SocioPoetix: Rethinking the Research Paper with Spoken Word

How can an assignment ask students to show their own voice and thinking, not just a polished final product? In this session, Dr. Anthony Blacksher, a sociology and ethnic studies professor from San Bernardino Valley College, walks through SocioPoetix, a framework rooted in spoken word, slam, and Black feminist traditions. It treats poems as “embodied data,” meaning real records of how people experience race, class, gender, and power. You’ll see how a traditional research paper became a semester-long assignment: students stay with one poem, analyze it with scholarly sources, and then write and perform a poem of their own. The video closes with what worked, what’s still uncertain, and the joy of hearing students find their voice. Accessibility note: This video may not include a separate audio-described track due to current platform limitations. Essential visual information is described in the narration whenever possible. For assistance accessing any visual content, please contact: facultypd@cccco.edu.