Civic Humanities and Decarceration

FAIN: AA-277557-21

Tufts University (Somerville, MA 02144-2401)
Hilary Binda (Project Director: July 2020 to present)
Peter Levine (Co Project Director: October 2020 to present)
Jill D. Weinberg (Co Project Director: December 2020 to present)

Course revision and curriculum development in Civic Studies and in programs for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students.

NEH funding will cultivate a partnership between Tufts University’s Civic Studies program and the Tufts University Prison Initiative of Tisch College (TUPIT) by supporting Tufts humanities faculty developing and delivering curriculum for people with lived experience of incarceration. By teaching courses to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people working towards a bachelor’s degree – inside prisons, in a re-entry-focused community center program, and at Tufts – often in tandem with Tufts campus students, humanities faculty will provide severely at-risk students who are also disenfranchised citizens with a pathway program that cultivates increased civic knowledge and a new capacity for community engagement. NEH funds will allow us to develop syllabi, scholarly and journalistic writing, and hold a Civic Humanities and Decarceration conference. This laboratory for public scholarship in the humanities will promote its under-represented scholars.

Associated Products

Introduction to Gender Studies / Gender and Literature (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Introduction to Gender Studies / Gender and Literature
Author: Hilary Binda
Abstract: This introductory “gender studies” course will center the voices of black and brown people, low- and no-income people, and queer and trans people, as we ask: how have ideas about "femininity" and "masculinity" impacted different individuals and groups? How are these ideas enforced, and how have they changed over time? What social and cultural influences affect our understanding and embodiment of gender, specifically with respect to race, sexuality, and socio-economic status? And what even is gender; what does it mean to say, as many do today, that gender is performative? By analyzing gender, how might we come to understand it in the context of social justice rather than as biological fact? Might we embrace theory and literary interpretation as the praxis of enacting gender in ways that restore justice and repair harm for so many (perhaps, for all) who have suffered under gender’s ideological-political regime? This course will incorporate some canonical gender theory texts while simultaneously including literature that handles matters of gender as matters of life and love, enabling us to approach the theoretical questions as more embodied and thus relevant. By examining some of the theories contributing to the gender debates in the west, students will gain a new frame through which to interpret a variety of literature and develop a deeper understanding of gender identity, especially attending to how it is influenced by distinctions of race, class, desire, and ethnicity. Pre/co-requisite: College Writing I (ENG-111).
Year: 2021
Audience: Undergraduate

Sociology of Law - syllabus modification for TUPIT (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Sociology of Law - syllabus modification for TUPIT
Author: Jill Weinberg
Abstract: Law is everywhere. Law permits, prohibits, enables, legitimates, protects, and prosecutes citizens. Law shapes our day to day lives in countless ways. This course examines the connections and relationships of law and society using an interdisciplinary social science approach. As one of the founders of the Law and Society movement observed, “Law is too important to leave to lawyers.” Accordingly, this course will borrow from several theoretical, disciplinary, and interdisciplinary perspectives (such as sociology, anthropology, political science, critical studies, psychology) to explore the sociology of law and law’s role primarily in the American context (but with some attention to international law and global human rights efforts). The thematic topics to be discussed include law and social control; law’s role in social change; as well as law’s capacity to reach into complex social relations and intervene in existing normative institutions, organizational structures, and the like. Goals and Learning Objectives Upon completion of the course, students will have developed the following: 1. the ability to examine social structures analytically and critically; 2. knowledge of how people change society by forming social movements and using the media; 3. a comparative perspective on cultures, social structures, institutions, and practices; and 4. the ability to read and understand original research published by sociologists.
Year: 2021
Audience: Undergraduate

