“Consent: It's Not Just for Sex-Ed! A Proposal for Consent Based Pedagogy”
Presenter(s): Alyshia Galvez, Professor - Department of Latin American and Latino Studies
Abstract: There is ample evidence that higher education is, as inherent in its name, a hierarchical institution that is better equipped to reproduce than to disrupt dynamics of power. Higher/hierarchical education perhaps cannot be fully detached from its historical role in reproducing class dynamics and relations, and at its best, giving students from marginalized communities an access point to socio-economic mobility only tenuously available elsewhere in our society. It is not designed to disrupt or invert broader social dynamics or to actually redistribute resources and power. However, there are models for navigating and negotiating hierarchical power relations, and one of these is consent. Consent is an ongoing negotiation. If we expand the notion of consent well beyond contexts of sexual intimacy, we might find it is useful for thinking about other kinds of interactions and differential power arrangements. Consent-driven models can illuminate ways that power differentials can be accepted, even desired, in the interest of mutual gain (learning, training, pleasure, division of labor), if and when affirmative consent is actively and continuously granted. Models for consent and shared power can acknowledge inherent power differentials and enable a pathway forward for collaboration and learning.
Key Terms: consent, hierarchy, pedagogy, trauma-informed pedagogy, decolonization
“Hidden Strengths: Social Work Students Highlighting Stories of Resistance from the Profession's History”
Presenter(s): Sara Kotzin, Assistant professor - Department of Social Work and Diana Couvertier, College Junior - Major: Social Work at CUNY Lehman College
Abstract: The Social Work Department at Lehman College has been intentional and action-based in updating our curriculum to reflect our antiracist mission statement. The focus of this presentation will be the work of one social work class whose combination of research, creativity and teamwork came together to amplify the work of early African American Social Work Pioneers (Carlton-LaNey), and in doing so, told a much larger story around African American contributions to social work education, theory and mutual aid. The assignment, "Hidden Strengths: Unconcealed Stories and Narratives of Resilience", was developed by the lead presenter out of a grant from the Lehman Library, supporting instructors in updating a class assignment to be Open Source (OER), driven by antiracist pedagogy, and ‘renewable’. It focused on the Strengths-Based Perspective, a foundational social work theory that is typically attributed to a white man, which ignores the earlier work of African American scholars, social workers, and activists, such as W.E.B. Dubois, Sarah Collins Fernandis, and many others who, while not necessarily naming their approach as a ‘strengths-based perspective,’ evoked the spirit and ideology of the concept. The students’ interpretation and execution of the assignment is an example of the possibilities that exist for instructors committed to antiracist pedagogy and collaborative classrooms.
Key Terms: Experiential learning, interdisciplinary, antiracist pedagogy, open-source
“Transforming my Prison Narratives Class through the HistoryMakers Digital Archive”
Presenter(s): Anne Rice, Associate Professor - Department of Africana Studies; Acting Director - Department of Women's and Gender Studies
Abstract: Introducing the HistoryMakers Digital Archive, the largest African American oral history video archive in the world, to my Prison Narratives course transformed my pedagogy while galvanizing student engagement. In this talk, I will describe the inherent dangers of a course like Prison Narratives, where the subject matter can overwhelm students and lead to the perception of incarcerated people as acted upon by history rather than making it for themselves. Using the digital archive in conjunction with zoom conversations with prison residents in Missouri and viewing TEDx videos from prison residents across the nation produced a completely different--and much more positive--class experience, one that I have been trying to achieve for the past decade.
