The textbook used for New Zealand costs $80.

License: Openly licensed

OER/Low Cost Adoption Process

Provide an explanation or what motivated you to use this textbook or OER/Low Cost option. I adopted this textbook to save students money and improve learning outcomes.

How did you find and select the open textbook for this course? One of the CSUDH librarians found the material for me.

Sharing Best Practices: I am glad that someone from the CSUDH Library encouraged me to look for an open-source textbook early on. Although I use a variety of materials for my class, it is very helpful to have materials that I know convey the ideas I want students to understand in a way that is very straightforward and accessible. Without these materials, I think students would still pass my classes, but, with the materials, more of the students really understand the main concepts we are looking at in class.

Describe any key challenges you experienced, how they were resolved  and lessons learned. No challenges experienced

Instructor Name:  Dr. Jess Marinaccio
I am an Assistant Professor of Pacific Studies at California State University, Dominguez Hills. I teach APP 225 Pacific Islander Culture in Oceania and the US; APP 325 Asian Pacific Art, Music, and Literature; and APP 327 Values and Communication of Asian Pacific Cultures. 

Please provide a link to your university page.
https://www.csudh.edu/asian-pacific/faculty/jess-marinaccio

Please describe the courses you teach.
My courses focus on the culture and politics of Pacific Island nations, as well as parts of Asia.

Describe your teaching philosophy and any research interests related to your discipline or teaching.
In my research, teaching, and service, I prioritize enhancing awareness of Pacific Studies and Pacific Islander communities. Through teaching, I seek to provide new curricula on the Pacific and work with students to further their appreciation of the people and cultures of the Pacific region, especially given the large Pacific Islander population encompassing CSUDH. In my research, I work with Pacific Islander scholars and the Tuvalu Government to promote appreciation for the diverse and complex Pacific region, which is often belittled and overlooked. For service, I work with Pacific Islander students on campus, at surrounding community colleges, and in the Pacific region to develop greater avenues for Pacific-centered courses, events, and study trips.