Graphic Arts and The Book - modified for TUPIT Civic Studies (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Graphic Arts and The Book - modified for TUPIT Civic Studies
Author: Chantal Zakari
Abstract: This course is a hybrid computer-technology and studio arts course where students will create their own book using a combination of writing and visual design and image. In Graphic Arts, students will learn the basics of publication design and will become fluent in a widely used digital design program, Adobe InDesign or an equivalent. Students will learn the history of Western typography and learn about type classifications. Students will also design and collaboratively print a visual text-based zine using InDesign while studying the works of early modernists such as FT Marinetti, along with mid- century concrete poetry, David Carson’s 90s deconstructed page experiments and Marian Bantjes’ 21st century calligraphic work. Students will also study contemporary artist’s books, photobooks, zines and graphic novels. Over the course of the semester, students will acquire basic graphic design skills as they also learn how to design and illustrate, pre-press and print their own 32-page book. We will use the work of Sophie Calle, Jim Goldberg, Charmaine Wheatley, Glen Ligon, and Chris Ware to study various text/image relationships and explore sequencing to form meaning. No prior art or computer experience is required. Learning Objectives - to develop graphic design skills in page layout design and book design - to learn about and creatively use typography - to develop an expressive visual language in combining text and imagery in order to produce an artist’s book - to learn about contemporary artists - to develop critical skills in understanding graphic arts and specifically artist’s books as an art medium
Year: 2021
Audience: Undergraduate

British Literature Survey (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: British Literature Survey
Author: John Lurz
Abstract: This survey provides an introduction to the great British poetry, fiction, and social commentary from the era of social and political revolution of the late 18th Century to the transformations of Modernism ushered in by the World Wars in the first half of the 20th Century. We will take a rather sweeping "general view" of the literature written during these one hundred and fifty plus years by paying particular attention to aesthetic experiment and innovation within the context of persistent themes and broad cultural trends. Considering some of the highlights of the English tradition, including those which challenge or revise the very notions of Englishness and tradition, we will trace evolving ideas about the function of the artist in society, practice reading poetry out loud to learn about meter and prosody, and look at some of the ways the literature of this period can help us to think about the ways we use language today. More specifically, through an investigation of the shifting relationship between the British Literature of the past 150+ years and the sociopolitical contexts in which it was produced, we will learn how to develop historically informed methods of approaching literary texts. At the same time, we will be attentive to the various ways writers of this period use language as an art form in order to think about how different writing styles change how an idea is understood. Finally, by writing close analytical commentaries on the texts we read, we will cultivate an understanding of our own relationship to and use of the English language. In sum, as we explore the flexibility of English to represent and reflect on a wide range of cultural and historical conditions, we will be constantly considering the role that the creative uses of language can play in navigating the complexities of the world.
Year: 2021
Audience: Undergraduate

Short Fiction - created for TUPIT students (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Short Fiction - created for TUPIT students
Author: Kevin Dunn
Abstract: We all tell stories. We all listen to stories we hear from friends, read or see on television. Why are these stories (particularly fictional ones) so important, even necessary, an element in what it means to be human? That question is at the center of this course. And if those stories are everywhere and in every culture, does that mean the stories are the same and work in the same way? Do they perform different functions in those different cultures and at different times in history? In this course we will attempt to understand those questions by reading, discussing, and writing about a selection of short fiction, beginning in the 19th century and moving to the present day. We will explore how the tradition of short fiction differs from that of the novel but also from non-fiction writing. Finally, the readings will be from a diverse set of authors, and we will ask if and how the genre takes on different shapes and purposes in their hands. Texts: All readings will be from The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction, 8th edition, Richard Bausch and R.V. Cassill, editors, with the exception of those provided in a small xerox packet (x). Student Learning Outcomes 1. Generate inclusive dialogue by a) listening to and expressing points of view on arguable topics in an atmosphere of mutual respect and civility and b) considering audience, situation and intercultural context 2. Demonstrate ability to create knowledge and expression of self through diverse generic forms including expository, journalistic, personal narrative, and creative writing 3. Integrate knowledge from academic fields with personal experiences in order to inform one's own role in creating a more just society that advances equity and values community cultural wealth 4. Examine own and others’ assumptions, biases, and experiences including acknowledging contradictions within diverse and intersectional identities and perspectives 5. Apply an equity lens to engage in empowering educational explorati
Year: 2021
Audience: Undergraduate

