About

Introducing: Our Team

Kaitie Warren

I’m close to finishing my masters in Library and Information Science, and working in Ottawa for the summer. I’m from a small town in central Ontario, and I’m every kind of western and WASP, which is the ‘we’ that I’m talking about.

I was most interested in this class as a chance to reflect on some questions that seemed to keep coming back, in other studies on decolonization. How we tell stories, and the stories we tell, and the ultra importance of giving up some space for others’ stories to breathe. To me Daniel Coleman’s intervention is all about opening up space. The standards ‘we’ have to judge everything, including stories, are our own subjective standards. I’m frustrated by the western habit of viewing our own standards as objective, logical, unquestionable. When the standards themselves are seen as factual, we have no hope of truly considering any other way of thinking. I really appreciate the view of learning as aiming to change the way we see things, rather than just looking at different things. I’m really interested to look more into this understanding of respect, and the space and distance it demands.

Debra Goei

I’m a fourth year Philosophy Major and pursuing an English Minor in Literature, hoping to graduate in November this year. Although I chose to pursue a degree in perhaps, the way things work, my passion has always been literature. Coming from an extremely populated Asian city, Vancouver and the calmer pace of life has shaped the beginning of my adult years.

I call Singapore my place of birth but have made Vancouver my home. This land has given me so many of my own stories, and I decided that this course would be my forage into learning more about the land, her many stories which have all led to the shaping of this cosmopolitan space. I’m hoping this course will begin my foray into the literary world through an understanding of the land which I am studying in! As a young philosopher, I am particularly interested in perspectives, and Daniel Coleman’s intervention thus speaks to me in a manner which calls for mutual respect to be established, and not assuming the superiority or normality of one’s culture as the benchmark. I am interested in the discussion of politics, philosophy and literature as a singular topic, as it seems to be one that emerges within Canadian literature.

Alyssa Ready

I am entering my fourth and final year with a Major in Geography and a Minor in History. I am from Vernon BC and currently attend UBCO. I work as a Bylaw Officer for the City of Vernon for the summer and have been enjoying getting to work outside. I am excited to move out of the Okanagan after my degree as I pursue urban planning and city development.

I am looking forward to further examining the way in which we tell stories. We are so influenced by different ways of thinking, however Western thought dominates our education and therefore I, as many others, approach things first with a Western approach and fail to see other ways of examining literature and oral histories. We are beginning to see the consequences of that and by this class and this project, I hope to explore with you different ways of thinking.

Jeff Malo

I am fourth year English and Cultural major at the University of UBCO. I am originally from Coquitlam, B.C. and have been attending UBCO since 2011. I plan on graduating from UBCO come april this upcoming year and continue with my field of interest. I am interested in sports and literature, and hope to become a journalist or writer of some sort one day.

I am interested in this research area because of the injustice that pertains to the Indigenous people. I hope to learn a great deal from our area of research and contribute information that will hopefully change perspectives on the matter.