Faculty Spotlight: Scott M. Schönfeldt-Aultman

Personal Information

Hometown: Grew up in Georgia, Kentucky, and Delaware.

Hobbies/Activities: Cooking, hanging with friends, attempting to play guitar, travel, family history/genealogy, and when there’s time, scuba diving, brewing beer

Fun Fact: I spent a couple of years in Montreal, Quebec at McGill University working on a doctorate in theology, primarily focusing on feminist theology (though I didn’t finish that degree). The cultural education was outstanding, and that city is a very special one for me.

Educational Background

Undergraduate Degree: Bachelor of Arts, Speech/Communication (University of Georgia)

MA Degree: Master of Divinity (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)

MA Degree: Master of Arts, Speech and Communication Studies (San Francisco State University)

Ph.D. Degree: Cultural Studies (UC Davis)

Teaching Experience

I’ve been at St. Mary’s since 2001 (as lecturer), Tenure-track started in 2004. Prior to that, while a graduate student I taught some courses at San Francisco State University, UC Davis, Laney College, & Los Medanos College. At McGill, I did some teaching assistantships and a research assistantship, which I’d strongly advise students to seek out as grad students, not only for financial reasons, but for the experience.

Q&A with Scott M. Schönfeldt-Aultman

1. Thank you for sharing your educational background and teaching experience. Can you tell us more about your research and scholarship?
   Some of my published work is drawn from my dissertation - on white South African expatriate discourse in the United States. I’ve also been part of two dialogue pieces related to pedagogy, one on drag and one on hip-hop. Generally, whiteness is an area I’m researching, reading in, and writing on. But I dabble in matters of race, gender, and sexuality.

2. Very cool! How did you become interested in this research?
   This is quite a long story. In brief, in college I studied communication, and loved it. My class in rhetorical criticism was significant and has always stuck with me. I grew up very religious and was active in Baptist Student Union in college, thought I was going into youth ministry, so went to seminary. That led me eventually to McGill University, to work on a doctorate in theology, mostly concentrating on feminist theology. I didn’t finish that degree, and ended up going back to my communication roots and studying at SFSU. It was there that my mentor Gust Yep introduced me to or encouraged me to study much of what concerns me now - whiteness, race, gender, sexuality, cultural studies. As I was finishing at SFSU, I became aware that UC Davis was starting a Cultural Studies graduate program. I applied and was in the inaugural class. I studied with lots of fantastic scholars there, and continued learning more and more. By this time, I’d done work (research and an M.A. thesis) on whiteness, rhetoric, identity, and South Africa (an interest piqued by my partner being South African). I knew I’d write my Ph.D. dissertation in this area, which is what happened. That’s the very short version.

3. That is quite a story! Are there opportunities for students to collaborate with you on your scholarship? 
   I’ve not really taken much opportunity for this, but I have mentioned the possibility of co-authoring to a student or two over the years given their senior capstone work. I expect collaboration with grad students is more likely, and would welcome and look forward to it.

4. What is your pedagogical style (how do you teach and how do you relate to students)?
   I practice critical pedagogy, experiential education, student-centred, with minimal lecture, generally fostering dialogue among students, sometimes attempting to use creative pedagogical tools to get students engaged in the material, with each other, and in discussion of the topics at hand. It tends to be a relatively mellow and laid-back classroom, but one taking things seriously.

5. What does culture mean to you?
   Really? - You’ll have to take a class with me to get that answer. ;-) A little foreshadowing, it’s a more critical conception that sees culture as fluid, shifting, and a site of struggle.

6. What value do you see in Intercultural Communication (ICC) and what do you like most about teaching ICC?
   The value of ICC is that it allows one to see the importance of always making efforts to learn more about “culture,” of different ways of being and interacting in the world. It allows one to explore identity (e.g., race, class, gender, sexuality, nationality, ability), power, the systemic and structural aspects of society, ways of engaging in the everyday, and the importance of doing so.  Frankly, what I like most about teaching ICC is helping us all to try to understand the worlds we inhabit and don’t inhabit and working to make the world a more socially just and better place. For me, this means a continual interrogation of my own identities, of my social positioning/location, and of my social/political/pedagogical interaction.

7. What advice do you have for students interested in pursuing their master’s in intercultural communication?
   Know why you’re pursuing it. Be passionate. Be open to learning and unlearning. Find a good mentor. Make sure to secure the emotional and psychological support and resources you need to complete the program, that is, practice self-care. Build relationships with others in the program and talk with them about your insecurities, what you don’t know, what you want to learn, and be there for each other. Build relationships with professors. All of this relationship building is key to future networking, job opportunities, and future collaboration, Also, always seek to learn about groups with which you do not identify, which is especially important when you hold privileged identities.

8. That is great advice! Earlier, you mentioned that you've been working at Saint Mary's College since 2001, what do you like most about SMC?
   My colleagues. And the student-centered, social justice emphasis that allows for me to do the work and teaching that I feel is essential.

9. Anything else you would like to add?
   I’m really excited to work with graduate students, especially advising thesis projects. It’s something I’ve wanted to do since becoming a professor. I’m really grateful to my colleagues who took the initiative and have put in the labor to make this program happen! Thanks, Makiko, Aaron, and Mark!