Sociology of Race and Ethnicity - modified for TUPIT (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Sociology of Race and Ethnicity - modified for TUPIT
Author: Daanika Gordon
Abstract: What is race? How is race different than ethnicity? How does race impact the experiences of individuals and groups? What can be done about racial inequality? In this course, we will explore these questions though a sociological lens. We begin by examining the processes that create racial and ethnic difference – histories of racial formation through settler colonialism and empire; practices of prejudice, discrimination, and racial domination; and dynamics that contribute to the ongoing social construction of racial and ethnic boundaries and meanings. Students will look to how social movements have challenged the status quo in pursuit of racial justice. Though this course focuses on race and ethnicity in the United States, we will periodically examine how race operates in other national contexts and as a global phenomenon. By the end of the semester, we will have a better understanding of how race powerfully shapes lived experiences – including our own – and how race comes to have this power in the first place. COURSE GOALS This course emphasizes understanding and applying theory, reading empirical scholarship, and analytical writing. We will also frequently apply course concepts to discussion of current events. These activities aim to develop your ability to critically evaluate existing sociological research, hone your skills as independent and creative researchers, and apply your learning to contexts outside of the classroom. Specifically, my aim in this course is to develop the tools you have to: • Understand the historical and political processes that construct racial and ethnic categories • Use comparative frameworks to interrogate how race and ethnicity vary across time and space • Analyze how race operates at the individual, institutional, and structural levels; and how race intersects with other social statuses like gender and class • Describe a range of contemporary racial inequalities and apply concepts like prejudice, discrimination, and racism in an
Year: 2021
Audience: Undergraduate

Environmental Justice and World Literature (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Environmental Justice and World Literature
Author: Roshad Meeks
Author: Taylor Parrish
Abstract: Who is most hurt by environmental degradation and abuse and who benefits? In this course we’ll examine what world literature in English has to say about environmental racism, ecofeminism, and toxic colonialism. We’ll also think about the social construction of nature, globalization, food justice, and overconsumption. Reading includes authors from diverse racial and national locations—Iraq, South Africa, Canada, the U.S., India, Malawi, Nigeria, China, Guatemala. Our study will focus on the intersection of environmental issues and various systems of social injustice, especially racism, sexism, and economic inequity. Primary texts include essays, poems, short stories, and three longer fictions: Helena María Viramontes, Under the Feet of Jesus, Jan Lowe Shinebourne, The Last English Plantation, and Hassan Blasim, The Corpse Exhibition and Other Stories of Iraq. Above all, the goal of this course is to consider environmental injustice in our contemporary moment and in historical context to inspire and empower social change. We will ask: What is the role of art, narrative, and testimony in the struggle for social change and environmental justice?
Year: 2021
Audience: Undergraduate

From Jesus to Yeezus (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: From Jesus to Yeezus
Author: Jennifer Eyl
Abstract: Understandings of Jesus have been staggeringly diverse: esoteric gnostic savior, teacher of ethics, Stoic sage, resurrected deity who defeated death, Son of God, Jewish Messiah spurned by Jews, irreverent divine man- child, willowy effeminate sufferer, hypermasculine vindicator, vanguard of the Crusaders, apocalyptic avenger, liberator of slaves, and queer icon. Sometimes these understandings of Jesus have been explicitly contradictory: defender of capitalism & neoliberalism vs protector of the marginalized and forgotten. One could argue that Jesus is among the most widely (re)imagined, pliable, and repurposed figures in recorded history. This course will examine the numerous ways in which people in the ancient Mediterranean and people in the modern West have imagined and shaped Jesus in theology, visual art, and modern film. The class will begin in antiquity, as we examine the earliest depictions of Jesus, in texts and in visual art. We will read numerous ancient gospels, many of them noncanonical. The course will then consider depictions of Jesus in the writings of early Church Fathers and later portrayals of Jesus in the Middle Ages. The second half of the course will look at Jesus from the 19th to 21st centuries. We will explore Jesus as the defender of slave holders and as liberator of slaves, Jesus as feminist and Jesus as patriarch, Jesus as bastion of conservative politics and Jesus as radical revolutionary. The goal of the class is to develop an understanding of the myriad ways in which Jesus has been crafted, described, portrayed, and utilized over the centuries. This understanding necessitates an awareness for the cultural and historical context for such portrayals. Such an interest also entails an awareness of the political and social interests of those who represent Jesus in any particular manner. The course aims to help students develop critical approaches to historical figures and religious entities and to better understand how heroes, saviors, and de
Year: 2022
Audience: Undergraduate

