In January, Assistant Professors for the English department, Mr. Emrys Donaldson and Dr. Cara Messina, presented their pedagogical presentation on Anti-Carceral Pedagogy with Online@JSU. The presentation was a big success with over thirty online attendees, with almost half of the attendees completing the feedback survey, responding with “very satisfied.” 

In their presentation, Donaldson and Messina characterized anti-carceral pedagogical practices that defy classroom approaches of control, surveillance, and punishment. Additionally, they shared specific examples of carceral and anti-carceral pedagogy in grading, test-taking, assignment design, and outcomes from their classrooms. “JSU has a diverse body of students in terms of race, gender, sexuality, disability/ability, and socioeconomic status, which means incorporating anti-carceral pedagogies is all the more important.” Their presentation aimed “to engage with ‘weather and how the act of teaching can effectively and radically displace normalized misery, everyday suffering, and mundane state violence.’” 

Anyone wishing to watch the recorded presentation and learn more about anti-carceral pedagogical practices or Donaldson and Messina’s research can do so by visiting the following link.

Anti-Carceral Pedagogy Recorded Presentation

Donaldson and Messina were invited to present for Online@JSU again in Fall 2023, and according to Donaldson, “Other faculty plan to implement suggested changes to course-specific policies and best practices in the Psychology, Mathematics, and Biology departments, as well as through Faculty Senate.”