This reading-intensive transdisciplinary academic program explores incarceration, the radical imagination, and social care through a pluralist, holistic, and intellectually rigorous lens, bringing together elements from literary studies, the literary arts, visual studies, social practice, philosophy, history, political economy, political geography, contemplative practices, and psychoanalytic studies. Students will also participate in lecture series connected to program themes, supporting and enriching their project development, artistic work, and / or scholarly inquiry.
Students will work in both seminar and small-group settings, engaging in approximately 100-200 pages of reading per week for seminar, and producing a combination of analytical and creative writing. Written creative and critical work is developed and refined through a collaborative workshop process. Weekly seminars will be supplemented with student-led facilitation, offering students the opportunity to develop and practice dialogical and leadership skills.
Each quarter, students will pursue independent research and creative projects based on their own interests, with guidance from faculty and Gateways staff. These projects may include community-based learning experiences and engagement with justice-impacted individuals, including some opportunities for co-learning with incarcerated youth. However, participation in co-learning in correctional settings is limited and not guaranteed for all students. This element is one part of a broader, evolving program structure that supports multiple pathways for independent and collaborative projects. Students who will engage directly with justice-impacted individuals are required to complete background checks and policy training, in accordance with the standards of Â鶹Çø and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families.
This program emphasizes critical reflection, dialogue, and collective and creative inquiry as tools for collaborative co-learning. Students should come prepared for a demanding reading and writing load, and a commitment to respectful, rigorous engagement with complex ideas and communities. Students are encouraged to take the program for the full year, but it is open to new students in each quarter. It is offered at 12 or 16 credits.
Registration
Participating students are required by the prison to pass a background check in order to work on sites that students may visit.
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Academic Details
writing, social work, education, community arts, politics, leadership