Introduction to Civic Studies (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Introduction to Civic Studies
Author: Erin Kelly
Abstract: Civic Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study that focuses on critical reflection, ethical thinking, and action for social change. People who think and act together to improve society must address problems of collective action (how to get members to work together) and deliberation (how to reason together about contested values). They must understand how power is organized and how it operates within and between societies. They must grapple with social conflict, violence, and other obstacles to peaceful cooperation. When tensions arise within a group, people face questions of justice and fairness, and they must confront questions about appropriate relationships to outsiders of all types. This introductory course explores ethical, political, and theological frameworks for understanding how people can and should organize themselves to improve societies. Readings are drawn from philosophy and political theory, political science, economics, the history of social movements, and other disciplines. This course provides theoretical grounding for Civic Studies majors and for other students interested in social change.
Year: 2022
Audience: Undergraduate

Thinking About Justice 1: Examining the Apology (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Thinking About Justice 1: Examining the Apology
Author: Quinn Phillips
Abstract: “I’m sorry” are words we’ve all heard and said. This class will give you the opportunity to investigate exactly what that phrase can mean and the power it holds. Through interdisciplinary perspectives, this course will examine amend-making processes with a primary focus on “the apology”. We will investigate why people choose to offer or withhold an apology and the factors that complicate these decisions. Together, we will analyze contemporary apologies and non-apologies. Research from several fields including psychology, sociology, philosophy and legal studies have shown us that an apology can be used both as an instrument to repair harm and as a tool to minimize consequences. The latter part of the course will focus on the apology as a process of rebalancing and restoring justice including an examination of political and legal apologies. Course Objectives: • Explore and critically analyze major theoretical approaches to understanding harm, forgiveness, and making amends • Understand the social, cultural and historical forces that shape the apology process • Integrate perspectives from multiple fields to create your own framework for evaluating an apology • Identify the historical and cultural connections between political apologies and ideologies of justice, truth and power • Enjoy the learning process through discussion and collaboration with your classmates
Year: 2022
Audience: Undergraduate

Thinking About Justice 2: Law and the War in Drugs (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Thinking About Justice 2: Law and the War in Drugs
Author: Aaron Bray
Author: Hilary Binda
Abstract: This Civic Studies course will enable students to foster a deeper understanding of the challenges of administering and achieving justice in a democratic society. Thinking About Justice 2: Law and the War in Drugs takes as its case studies the historical policies developed in relation to the cocaine and opioid epidemics. A multifaceted examination of these events fosters student understanding of their historical complexities and by extension all historical moments, cultivating a capacity for critical inquiry. Students will study historical philosophies of justice, contemporary jurisprudence, accompanied with literature, and will ultimately formulate not only their own philosophy of justice but also informed ideas about its enactment and administration. The required readings include samples from Case Law that will enable students to better understand the science and application of the law without addressing individual student experiences of cases. This course will NOT provide a forum for students to address personal legal situations. Students will write and present orally, applying their philosophy to the themes and course materials.
Year: 2022
Audience: Undergraduate

