IN-PERSON New Schools of Thought
Abstract
Cancelled due to an evacuation order.
How can higher education in prisons be transformative? And in what ways can it transform? Drawing upon theories of narrative therapy, restorative justice, critical pedagogy and significant learning, I explore these questions, outlining how Cal State LA’s Prison Graduation Initiative (PGI), has developed its model of prison education. A holistic approach to prison education, PGI’ model is informed by student needs and desires, as well as real-world challenges that students face upon reentry. This educational model structures how PGI trains its faculty, designs its program and administrative functions, as well as how it engages with communities and prepares students for re-entry. Situating PGI model of prison education within the broader context of US prison education, I show how PGI’ model navigates often conflicting historical objectives: PGI centers its model in re-authoring students’ lives— and upon their release— preparing them to help transform their communities and access professional careers, from which many incarcerated persons are marginalized prior to incarceration.
Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy currently directs Cal State LA’s Prison Graduation Initiative. Prior to serving in this role, Bidhan was a professor of English Literature at California State University, Los Angeles, where he taught for the previous fifteen years. Trained in postcolonial studies, Bidhan received his PhD from Goldsmiths College, University of London. Bidhan’s research and teaching focused upon a critical pedagogical approach to community engagement in the humanities. Toward this objective, he has produced several community storytelling projects and exhibitions, and analyzed the pedagogical and social effects of these projects in recent publications: “Towards a Global Critical Literacy: Literature, Community Engagement and The Global Commons,” “The New Uses of Literacy: A Pedagogical Diptych of Literature and Community Engagement,” and “WordsUncaged: The Prison, The University, and Critical Pedagogy.” He is the founder of WordsUncaged, an organization that provides a platform for incarcerated artists and writers to engage with the public through book publishing, art exhibits and digital media. Bidhan is also currently the director and co-founder of PGI, the first face-to-face prison BA degree program in California. He has been working within California’s prison since 2013, and serves as Vice President of California Humanities, and is a board member of The Fair Chance Project, and rapper YG’s foundation, 4Hunnid Waze.
9:00 am - 10:30 am
Wednesday 8th January, 2025