grant proposal
Here's a copy of the grant proposal that I submitted to the Institute for Anarchist Studies last night:
* 1. Provide a one-paragraph summary of your essay project.
The word queer means something that is strange or deviates from the
norm. But what, then, is queer pedagogy? Queer pedagogy is a fairly
recent idea about teaching that comes out of queer theory and the
lived experience of queer educators and learners. It is a form of
teaching that involves the breaking down of various educational
dichotomies such as those between students and teachers, the
educational institution and the community, between self and other, and
between theory and practice. It also has a lot of relationship to
anarchist thought about education even though like many recent
educational innovations it does not always specifically reference or
credit anarchist theory. I will compare queer pedagogy to anarchist
theories about education and to various forms of anarchist education
(for example, the Modern Schools, unschooling, free schools). I then
will address the practical implications for classroom teachers and
others that consider themselves educators.
* 2. What insights does your piece offer into social, political,
and/or economic structures of domination? What contributions does it
make to efforts to abolish or radically transform these structures and
create a free, just, and cooperative society?
I am interested in the practical ways in which those working with
educational issues have sought to challenge strucutures of domination
by creating alternative institutions as well as working
within/subverting/queering mainstream institutions (throughout
history, both leftist radicals and queers have often been thought of
as the "enemy within" that must be eradicated from mainstream
institutions). There are definitely contradictions between thinking
in an anarchist mode of thought and yet trying to set up systems of
schooling that are non-coercive in which learners can thrive. Despite
these contradictions, though, many anarchists have attempted to do
exactly that. This piece will provide a historical and theoretical
overview of these ideas and give thoughts on practical ways of
implementating these ideas.
Moreover, it will have a particular focus on connecting the anarchist
ideas to the recent body of work on queer pedagogy as a way of
revitalizing the classical anarchist ideas about education and
queering the educational system.
* 3. Why is your essay project important at this particular time?
At a time when school curricula are becoming increasingly rigid and
inflexible, anarchist ideas in education are becoming more
marginalized. At the same time, however, there is a growing interest
in the notions of a queer pedagogy, and I believe such pedagogy can be
tied to notions of anarchist and critical education in a way that can
be a useful theoretical tool for those looking to "queer" the
oppressive world in which we live.
4. If applicable, briefly note any key theoretical influences/sources
for this project.
Queer pedagogy: I have been been reading some of Suzanne Luhmann and
Deborah Britzman's articles on queer pedagogy and have used that work
in some past writing I have done on queer pedagogy.
Critical pedagogy: No discussion of anarchist and queer pedagogy would
be complete without a discussion of critical pedagogy, which comes out
of Marxism and critical theory. I am currently reading some works by
Paulo Freire, Peter McClaren, and Henry Giroux that will fit in nicely
with this project.
Queer theory: I have done a lot of work with Judith Butler and Michel
Foucault in the past, and would find ways to incorporate them into
this project. Michel Foucault in particular is very relevant to
educational issues, because of his focus on the way that power
operations in institutions and discourse. Refer to the writing sample
to see some of my writing using Foucault on the topic of computer
science education.
Anarchism: Francisco Ferrer- an acquaintance of mine just introduced
me to his work and the Modern Schools movement which comes out of it;
I look forward to having a chance to read more of his work and
incorporate it into my writing.
The notion of education informed by anarchist theory intrigues me;
much of the modern anarchist-style work seems not to credit (or
sometimes to even be unaware of) the earlier anarchist educators and
theorists that I have been reading about recently. I am currently
reading "The Libertarians and Education", a 1983 title by Michael P.
Smith, and am looking forward to moving to primary source materials
that he mentions to get a better understanding of historical ways in
which anarchists have influenced education.
Other ideas I would like to incorporate: Alfie Kohn (he has some great
work about the issue of rewards&punishments in the classroom and in
society at large), Grace Llewellyn (and the rest of the unschooling
movement), Ivan Illich (I just started his book on Deschooling, which
I borrowed from the Santa Cruz Anarchist Library - the only book on
the topic they had, unfortunately), Crispin Sartwell (which my
tentative title is an homage to), Harrison Owen (and his work on open
space)
* 5. What experience do you have that is relevant to your topic? (This
can include pieces you've written on related themes, educational or
organizing experience, research, employment, etc.).
I strongly believe in the importance of combining academic research
with practical experience in order to fully understand, deconstruct,
and/or fight structures of power and domination. As a queer with a
psychiatric disability, I am no stranger to the ways that people are
marginalized and excluded from institutions. I use my personal
experience in order to inform my academic work.
