“Abolitionist teaching is built on the creativity, imagination, boldness, ingenuity, and
rebellious spirit and methods of abolitionists to demand and fight for an education
system where all students are thriving, not simply surviving.”
–Bettina Love, We Want To Do More Than Survive
Lehman WAC is committed to building a community of teachers
dedicated to improving and supporting student writing. In 2023-24,
we will discuss ways to create environments for students to thrive
through various kinds of writing across the disciplines. The
yearlong seminar will focus on abolitionist theory to reimagine our
assessment practices, syllabi, classroom spaces, and teaching
methods. We will discuss how small changes in writing pedagogy
and assessment can contribute to dismantling the settler-colonial,
neoliberal university and to shaping a liberatory future inspired by
abolitionist world-making processes. We will also brainstorm ways
to promote educational justice by revising our assessments, syllabi,
course policies, assignments, and/or rubrics.
Calendar
Date | Theme | Texts |
|---|---|---|
| Sep. 29 | Introduction | Dylan Rodríguez, “The Disorientation of the Teaching Act: Abolition as Pedagogical Position” |
| Oct. 27 | Abolitionist organizing & pedagogy | Mariame Kaba, We Do This ’til We Free Us : Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice Part 1, “So you think you might be becoming an abolitionist”; “Yes, we mean literally abolish the police”; “Hope is discipline” Part 4, “Toward the horizon of abolition” Part 6, “Moving Past Punishment” Part 7, “Everything worthwhile is done with other people” Bettina Love, We Want To Do More than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and The Pursuit of Education Freedom |
| Dec. 1 | Alternative grading | Susan Blum, ed., Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead) Asao B. Inoue, Labor-Based Grading Contracts: Building Equity and Inclusion in the Compassionate Writing Classroom Jesse Stommel, Undoing the Grade: Why We Grade, and How to Stop |
| Feb. 23 | Black critiques of higher education | Sekile M. Nzinga, Lean Semesters: How Higher Education Reproduces Inequality Bianca Williams et al., eds., Plantation Politics and Campus Rebellions: Power, Diversity, and the Emancipatory Struggle in Higher Education Stefano Harney and Fred Moten, The Undercommons: Fugitive Planning and Black Study |
| Mar. 22 | Indigenous critiques of higher education | Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Land as Pedagogy: Nishnaabeg Intelligence and Rebellious Transformation Sandy Grande, “Refusing the University” (in Tuck and Yang) Leigh Patel, No Study Without Struggle: Confronting Settler Colonialism in Higher Education Ch. 2 Settler Colonialism Ch. 4 Fugitive Learning in a Settler Society |
| Apr. 12 | Share out/reflection | N/A |
Readings
- Rodríguez, D. (2010). The disorientation of the teaching act: Abolition as pedagogical position. Radical Teacher: A Socialist, Feminist and Anti-Racist Journal on the Theory and Practice of Teaching, 1(88), 7-19. Library link
- Kaba, M. (2021). We do this’ til we free us: Abolitionist organizing and transforming justice (Vol. 1). Haymarket Books. Library link
- Love, B. L. (2019). We want to do more than survive: Abolitionist teaching and the pursuit of educational freedom. Beacon press. Library link
- Blum, S. D. (2020). Ungrading: Why rating students undermines learning (and what to do instead). West Virginia University Press. Library link
- Inoue, A. B. (2019). Labor-based grading contracts: Building equity and inclusion in the compassionate writing classroom. Fort Collins, CO: WAC Clearinghouse. Library link
- Nzinga, S.M. (2020). Lean Semesters: How Higher Education Reproduces Inequity (1st ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. Library link
- Squire, Williams, B. C., & Tuitt, F. (Franklin A. . (Eds.). (2021). Plantation politics and campus rebellions : power, diversity, and the emancipatory struggle in higher education. State University of New York Press. Library link
- Harney, & Moten, F. (2013). The undercommons : fugitive planning & black study. Minor Compositions. Library link
- Simpson, L. B. (2014). Land as pedagogy: Nishnaabeg intelligence and rebellious transformation. Decolonization: indigeneity, education & society, 3(3). Link
- Patel. (2021). No study without struggle : confronting settler colonialism in higher education. Beacon Press. Library link
