Cherry Muhanji received her PhD in English, anthropology, and African American World Studies from the University of Iowa. She argues jazz as metaphor, where this uniquely American art form represents the democratic ideals wherein the collective--in traditional jazz the horn, drum, bass, and piano--plays together, solos, and then returns as a collective. This democratic ideal inherent in this art form is that everyone gets to solo and everyone plays together--to form, if you will, " a more robust union."

Dr. Muhanji finds teaching Sophomore Inquiry works the same as the metaphor of jazz: The diverse "dissonant" notes from children's stories, anthropological texts, novels, plays, scientific victories and blunders, the war in Iraq, all serve not to bring harmony to the classroom, but rather to create a robust and rigorous sound, in which race, class, gender, and sexuality are exploded.

Cherry Muhanji
Assistant Professor
University Studies
curriculum vitae
office: CH 117  
fax: (503) 725-5977
email: muhanji@pdx.edu