Peju Alfred
Researcher/ Educator
Olapejualfred.com
About me
PhD Candidate
Transcultural German Studies Program (UofA/UnizuKöln)
Hello there and welcome to my page! I am a PhD candidate in the Dual PhD/Dr. phil Transcultural German Studies Program (University of Arizona/Universität zu Köln).
As a generalist in the field with a background in applied linguistics and pedagogy, I view words as a representation of art and the cultural self. This underpins both my research interests and dissertation work. My research projects have had the trajectory of exploring facets of intercultural- and symbolic competences and representations in literature and multimodal texts, with a consciousness of making more visible, often marginalized texts and voice in the classroom. Along these lines, postcolonial, diversifying and decolonizing theories, methods and practices also inform some of my teaching practices.
Research
Dissertation
My on-going dissertation research examines the long-term effects of a curriculum design, which centers on diverse perspectives and multimodal texts, on learners' intercultural learning. I approach this research by centering alternative and often individualized and marginalized literary texts and students' voice to investigate how the combination of texts and classroom dialogue play a role in exploring issues of representation, identity, and mainstream narrative discourse on socio-cultural plains; and what this informs us about intercultural teaching and learning.
Masters
MA Thesis work - The Potential of Literary Text in raising Intercultural Consciousness - examined how literature, digital social media and classroom dialogue can be used to create a space for intercultural reflection in the beginning level language course.
https://repository.arizona.edu/bitstream/handle/10150/642181/azu_etd_18082_sip1_m.pdf?sequence=1
Teaching
Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy is fundamentally guided by a learner-centered approach to teaching. A learner-centered approach to me means the following practices - moderating learning sessions in ways that nudge learners to reflect upon issues, evaluate and analyze problems and conceive and generate possible solutions; encouraging learners to reflect upon the what, why and how of learning; motivating learners to take agency and control over their own learning processes; building a community where collaboration, dialogue and diverse perspectives form the bedrock of our interactions; and finally, it means involving and engaging learners in building a self agency approach toward learning.
In relation to this, fundamental values which equally guide my approach to activities in the classroom are inclusion, safety, and trust. Inclusion because everyone deserves to be seen and heard. Safety and trust because dialogue and deliberation is a cornerstone for learning and unlearning, both of which can effectively take place in a space where all feel safe and trust the intention of the journey. In my personal experience as a learner, my most positive learning experiences have occurred in spaces where safety and trust were salient. Pulling from these positive experiences, I actively strive in my identity as a researcher, instructor and human to embody these principles.
Teaching Experience and Expertise
INSTRUCTOR OF RECORD (2018 - 2024)
FTV GER 325: The History of German Cinema (2 Sessions)
GER 201: Intermediate German I (4 Sessions)
GER 202: Intermediate German II (1 Session)
GER 101: Beginner German (6 Sessions)
GER 102: Beginner High German (2 Sessions)
GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIP (2019 - 2023)
FTV GER 325: The History of German Cinema (1 Session)
GER 150A1: Becoming Multilingual (1 Session)
AFAS 160A1: Traditions and Societies of the World: The Africana Experience (2 Sessions)
Publications and Written Work
Book Chapter |published | 2021
• Alfred, P., & Warner, C. (2021). Literary Pragmatics and Intercultural Dialogue in the Beginning Language Class: A Study in Social Reading. In Teaching and Learning Second Language Pragmatics for Intercultural Understanding (pp. 83-104). Routledge.
Master Thesis Project | Not published | 2020
• The Potential of Literary Texts in raising Intercultural Consciousness, Not published
Academic, Administrative and Community Services
Assistant Language Program Director Department of German Studies (University of Arizona) | August 2024 – present
Graduate & Professional Student Council (GPSC) Grant Reviewer (University of Arizona) | April 2024 – present
Graduate Communities for Academic Fellowship and Efficacy (Grad CAFE) Peer Mentor/Community Leader | Spring 2024
Graduate Student Representative Department of German Studies (University of Arizona) | August 2023–May 2024
Ambassador for Open Dialogue — College of Humanities Fearless Inquiries Project (University of Arizona) | 2023 - present
Second Language Multimodal Literacies (L2ML) Abstract Reviewer | January – February 2023
Graduate student representative on the College of Humanities Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (COH JEDI -University of Arizona) | August 2022 — May 2023