Are you interested in pedagogies that address a variety of oppressive and marginalizing forces in the university classroom? Participants in the Teaching and Learning Center’s 2019 Developing a Socially Conscious Pedagogy Focused Inquiry Group will build on previous SCP work by researching, reading, discussing and writing about higher education pedagogies that are self-reflexive, responsive and subversive of hegemonic social and educational practices. Expanding on work around educator positionality, this group will examine academic and non-academic texts with the goal of co-creating a “self-care tool kit” for Graduate Center students teaching at CUNY. We will gather, curate and reflect on tools and strategies (intellectual, emotional, spiritual and logistical) used by college educators to empower and sustain their teaching practice as educators of color and/or for students of color.

Participants will be asked to attend a total of 6 meetings between the beginning of April and the end of June (bi-weekly) in which we will first research, read and discuss texts that center the voices and experiences of educators and students of color. We will then meet in June for two working sessions in which we will co-create a toolkit.

To submit an application for this Focused Inquiry Group, please include a CV and respond to the following prompt in approximately 3-500 words:

How does your positionality (or positionalities) in the classroom inform how you design your courses? What elements of your identity and personal history show up in your pedagogical practices?

Participants must be able to meet on a Monday or Tuesday, commit to 6 one-hour long sessions, and contribute writing to a common deliverable (the toolkit). Selected participants will receive a $500 stipend. Selections will be determined based on the clarity of the connection between positionality and teaching practice, as well as to ensure that there is a diversity of disciplines and/or lenses represented.

Deadline for submissions is Monday, March 11th by 6pm to tlc@gc.cuny.edu.

If you have further questions please email slaksimimorrow@gradcenter.cuny.edu