Motivation to Teach Social Action:
I see an urgency for courses that show students how their academic work connects to our most pressing challenges of today. As someone whose research centers on Black and Black Queer communities, I am committed to teaching students that they aren't mere observers of injustice, but are witnesses, participants, and creators of change. My pedagogy is grounded in the belief that learning is embodied, relational, and deeply tied to community. I want to build a course that helps students recognize that their writing, research, critical thinking, and design skills matter beyond the classroom. I want them to experience the power of partnering with communities, listening to lived experiences, and contributing to social change initiatives. Participating in the Institute will deepen my own practice while creating a course that helps students see themselves as empowered actors capable of shaping the systems that shape their lives.
Course Description:
This course explores how user-experience (UX) design and technical communication impact Black and Black Queer communities, focusing on how systems can reproduce harm or support wellbeing. Students learn community-based research methods, including interviews, narrative inquiry, and participatory co-design to analyze technologies, interfaces, and institutional processes through a justice-oriented lens. The course culminates in a student-led Social Action Project in partnership with a campus or community organization, where students identify a real barrier, conduct research, and develop a redesign or advocacy intervention grounded in dignity, care, and liberation.