In terms of this specific project, I have a lot of experience working
with issues of queer pedagogy and queer studies. For example, for the
past two years, I have worked as an intern for queer studies at the
Lionel Cantu GLBTI Resource Center at the University of California,
Santa Cruz. In this capacity, I performed research on issues of queer
pedagogy and queer studies, and worked with a small group of faculty
to promote queer studies on the campus. The work that I did in that
context will help me to carry out this project successfully.
I have also done some teaching of my own. In the fall of 2004, I
taught a course on Queer Theory and Star Trek to a group of about
twenty students which was a scary and yet valuable experience. This
experience helped me to know what it was like to be a classroom
teacher and what the challenges and difficulties faced are.
In terms of coursework in school related to this project, I have taken
courses on critical pedagogy, queer theory, queer film, new queer
cinema, sexuality and culture, learning theory, and mathematics
education. I also completed an internship in a high school
mathematics classroom through a program known as the Community
Teaching Fellowship.
In terms of formal educational credentials, I just completed a BA
program at the University of California, Santa Cruz in
"Interdisciplinary Computer Science Teaching", where I used Foucault's
work to explore issues of ethics in college computer science
instruction. I am beginning a Masters program in Activism and Social
Change at New College of California, where I plan to do research on
issues of queer teachers, queer pedagogy, teachers' unions, and other
similar issues. My eventual goal is to become a high-school teacher
in Mathematics or Social Science.
I have a lot of experience with union activism as well, which I draw
on in order to keep my more intellectual work grounded in the concrete
realities of activism and work. I have been a member of the
Industrial Workers of the World for three years, and am on the board
of the Student California Teachers Association which is affiliated
with the California Teachers Association and National Education
Association. I have also done organizing work with the United Auto
Workers/Association of Graduate Student Employees and have been
affiliated with SEIU, UFCW, and Coalition of University Employees at
various points in the past.
* 6. Are you open to having your completed essay project be published
in Perspectives on Anarchist Theory, or as part of a small book series
by the IAS and AK Press?
This would be an effective way to disseminate my work, and I hope to
encourage more dialog on the topic at hand as a result of the
publication.
* 7. What other plans do you have to publish or otherwise disseminate
your essay?
I would like to find places to publish it where it will reach a broad
audience of people interested in educational issues in addition to
anarchist publishing venues such as those that IAS works with. For
example, I plan to submit it to the Radical Teacher magazine and to
other similar journals that deal with critical pedagogy and/or
educational theory.
I also would like to submit it to the magazine for the California
Teachers' Association and other similar publications aimed at
classroom teachers. I imagine this would require some reworking of
the piece to meet their expectations.
* 1. Provide a one-paragraph summary of your essay project.
The word queer means something that is strange or deviates from the
norm. But what, then, is queer pedagogy? Queer pedagogy is a fairly
recent idea about teaching that comes out of queer theory and the
lived experience of queer educators and learners. It is a form of
teaching that involves the breaking down of various educational
dichotomies such as those between students and teachers, the
educational institution and the community, between self and other, and
between theory and practice. It also has a lot of relationship to
anarchist thought about education even though like many recent
educational innovations it does not always specifically reference or
credit anarchist theory. I will compare queer pedagogy to anarchist
theories about education and to various forms of anarchist education
(for example, the Modern Schools, unschooling, free schools). I then
will address the practical implications for classroom teachers and
others that consider themselves educators.
* 2. What insights does your piece offer into social, political,
and/or economic structures of domination? What contributions does it
make to efforts to abolish or radically transform these structures and
create a free, just, and cooperative society?
I am interested in the practical ways in which those working with
educational issues have sought to challenge strucutures of domination
by creating alternative institutions as well as working
within/subverting/queering mainstream institutions (throughout
history, both leftist radicals and queers have often been thought of
as the "enemy within" that must be eradicated from mainstream
institutions). There are definitely contradictions between thinking
in an anarchist mode of thought and yet trying to set up systems of
schooling that are non-coercive in which learners can thrive. Despite
these contradictions, though, many anarchists have attempted to do
exactly that. This piece will provide a historical and theoretical
overview of these ideas and give thoughts on practical ways of
implementating these ideas.
Moreover, it will have a particular focus on connecting the anarchist
ideas to the recent body of work on queer pedagogy as a way of
revitalizing the classical anarchist ideas about education and
queering the educational system.
* 3. Why is your essay project important at this particular time?
At a time when school curricula are becoming increasingly rigid and
inflexible, anarchist ideas in education are becoming more
marginalized. At the same time, however, there is a growing interest
in the notions of a queer pedagogy, and I believe such pedagogy can be
tied to notions of anarchist and critical education in a way that can
be a useful theoretical tool for those looking to "queer" the
oppressive world in which we live.
4. If applicable, briefly note any key theoretical influences/sources
for this project.
Queer pedagogy: I have been been reading some of Suzanne Luhmann and
Deborah Britzman's articles on queer pedagogy and have used that work
in some past writing I have done on queer pedagogy.
