[URBANTH-L]ANN: Inside-Out Prison Exchange Conference (Indiana)

[mckennab at umd.umich.edu]

This is an important form of critical engagement. Last year I  
participated in a similar program at the University of  
Michigan-Dearborn. The program is under the leadership of Dr. Lora  
Lempert. I taught Introduction to Anthropology at a maximum security  
women's prison. Or should I say we critically dialogued! A good many  
of the students were very politically sophisticated - they taught me  
much. We need to have more anthropology advocates for prisoners, since  
a great many are "political" prisoners, there as a consequence of  
class, race and gender oppression.

Best,

Brian McKenna

us at ohio.edu:

> From: Society for the Anthropology of North America  
> <sana.membership at gmail.com>
>
> Dear Colleague,
>
> We are writing to let you know about an exciting opportunity to  
> bring a new kind
> of learning to the students at your institution. On October 2 nd -3  
> rd , 2008,
> we will be holding a conference entitled, “The Inside-Out Prison Exchange:
> Expanding the Boundaries of Learning” at the IUPUI campus in  
> Indianapolis, Indiana.
>
> The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program was initially established at Temple
> University in Philadelphia in 1997 in order to create a dynamic partnership
> between institutions of higher learning and correctional systems. Inside-Out
> classes bring college students together with incarcerated men and women to
> study as peers in a seminar held behind prison walls. Inside-Out courses
> provide a life-altering experience that allows students to rethink what they
> have learned in the classroom, gaining insights that will help them to better
> pursue the goal of creating a more effective, humane and restorative criminal
> justice system. At the same time, the Inside-Out program challenges men and
> women on the inside to place their life experiences in a larger  
> social context;
> it also rekindles their intellectual self-confidence and interest in further
> education, and encourages them to recognize their capacity as agents  
> of change –
> in their own lives as well as in the broader community.
>
> In 2003, supported by a Soros Justice Senior Fellowship, Inside-Out  
> founder Lori
> Pompa took Inside-Out nationwide. The first Inside-Out National Instructor
> Training Institute, held in July 2004, was attended by instructors  
> from a dozen
> states. To date, 57 instructors from 44 colleges and universities nationwide
> have been trained in this pedagogical approach.
>
> Inside-Out Indiana was established in 2006, when two instructors from IUPUI,
> Roger Jarjoura (Criminal Justice) and Susan Hyatt (Anthropology)  
> completed the
> Inside-Out instructor training. In Summer 2007, Jarjoura and Hyatt co-taught
> the first Inside-Out Indiana class at a local men’s facility, the Plainfield
> Re-entry Educational Facility (PREF). In Spring 2008, Jarjoura taught another
> class at PREF and during Summer 2008, Jarjoura and Hyatt co-taught a class at
> the Indiana Women’s Prison. At the conference, Inside-Out founder Lori Pompa
> will give a keynote address in the evening of Thursday, October 2 nd . On
> Friday, October 3 rd , you will have the opportunity to meet both “outside”
> students (from IUPUI) and “inside” (incarcerated) students who have
> participated in these courses along with Inside-Out instructors from  
> neighboring
> states who will discuss their experiences with this transformative pedagogy.
>
> As founder Lori Pompa always says, “This kind of learning changes lives.” To
> that, we would also add that “this kind of teaching also changes  
> lives.” It has
> changed our lives as faculty members and we urge you to join us in this
> discussion. Inside-Out courses have been taught in a range of disciplines,
> including Criminal Justice, Anthropology, Political Science, English  
> and History
> so we invite you to forward this message on to any colleagues who may be
> interested in exploring this approach to teaching and learning.
>
> For more information, please contact us at: inout at iupui.edu Registration
> materials will soon be available through that address. The cost of the
> conference is free for students, $10.00 for everyone else.
>
> We look forward to welcoming you to Indianapolis in October.
>
>
> Susan Hyatt, Anthropology
>
> Roger Jarjoura, Criminal Justice
>
>
> Susan B. Hyatt
> Associate Professor of Anthropology
> IUPUI
> 413 Cavanaugh Hall
> 425 University Blvd.
> Indianapolis, IN 46220
> (317) 278-4548
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> URBANTH-L mailing list
> URBANTH-L at lists.ysu.edu
> http://lists.ysu.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/urbanth-l
>