Phronesis LabCollaboration with College Hill High School Alternative Education Program The Second Year: Spring 2014

Engaged Philosophy/Engaged Citizens

hypothesis:philosophy focused on pragmatist, community-level social justice content, increases student-citizen identity, participation, motivation, and self-efficacy.

What if at-risk high-school students were given a chance to help organize a philosophy seminar at OSU designed just for them?

What if this seminar would give them credit for their high school diplomas?

What if the seminar encouraged them to test philosophical ideas in their communities?

What then?

Methods:

Begin with this year’s Phronesis lead instructional team L-R:

Stephanie Jenkins, PhD, Phronesis Co-founder

Frankie Lee,Philosophy Undergraduate

Tenagne Downes, Community volunteer

Julio Orozco, MA student Applied Ethics

Sharyn Clough, PhD, Phronesis Co-founder

Sione Filimoehala, Philosophy Undergraduate,

Phronesis Co-founder

New:Instructor Tenagne Downes returned as a graduate of the College Hill High School and as an alumna of the Phronesis class from last year.Current College Hill students were able immediately to interact with someone who had succeeded before them.Downes was able to test the engaged philosophy she had learned the year before.

New: On the first day of

class we invited every person who would be presenting material in the course to come for a round-robin style introduction.

Each College Hill student got 5 mins. to ask questions of each presenter.

On the very first day of class, EVERY student had to speak up and ask questions of an expert they had just met.

Topics:Filimoehala and Clough on economic injustice.

Jenkins on debate skills.

Kaplan on housing discrimination.

Lee on LGBT issues/self-care.

Ray on issues facing student veterans.

Bolger on veterans for peace.

Richards on nuclear weapons testing.

Stevenson on US involvement in the Dirty War.

Orozco and Downes on racism.

Thompson on environmental ethics.

Results: press coverage final student presentations anonymous student evaluations

press coverage April 28, 2014 By Anthony Rimel, Corvallis Gazette-Times

“[Students] O’Conner and Foster said the instructors in the class have created an atmosphere where they feel supported, and trusted.‘We don’t feel like we’re being talked down to, and like we have equal things to say’, said Foster.”

“ ‘(The class) gives you a sense of what college is like,’ said Downes, who is taking this year off from school.Downes, O’Conner and Foster all said they would recommend the class to other students.”

SELENA AND ANDREAProject: Gender Equity in the Workplace

Final Student Presentations

“I learned a lot about social justice issues.”

Phronesis Lab

ANDREW, DEBBIE, ELLIEProject: Understanding Mental Health

Final Student Presentations

“Thanks to this class I’m going to pursue social justice as a career.”

Phronesis Lab

EMILYProject: ANIMAL ETHICS

Final Student Presentations

BRANDEONProject: ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION

Student Final Projects

“The instructors inspired me to understand a lot more about discrimination.”

Phronesis Lab

FAUSTO AND RENAProject: NUCLEAR TESTING

Final Student Presentations

“The instructors inspired me to speak up for something I believed in.”

Phronesis Lab

JACKProject: GUANTANAMO BAY

Final Student Presentations

“[Tenagne] was so passionate – she inspired me.”

Phronesis Lab

Phronesis Lab 2014 Class Photo

Visit Phronesis LabExperiments in Engaged Ethics Volunteer. Fund a Graduate Teaching Assistantship. Fund a Scholarship for at-risk high-school

students. Fund Travel for our Summer Leadership

Workshop. Practice Philosophy. Test your hypotheses. Be good. Be orange.

Mandy, Phronesis Lab