The Future of Abolition

A Faculty Development Workshop

December 4-5, 2024
SMC A-201/202

Powerpoint Slides

Day One

Day Two

Unifying Goals

Entering the third and final year of the Andrew W. Mellon  “Abolition for All Time” Humanities Lab grant, we are embracing what it means to prepare for the future of abolition. Whereas years one and two centered on historical and contemporary approaches towards abolitionist thinking, our objective for this workshop is to consider how we might mobilize our pedagogical work for a future of innovation, creativity, civic engagement, interdisciplinarity, and a digital age. The necessity of this transformation is critical as our disciplines are rapidly changing under new social, political, economic, environmental, and technological conditions. 

Pre-Workshop Readings

Day One (Everyone)

Day Two (Breakout Groups)

Topic 1: The Social, Political, and Abolitionist Future of the Arts, led by Greg Gilbert and Fernando Gomez
Readings and Resources: 

  1. Article: Abigail Glasgow, “Art As a Radical Tool for Realizing Abolition,” UC Santa Cruz Institute of Arts and Sciences, 2023. 
  2. Blog: Gregory Gilbert, “Abolition and the Arts – Coming to Terms with the Political, Social and Aesthetic Diversity of Creative Expression,” Abolition for All Time Humanities Lab Blog.
  3. PDF: Bettina Love, We Want to Do More than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom, Chapter 5, “Abolitionist Teaching, Freedom Dreaming, and Black Joy,” pp. 88-104.
  4. PDF: Nicholas Mirzoeff, How to See the World, Chapter 7 “Changing the World,” pp. 267-281; Afterword “Visual Activism.” 

Topic 2: The Future of Innovation in the Classroom, led by Scott Harris and Todd Heidt
Readings and Resources: 

  1. Townsend, Robert B., and Norman Bradburn. “The State of the Humanities circa 2022.” Daedalus, vol. 151, no. 3, 2022, pp. 11–18, https://doi.org/10.1162/daed_a_01925.
  2. Mason, Evie. “Bucking a Trend: Humanities Programs Are Growing at U.W.” Post Alley. 29 November 2022.  https://www.postalley.org/2022/11/29/bucking-a-trend- humanities-programs-are-growing-at-u-w/.  Accessed 26 November 2024. 
  3. “New research shows how studying the humanities can benefit young people’s future careers and wider society.” University of Oxford. 21 June 2023.
    https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2023-06-21-new-research-shows-how-studying-humanities-can-benefit-young-people-s-future-careers.  Accessed 26 November 2024.
    (See also: “The Value of the Humanities” is linked at bottom of the article.)

Topic 3: The Abolition of GenAI?, led by Ole Forsberg
Readings and Resources: 

  1. Gonsalves, Chahna. 2024. “Addressing Student Non-Compliance in AI Use Declarations: Implications for Academic Integrity and Assessment in Higher Education.” Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, October, 1–15. doi:10.1080/02602938.2024.2415654.
  2. Venter, Julia, Stephen A. Coetzee, and Astrid Schmulian. 2024. “Exploring the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Delivery of Effective Feedback.” Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, October, 1–21. doi:10.1080/02602938.2024.2415649.

Topic 4: The Future of Digital Humanities and Lab Thinking, led by Jen Andrella
Readings and Resources: 

  1. Chapter: Ryan Cordell, “How Not to Teach Digital Humanities,” in Matthew K. Gold and Lauren F. Klein, eds., Debates in the Digital Humanities (University of Minnesota Press, 2016). 
  2. Resource: Using Digital Humanities in the Classroom: A Digital Companion 

Day Two: The Future of Civic Engagement at Knox

Required: Westheimer 2024.pdf

Recommended: Chittum et al. – 2022 – The Effects of Community-Based and Civic Engagement in Higher Education What We Know and Questions copy.pdf

Interesting: AACU – 2012 – A crucible moment college learning & democracy’s future copy.pdf

December 4 Schedule

Abolishing Information Inaccessibility: The Future of Open Access and Open Educational Resources (OER)

We have all noticed the rising cost of textbooks in recent years. This puts stress on our students and their budgets, especially those who are economically disadvantaged. One solution is to integrate Open Educational Resources (OER), which not only improves access, but supports student retention and graduation as well. For faculty, using OER allows educators to customize their textbooks and course materials. Today, we will explore the possibilities, benefits, and limitations of OER. 