Literatures of Justice (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Literatures of Justice
Author: Hilary Binda
Abstract: Literatures of Justice (LoJ) is an upper-level 3-credit course that encourages students to engage with the idea of justice and the practices that borrow its name as we learn about the US criminal legal system through a multidisciplinary lens that includes historical analysis, sociology, literature, and personal narrative – those published and those shared by class members. This course examines the carceral system through the eyes of scholars and critics, many of whom are people with lived experience of incarceration. Any study of the prison system must center histories of racism and racial segregation, as well as the many voices that challenge the status quo in U.S. “criminal justice.” By studying the use of incarceration specifically in the United States and by incorporating experts on incarceration as students in this course, LoJ aims to break down the carceral logics that have led to the imprisonment of over 2 million people currently in our nation, the country with the highest rate of incarceration and highest number of incarcerated people in the world. The historically recent rise of prisons in the U.S. is examined in this course in light of 1.) its central relationship to America’s founding ideals emerging from European Enlightenment thought as well as 2.) the institutions of U.S. slavery, racial segregation, economic inequity, and white supremacy. Simultaneously in this class that utilizes an intersectional approach, we will ask how the carceral system polices norms related to gender and sexuality and whether current definitions of gender itself rely on a carceral logic. As part of a wider abolitionist educational and activist project, this course will, perhaps most significantly, enable students to explore and enact new ways of relating to one another and thus new ways of understanding and repairing harm.
Year: 2021
Audience: Undergraduate

Religion and Politics in U.S. History - modified (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Religion and Politics in U.S. History - modified
Author: Heather Curtis
Abstract: “In God we Trust,” “One Nation Under God,” “God Bless America,”: phrases like these alert us to the on-going influence of religion in American public life. This course explores the role of religion in shaping American civic engagement and political activity from the 17th century to the present, aiming to put contemporary events into broader historical context. Key topics and themes include: the relationship between church and state in the colonial period; faith and the founders; religion and social activism in the antebellum era; religion, race and civil rights; religious “outsiders” and American politics; spirituality and social protest in the 20th century; the rise of the religious right; religion and American politics post-9/11; and the 2016 presidential election.
Year: 2021
Audience: Undergraduate

Prison to College Pathways: Re-Entry and the Continuum of Care (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Prison to College Pathways: Re-Entry and the Continuum of Care
Author: Joshua Miller
Author: Hilary Binda
Abstract: Presentation at National Conference for Higher Education in Prison, 11/21 The nationwide field of Higher Education in Prison has enabled us to understand the complexity and significance of structuring a HEP program that ensures viability and sustainability during and beyond incarceration. As the TUPIT and PJI programs continue to flourish, we are learning more about HEP programs’ potential benefits and potentially harmful effects for individuals, prison cultures, directly impacted communities, college communities. Centering informed perspectives of students, faculty, and directors based on personal experiences, this roundtable discussion aims to generate conversation on HEP best practices with respect to the relationship between the college and college-in-prison and thus with a focus on re-entry support and continuing education or degree completion. Topics will include 1) developing degrees and the bachelor’s degree curriculum; 2) admissions/transfer processes inside and outside of the facility; 3) re-entry program models, strengths and weaknesses; and 4) supporting students on all campuses (inside and outside). Given that the individual and community impact of the carceral state is life long, HEP programs and colleges/universities should acknowledge this in program development by developing a continuum of care that addresses traumatic experiences before, during, and after incarceration. Both PJI and TUPIT are striving to develop programming along these lines to best support individuals’ health and wellbeing. Through a commitment to the policy of doing no harm, program sustainability, and racial and economic justice through expanded opportunities for transformational education, in this discussion, TUPIT and PJI will compare and contrast the challenges and successes of our respective models, attending to the associate’s and bachelor’s degrees and the re-entry program structures, and focusing on ways that each supports students from college-in-prison to forme
Date: 11/11/2021

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