LINDSEY DAY HOFFMAN
Staff Writer
Dr. Lorie Goodman is passionate about many things. Whether she is teaching in the classroom or working with the homeless, her bright outlook on life is apparent in all that she does. With her constant smiling and unique laugh, she is quick to make visitors to her office feel at home. She is outspoken and opinionated, yet has a desire for hearing the thoughts of an opposing viewpoint.
Goodman received her bachelor’s degree in English/speech communications from David Lipscomb College. At the University of Texas at Arlington, she received her master’s degree in English and her doctorate in Humanities.
Since joining the Pepperdine faculty in 1991, she has been a professor of English. Her unique approach to teaching the subject uses argument and public discourse. Students in her courses pick current issues to discuss and are challenged to discover the values within them. As a result, students then have the power to form their own opinions.
Dr. Goodman goes beyond just teaching the subject. Her husband, Robert Cook, believes “she infuses the classroom with ideas that cause students to consider what values they hold dear and what it means to be both a citizen and a Christian in our society.”
This distinctive teaching style has been a success with students. “Her class was one of the best experiences of my academic career as far as the class structure and her as a teacher,” said Nicole Wallace, a sophomore. “She was very politically driven, which created many good debates in class,” added Stephanie Cooper, a senior.
In addition to her work at Pepperdine, Goodman is an activist for issues of homelessness in the greater Los Angeles area. Upon moving to the Malibu area in 1991, she recalls witnessing the issue’s affects. “I remember this homeless man wheeling his shopping cart with all of his belongings along PCH, walking past the huge gates in front of many of Malibu’s million dollar homes,” she explained. “It was at that moment I saw the great divide between the country’s wealthiest and poorest people.”
In an effort to educate students about the continuous need for a solution to homelessness, Goodman introduced topics of this issue of informing students of the harsh realities in society developed into something greater.
Along with former faculty member Cynthia Novak, Goodman encouraged her students to use what they had learned in the class-room by taking action. Some students conversed with the homeless and others volunteered on Skid Row. It was this concept of learning through experience that planted the seeds for the Social Action and Justice Colloquium (SAAJ) at Pepperdine.
Goodman served on the board of directors of Downtown L.A.’s Dome Village. The self-governing community was created in 1993 as transitional housing for those who did not want to live in traditional shelters. Consisting of geodesic domes, the project provided a sense of stability for many. In addition to housing, its residents were offered workshops including help with the job searching process, gardening, theater, and education on legal issues. Due to the profitable real estate value of the property, inhabitants of the domes were evicted in 2006 and this sanctuary for hundreds was shut down.
The end of this successful project has inspired Goodman to take initiative by opening a transitional housing development. With her husband, the two have started the difficult process of fulfilling this goal. “It’s one thing to talk about it but when you actually start the search for a property where the neighbors will accept such a project, obtaining the status of a non-profit organization…it becomes a challenge,” she said.
Not that Goodman is one to allow these many obstacles stand in the way.
“She is very passionate about what she believes and that passion translates to a real desire to make things better, whether on the streets of Los Angeles or in the work her students do in the classroom,” said Stephen Parmelee, a fellow English professor at Pepperdine.
This accomplished individual explains that her favorite thing about her job is witnessing moments when something “clicks” in the mind of a student. “Once in a while you get to see that ‘aha!’ moment transform before your eyes. As a teacher, it’s what (motivates) me to come to work each day,” Goodman said with a smile.
Dr. Lorie Goodman is the type of person one would be lucky enough to sit next to at Starbuck’s, on an airplane, or even in the cafeteria. “She is quick to laugh and, as I think her students will also tell you, she has the most infectious laugh of anyone I know,” said Parmelee.
And, of course, a strong dose of passion to go with it.
Fact Box
-Member of Pepperdine faculty since 1991
-Associate Professor of English
-B.A. in English/Speech Communications from David Lipscomb College
-M.A. in English and PhD in Humanities from University of Texas at Arlington
-Activist for issues of homelessness
04-23-2007