8:30 – 8:55 am Breakfast – SMC Atrium (1st Floor)

8:55 am Workshop Welcome – SMC Atrium – Ole Forsberg, Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs

9:00 – 9:30 am Introducing Open Educational Resources (OER): Shifting to Open Access and Universal Design – SMC A-201/202

  • What is Open Access? Jen Andrella, Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities (5 min)
  • Lightning Round: Short Testimonials on OER in the Classroom (~5 min each)
    • Anne Thomason (re: OER Grant)
    • Judy Thorn
    • Todd Heidt
    • Ole J. Forsberg

9:30 – 10:10 am Leveraging OER to Advance Equity and Student Success- SMC A-201/202 Erin Stapleton-Corcoran, Instructional Designer (UIC)

Opening Activity: Individual Reflection (5 minutes–9:30-9:35) 

  • Presentation: Leveraging OER for Equity and Student Success (20 minutes – 9:35-9:55)
  • Return to Opening Activity – Pair/Small Group Discussion (5-7 minutes: 9:55-10:00)
  • Group Share-Out and Actionable Takeaways (5-10 minutes: 10:00-10:05/10:10) Synthesize insights and highlight strategies to implement OER effectively.

10:10 – 11:00 am Searching and Sourcing OER – SMC A201/202 – Ole Forsberg

  • How to search for OER

11:00 – 12:00 pm Creating and Distributing Effective OER – SMC A 201/202 – Erin Stapleton-Corcoran, Instructional Designer (UIC)

Overview: This session guides participants through the key steps of creating and distributing Open Educational Resources (OER), including understanding licenses, ensuring accessibility, and exploring publishing options

12:00 – 1:00 pm Lunch – SMC Atrium (1st Floor)

1:00 – 2:00 pm Charting Your OER Pathway and Addressing Challenges – SMC A 201/202-  Erin Stapleton-Corcoran, Instructional Designer (UIC)

Some questions to discuss:

  • How do we ensure that the adoption of OER doesn’t inadvertently reinforce existing inequities?
  • What measures can we take to critically assess whether OER materials reflect diverse perspectives and avoid marginalizing certain groups?
  • How can institutions and educators collaboratively address systemic barriers that limit the creation and widespread use of equitable OER?

2:00 – 2:15 pm Break

2:15 – 3:30 pm Adapting an OER – SMC A201/202 – Ole Forsberg

  • Work on adapting classes to integrate OERs; what needs to be changed? 
  • Come with a course and syllabus to modify.

December 5 Schedule – Breakout Groups and the Future of Civic Engagement at Knox

8:30 – 9:00 am Breakfast – SMC Atrium (1st Floor)

9:00 – 9:30 am Short introduction – SMC A-201/202 – Ole Forsberg

9:30 – 11:00 am The Four Breakout Sessions

  • Topic 1: The Social, Political, and Abolitionist Future of the Arts
    Gregory Gilbert and Fernando Gomez 
    SMC A-203

Description: Through readings and group discussion, this session will consider both conceptual and applied pedagogical approaches to addressing political and social issues in relation to the arts. Special emphasis will be given to the contemporary Abolitionist idea of art’s activist power to envision a future of greater social justice and freedom and how this can inform and guide educational practices.

  • Topic 2: The Future of Innovation in the Classroom
    Scott Harris and Todd Heidt
    SMC A-204

Description: A roundtable discussion of digital humanities innovations to use in the classroom. Pre-circulated readings will provide a starting point for conversation about which innovations are possible, and which innovations we want to see in our classrooms or at Knox in general. Faculty will be encouraged to share current practices and brainstorm potential future developments they would like to see.

  • Topic 3: The Abolition of GenAI?
    Ole Forsberg
    SMC A-205

Description: Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is a relatively new development. However, its fundamentals reach back to the very foundations of education. It is a tool, and all tools have their nay-sayers, whether those tools are pencils, calculators, or GenAI. Let us look at how we can use GenAI to both improve our pedagogy, as well as free up some of our time to better focus on our students.

  • Topic 4: The Future of Digital Humanities and Lab Thinking
    Jen Andrella
    SMC A-206

Description: Digital skills and methods are rapidly transforming the way we produce, practice, and share our work. As educators, we have an opportunity to use digital tools to promote critical inquiry and engaged pedagogy with our students. This breakout session will present strategies for reimagining traditional assignments as creative digital projects. Participants are encouraged to bring a syllabus or assignment to this session for workshopping.

11:00 – 11:30 am Gallery walk, SMC Atrium (2nd Floor)

11:30 – 12:30 pm Lunch – SMC Atrium (1st Floor)

12:30 – 2:00 pm The Future of Civic Engagement at Knox Part 1 – SMC A-201/202
Michal Ran-Rubin, Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies & Anthropology-Sociology

Reading for before this workshop: Westheimer 2024.pdf

2:00 – 2:15 pm: break (flexible)

2:15 – 3:30 pm The Future of Civic Engagement at Knox Part 2 – SMC A-201/202 – Michal Ran-Rubin, Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies & Anthropology-Sociology

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