Critical pedagogy: No discussion of anarchist and queer pedagogy would
be complete without a discussion of critical pedagogy, which comes out
of Marxism and critical theory. I am currently reading some works by
Paulo Freire, Peter McClaren, and Henry Giroux that will fit in nicely
with this project.
Queer theory: I have done a lot of work with Judith Butler and Michel
Foucault in the past, and would find ways to incorporate them into
this project. Michel Foucault in particular is very relevant to
educational issues, because of his focus on the way that power
operations in institutions and discourse. Refer to the writing sample
to see some of my writing using Foucault on the topic of computer
science education.
Anarchism: Francisco Ferrer- an acquaintance of mine just introduced
me to his work and the Modern Schools movement which comes out of it;
I look forward to having a chance to read more of his work and
incorporate it into my writing.
The notion of education informed by anarchist theory intrigues me;
much of the modern anarchist-style work seems not to credit (or
sometimes to even be unaware of) the earlier anarchist educators and
theorists that I have been reading about recently. I am currently
reading "The Libertarians and Education", a 1983 title by Michael P.
Smith, and am looking forward to moving to primary source materials
that he mentions to get a better understanding of historical ways in
which anarchists have influenced education.
Other ideas I would like to incorporate: Alfie Kohn (he has some great
work about the issue of rewards&punishments in the classroom and in
society at large), Grace Llewellyn (and the rest of the unschooling
movement), Ivan Illich (I just started his book on Deschooling, which
I borrowed from the Santa Cruz Anarchist Library - the only book on
the topic they had, unfortunately), Crispin Sartwell (which my
tentative title is an homage to), Harrison Owen (and his work on open
space)
* 5. What experience do you have that is relevant to your topic? (This
can include pieces you've written on related themes, educational or
organizing experience, research, employment, etc.).
I strongly believe in the importance of combining academic research
with practical experience in order to fully understand, deconstruct,
and/or fight structures of power and domination. As a queer with a
psychiatric disability, I am no stranger to the ways that people are
marginalized and excluded from institutions. I use my personal
experience in order to inform my academic work.
In terms of this specific project, I have a lot of experience working
with issues of queer pedagogy and queer studies. For example, for the
past two years, I have worked as an intern for queer studies at the
Lionel Cantu GLBTI Resource Center at the University of California,
Santa Cruz. In this capacity, I performed research on issues of queer
pedagogy and queer studies, and worked with a small group of faculty
to promote queer studies on the campus. The work that I did in that
context will help me to carry out this project successfully.
I have also done some teaching of my own. In the fall of 2004, I
taught a course on Queer Theory and Star Trek to a group of about
twenty students which was a scary and yet valuable experience. This
experience helped me to know what it was like to be a classroom
teacher and what the challenges and difficulties faced are.
In terms of coursework in school related to this project, I have taken
courses on critical pedagogy, queer theory, queer film, new queer
cinema, sexuality and culture, learning theory, and mathematics
education. I also completed an internship in a high school
mathematics classroom through a program known as the Community
Teaching Fellowship.
In terms of formal educational credentials, I just completed a BA
program at the University of California, Santa Cruz in
"Interdisciplinary Computer Science Teaching", where I used Foucault's
work to explore issues of ethics in college computer science
instruction. I am beginning a Masters program in Activism and Social
Change at New College of California, where I plan to do research on
issues of queer teachers, queer pedagogy, teachers' unions, and other
similar issues. My eventual goal is to become a high-school teacher
in Mathematics or Social Science.
I have a lot of experience with union activism as well, which I draw
on in order to keep my more intellectual work grounded in the concrete
realities of activism and work. I have been a member of the
Industrial Workers of the World for three years, and am on the board
of the Student California Teachers Association which is affiliated
with the California Teachers Association and National Education
Association. I have also done organizing work with the United Auto
Workers/Association of Graduate Student Employees and have been
affiliated with SEIU, UFCW, and Coalition of University Employees at
various points in the past.
* 6. Are you open to having your completed essay project be published
in Perspectives on Anarchist Theory, or as part of a small book series
by the IAS and AK Press?
This would be an effective way to disseminate my work, and I hope to
encourage more dialog on the topic at hand as a result of the
publication.
* 7. What other plans do you have to publish or otherwise disseminate
your essay?
I would like to find places to publish it where it will reach a broad
audience of people interested in educational issues in addition to
anarchist publishing venues such as those that IAS works with. For
example, I plan to submit it to the Radical Teacher magazine and to
other similar journals that deal with critical pedagogy and/or
educational theory.
I also would like to submit it to the magazine for the California
Teachers' Association and other similar publications aimed at
classroom teachers. I imagine this would require some reworking of
the piece to meet their expectations.