Teaching Hope, Agency, and Possibilities in an Era of Radical Restructuring

TL;DR

This paper discusses how educators can teach hope and resilience to students amid challenging times in higher education and society.

Contribution

The paper introduces case examples and models for fostering agency and hope during societal and educational transformations.

Findings

Educators can use case examples to teach resilience in times of radical change.

Mental health and economic disparities are increasing, requiring new pedagogical approaches.

Teaching hope and agency can support students and educators during systemic restructuring.

Abstract

The current political, social, and economic moment has brought many new challenges for instructors, students, and the communities we serve. Emerging research suggests parallels with the COVID-19 pandemic and prior historical moments of government retrenchment and overreach. Mental health and economic needs are growing--as are health disparities that have continued to plague the United States and beyond. Higher education is being transformed before our very eyes. And not necessarily always for the better. Despite all these challenges, we as instructors have opportunities to teach our students how to navigate this difficult moment and give ourselves grace to practice (and sometimes fail) in this endeavor. This lecture will provide an overview of case examples, lessons learned, and potential models for teaching hope, agency, and possibilities to support students, colleagues, and ourselves amidst a radical restructuring in higher education and many social, health, and political systems that we study and teach about to our students.