To Have Just Classrooms, We Must Decolonize and Reimagine Our Disciplines

For this episode we talk with two members of the Social Justice Pedagogy Committee in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, Cathy Lounsbury and Syntia Santos Dietz, about the insights they have gained from starting this process, why engaging in these kinds of dialogues is so important, and how others might undertake similar work.

Kierstyn Hunter ‘07

Kierstyn Hunter ‘07 (Seattle, MA) was named VP for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer at Berkshire Community College. She most recently served as Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs…

Kate Maruyama ’09

Kate Maruyama’s ’09 (Los Angeles, MFA) blog, “Harvests, Solstices, and Aliens: Genre Fiction and Social Commentary,” appeared in Speculative Fiction Showcase. Her piece, “Dwelling on Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo,” appeared…

How Affirmation Helps Queer Youth Thrive Despite Ongoing Discrimination

As Pride Month comes to an end, we discuss the continued need for LGBTQ+ activism, the challenges facing youth today, and ways to radicalize pride in the fight for social justice with Cynthia Ruffin, the director of COLORS LGBTQ Youth Counseling. As director of this free therapy service, Cynthia has great insight into how these young people continue to experience discrimination and trauma in our country, and she urges us to find new ways to show up for the LGBTQ+ community.

Tim Cummings ‘18

Tim Cummings ‘18 (Los Angeles, MFA) had his short story, Luke De Foncé Du Nuage published in Scare Street’s horror anthology Night Terrors. He was interviewed about writing and the creative…

Classroom, with a blackboard asking students about their experiences with cancer.

[Teaching Unpacked] Trauma-Informed Experiential Learning

Trauma-informed experiential learning takes abstract concepts and makes them actionable for students. Not only does this learning and teaching methodology lead to better learning outcomes but, informed by the effects of traumatic experiences, it provides learners with emotional safety in a learning environment.