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Motivation to Teach Social Action:
I'm interested in weaving social action into my existing courses, particularly the course about harms and healing in educational settings.
Course Description:
The Harms and Healing course offers students an opportunity to learn about the history of compulsory public schooling in the United States and harms experienced by various student groups. Beginning with the Indian boarding schools, African American experiences of segregation and integration, bilingual education, students in special education through current day experiences of undocumented students and students that identify as LTGBQIA+. Students in the course learn about socially neglected K-12 school systems and disproportionate punishment. Schools can be sites of criminalization leading students into the criminal justice system through the school-to-prison pipeline. The course will highlight how schooling can either lead to negative life outcomes or result in social and economic mobility, particularly for individuals from historically marginalized communities. Students will also learn about laws, policies, and educational practices which have led to successful outcomes.
Taught By:
Virginia Diaz-Mendoza
Assistant Professor
SEEK Department
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
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