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Position
Academic Background
Sample Courses
Teaching Philosophy
Research & Interests
Notable Academic Appointments & Awards
Publication Highlights
Selected Scholarly Presentations
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Position
- Professor of Political Science
Academic Background
Sample Courses Taught at Providence College
- Politics
- Introduction to Service in Democratic Communities
- Diversity, Community, and Service
- Ancients and Moderns: Democratic Theory and Practice
- Capstone Seminar in Public Service
- Capstone Seminar: The Politics of Education
Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy is based on an understanding that students learn best when they act as co-creators of knowledge. I believe that teachers must connect their subject matter to students' interests and to their lived experiences; only then will students internalize knowledge and make it their own. In this sense, I regard myself as a "progressive educator," defined by Paulo Friere as one who "favors the autonomy of the students."
My teaching ... has brought me to an understanding that transformative learning occurs largely through dialogue and reflective practice. As such, I try to put students in conversation with each other, with me, and often with partners in the larger community. Many of the service-learning courses I teach, for example, are team taught with members of the community, such as staff from community-based organizations or public institutions. Since I believe that students' main lessons are to be learned through practice, I, like a coach or piano teacher, see my job as designing the practice routine, guiding the students through their tasks (including reading and writing), and helping them reflect upon their "performance" afterwards. Through my extensive comments on their writing and class participation, I attempt to create a reflective dialogue with my students, constantly posing questions for further thought and writing.
I am a big believer in experiential pedagogies, particularly service-learning ... My advocacy for service-learning is one tempered by the understanding that only under the right circumstances can a community-based service experience translate into palpable gains in student learning, particularly the kind of democratic learning I mentioned above ... the experience can be a transformative one because students are immersed in a community setting, working with an organization on an important social issue, working with people coming from different backgrounds or with different interests in the issue. It offers, in a way that classroom or traditional texts cannot, a tangible context for exploring and understanding the very issues of public concern that give rise to the need for community service in the first place.
Research & Interests
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Democratic Theory and Citizenship Education
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Service Learning and Civic Learning
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Classrooms and Campuses as Platforms for Democratic Civic Education
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Political Theory and Political Education
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Constitutional Law and History
Notable Academic Appointments and Awards
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Campus Compact Engaged Scholar for Civic Engagement, 1999-present.
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Providence College - Director, Feinstein Institute for Public Service, 1994-2000.
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Rutgers University, 1992-1994:
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Director, Citizenship and Service Education Program (CASE)
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Director, NJ Academy for Community Service & Service-Learning
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Baylor University - Director, Civic Education & Community Service Program, 1990-92.
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Outstanding Faculty Member, Baylor University, 1986, 1991.
Publication Highlights
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"Catalyzing Political Engagement: Lessons for Civic Educators from the Voices of Students" (with Nicholas Longo and Christopher Drury). Journal of Political Science Education, Volume 2, Number 3, 2006 (forthcoming).
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Connecting Workforce Development and Civic Engagement: Higher Education as Public Good and Private Gain (with Nicholas Longo). Lynn, MA: North Shore Community College Policy Institute, 2005.
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Civic Engagement Across the Curriculum: A Resource Book for Service-Learning Faculty in all Disciplines. Campus Compact, 2002.
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Education for Democracy: Citizenship, Community & Service (co-edited with Benjamin R. Barber), Kendall/Hunt, 1993, rev. ed. 1999.
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Experiencing Citizenship: Concepts and Models for Service-Learning in Political Science (co-edited with William Hudson). AAHE, 1997.
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"Making a Major Commitment: Public and Community Service at Providence College," in E. Zlotkowski, ed., Successful Service Learning Programs: New Models of Excellence in Higher Education, Anker Books, 1997.
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Constitutional Government: The American Experience (with James Curry and Richard Riley). West Publishing Co., 1989; 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, & 6th Editions, Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., 1994, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2005.
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Public Schooling and the Education of Democratic Citizens. University Press of Mississippi, 1985.
Selected Scholarly Presentations and Activities
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"Democracy's Practice Grounds: Classrooms and Campuses as Platforms for Democratic Civic Education," American Political Science Association, 2005.
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"Approaching Democratic Engagement: Research Findings on Civic Learning and Civic Practice," Keynote Address, International Service-Learning Research Conference, East Lansing, MI, 2005.
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National Engaged Department and Service-Learning Workshops, Campus Compact, 1999-2005.
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Director, Project 540: National High School Civic Engagement Initiative funded by a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts 2001-2004.
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"Clarifying and Deepening a Common Language of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement," Bringing Theory to Practice Action-Conference, Chicago, 2004.
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"Community Service and Citizenship: is Service-Learning Essential?" and "Democracy, Learning, and Power," American Political Science Association, 2000.
View Other Faculty Profiles
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