Key Terms: Transformative Learning; Trauma-Informed Pedagogy, Equity
“Teaching LGBTQ+ and Music Seminar Class for Honor Students”
Presenter(s): Smee Wang, PhD - Department of Music, Multimedia, Theatre, and Dance
Abstract: This presentation explores the design, implementation, and impact of an LGBTQ+ and Music seminar class for Honors students in spring 2025 (LSP 350) aimed at fostering critical engagement with the intersection of identity, culture, and musical expression. LSP 350 provides a historical and contemporary overview of LGBTQ+ musicians, composers, and cultural movements, examining their contributions and challenges within broader societal contexts. By integrating musicology, queer theory, and intersectionality, the curriculum encourages students to analyze how music serves as a vehicle for identity formation, activism, and community building. Key topics include the influence of LGBTQ+ composers in classical traditions, the role of music in the gay liberation movement, and the rise of queer narratives in popular music genres. Assignments emphasize interdisciplinary approaches, combining analytical essays, creative projects, and group discussions. This seminar also leverages intercultural perspectives, highlighting LGBTQ+ musicians across diverse global traditions to create an inclusive and expansive dialogue. By engaging with music as both an art form and a sociocultural phenomenon, the course equips students with tools to critically examine the interplay of identity and creativity, while fostering empathy and understanding of diverse experiences. The presentation will include reflections on pedagogical strategies, student responses, and the challenges and opportunities of teaching such a dynamic and nuanced subject matter. It aims to inspire educators to integrate inclusive, interdisciplinary approaches in their own classrooms.
Key Terms: LGBTQ+ musicians, music pedagogy, honors education, queer musicology, interdisciplinary teaching, identity and music, diversity and inclusion, intersectionality, cultural movements, activism through music, global perspectives, queer theory, music and identity formation, inclusive curriculum.
“A Community-Based Curriculum to Empower Youth on Environmental Justice And Organizing in The South Bronx”
Presenter(s): Elia Machado, Associate Professor - Department of Earth, Environmental, and Geospatial Sciences (EEGS)
Abstract: We present an Environmental and housing justice organizing curriculum rooted in the history of the South Bronx to equip the Youth Team at the community organization We Stay/Nos Quedamos (NQ) with the tools to learn, educate, empower, and organize with and for the future of their community. This curriculum includes organizing trainings and community-based modules on understanding and mapping Environmental Justice (EJ) and housing issues facing the South Bronx, and the Melrose Neighborhood in particular, which community district ranks among the most disadvantaged in New York City. We follow a highly interactive and collaborative approach to co-develop a modular curriculum with NQ and the Youth Team, adapted to the youth time constraints and learning needs by incorporating games, role playing, and active learning activities among other strategies. This project was born out (and funded by) the NYC Climate Justice Hub, a partnership between the City University of New York (CUNY) and New York City Environmental Justice Alliance (NYC-EJA). The partnership teams up CUNY Faculty and researchers with EJ Community Organizations to expand resources on research, policy analysis, and advocacy on climate and the environment in the highest exposed and burdened communities to climate and environmental hazards.
Key Terms: Community Organizing, Environmental Justice, Community-Based Curriculum Development, South Bronx
“The Intersection Between Teacher Education and Community Access: Who Owns Our Schools?”
Presenter(s): Kimberly Vanderbilt - Assistant Professor, Coordinator - ECCE; Yasmin Morales-Alexander, Associate Professor, Deputy Chair - ECCE; Jennifer Collett, Associate Professor, Coordinator - ECCE; Michele Washington, Lecturer, Coordinator - ECCE - School of Education
Abstract:: Schools are integral parts of the communities they serve, and this holds true throughout the vibrant and exceptional borough of the Bronx. To support a conversation on the role schools serve in community development and empowerment, our panel discussion will feature four faculty members and four students (some who are also community members and parents) exploring key questions around teacher preparation and community engagement. With a shared goal of preparing students to work in schools across the Bronx, while recognizing that school leadership extends beyond traditional top-down structures, and family engagement goes beyond participation in school events-our discussion will heighten conversations of what it means to co-construct community collaboration that honors families' voices and experiences. The discussion will be focused on the following questions: How can we prepare teacher educators to effectively collaborate with families and communities? "Family engagement is driven by families." What does this statement mean, and how can it shape your practice? What does inclusive agentic leadership look like for all stakeholders in early childhood and elementary classrooms?
Key Terms: Early Childhood, Childhood, Student Teaching, Leadership, Community Engagement, Family Engagement, Community/School Partnerships.