Creative Community-Engaged Pedagogy in Political Ecology

Community-engaged research and creative pedagogies flourish in many forms in higher education settings. From structured service-learning programs to community-based research classes and direct scholar-activist work with students, faculty and graduate students--when supported by their institutions, and sometimes when unsupported--work to create pedagogical settings focused on engaging students in struggles for socioecological justice. Yet in an environment of highly institutionalized ‘civic engagement’ and volunteerism-focused partnerships, meaningful community engagement often only becomes possible through creative pedagogy, when classrooms are able to go beyond the prescribed roles of “student” and “community partner” to create more liberatory and justice-minded encounters. In this session, we want to hear from faculty utilizing creative methods to implement community-engaged pedagogy in a political ecology setting. This might include, but not be limited to:
• Community-based research and/or creative pedagogy partnerships that involve students
• Collaborations between students from different disciplinary backgrounds (i.e. environmental science and urban studies) with a political ecological focus
• Critical service learning programs
• Popular education and its usage in teaching political ecology

We welcome work-in-progress alongside more traditional papers, and are also excited to see demonstrations of creative pedagogy in action from folks at all stages of their careers.

Organizers: Eric Goldfischer & Jennifer Rice

Please submit your abstracts to Eric Goldfischer at Eric.Goldfischer@qc.cuny.edu by 15 December 2023.

Modality: In-person