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Grateful to be able to engage in this #PAScholarStrike teach-in as a complement to #ScholarStrike organized by @thetattooedprof and @AntheaButler. SJ in Intro to PA Courses: A Thread
I am often asked how to teach "traditional" PA courses with a more inclusive lens. I will spend my 1-hr today discussing ways in which you can teach a more inclusive Intro to PA course. Not just via topics, but theorists and theories.
For those that don’t know, I teach at @ucmpasj (directed by @urbanrambl_), perhaps the 1st Public Admin program in the US to center SJ across its curriculum.
@ucmpasj our entire Masters in Public Admin curriculum is rooted in social justice. So students – from Intro to Capstone – learn about social justice in PA. We have no equity or SJ electives, these concepts and theories are a part of every 
single class
single class
A few things to consider... 1. Teaching topics of SJ is not something you jump into. You MUST do some introspective work first to understand your IDs and how they interact in the classroom.
For ex. as a white man leading a discussion on race, how do your identities as both male and white shape your interpretation & understanding of the work and interactions with students.
Not saying you should not teach such topics, you should! But you should first understand who you are and what that means in the context of the material and classroom.
@JeannineMLove @SeanMcC_PA @rightbedone Norma Riccucci are a few examples of those who have done the work & meaningfully teach such topics. Once you have done some REAL work (1 diversity training doesn’t count), then you’re ready.
2. Engaging in this work requires a never ending commitment. This is your life, not just your professional one either. Engaging in SJ work requires alignment in one’s life.
3. Traditional curriculum is largely built upon white supremacist ideology. Teaching social justice means understanding who is and is not included, who's voices are and are not considered worthy of hearing #PAAgainstRacism #ScholarStrike #PAScholarStrike
And actively working to provide the counter narrative. Black Feminism, #CriticalRaceTheory and other #critical theories offer counternarratives to hegemonic stories.
4. Here’s the potential downside. Once you see, you can't unsee. So you will see injustice everywhere. Seriously, everywhere. It’s the price we pay as SJ scholars
Ever wonder why those considered foundational theorists in PA are largely white men? Yeah, me too. Which is why I designed my Intro to PA course to offer students a well rounded introduction to the field
Cause let’s be real, white men weren’t the only knowledge creators of PA (or any) history. White supremacist, heteronormative, patriarchy will suggest otherwise, but it’s simply not the case. #ScholarStrike #PAScholarStrike #PAAgainstRacism
The teaching of PA largely starts with Woodrow Wilson, with no discussion of historical context or who he was as a full person. As @SeanMcC_PA pointed out, Wilson was problematic AF
My students read Wilson, but they also read “The Jim Crow Policies of Woodrow Wilson” and #1619Project to better understand US history and the context for which Wilson wrote
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2963252
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2963252
During this module we discuss who was and wasn’t Wilson talking about. Could he have been thinking about Black people as part of the citizenry in 1887? If Wilson was a segregationist (spoiler alert – he was) then how did he (as President) shape the federal govt?
Students also look into what was happening in the US around this time…Homestead Act, 13th Amendment, Dawes Act, Hayes Tilden Compromise, Chinese Exclusion Act, Plessy v. Ferguson This context is critically important to understanding PA foundations
Early in the semester I introduce (for some) students to Black Feminist Theory. Why? Because it offers a counter narrative, it elevates the lived experience and it doesn’t tell ones story for them but allows space for Black women to tell their own stories
Why is this important? Because the person that tells the story gets to shape the narrative. Hence why its commonly understood that White men are knowledge generators – cause they control the narrative
Patricia Hill Collins and @sandylocks are two such theorists students are assigned. BTW if you haven’t seen @sandylocks @tedtalks check it out! https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality?language=en
Also, read ALL of Patricia Hill Collins' books. Perhaps start with https://www.jstor.org/stable/3174683
Alongside Frank Goodnow (you know politics/administration dichotomy) students read Frederick Douglass’ American Slavery (see I told you there were other knowledge generators).
This semester, I worked with @DrVLolil to design two new modules. The 1st – Theories of SJ the 2nd Managing for Justice. These modules are designed to be included in any Intro course (for those wanting an already put together module). Don’t worry we will publish this.
