Kevin M. Gannon – författare

Higher education has seen better days. Harsh budget cuts, the precarious nature of employment in colleague teaching, and political hostility to the entire enterprise of education have made for an increasingly fraught landscape. Radical Hope is an ambitious response to this state of affairs, at once political and practice — the work of an activist, teacher, and public intellectual grappling with some of the most pressing topics at the intersection of higher education and social justice. Kevin Gannon asks that the contemporary university's manifold problems be approached as opportunities for critical engagement, arguing that, when done effectively, teaching is by definition emancipatory and hopeful. Considering individual pedagogical practice, the students who are the primary audience and beneficiaries of teaching, and the institutions and systems within which teaching occurs, Radical Hope surveys the field, tackling everything from impostor syndrome to cell phones in class to allegations of a campus 'free speech crisis'. Throughout, Gannon translates ideals into tangible strategies and practices (including key takeaways at the conclusion of each chapter), with the goal of reclaiming teachers' essential role in the discourse of higher education.

Higher education has seen better days. Harsh budget cuts, the precarious nature of employment in colleague teaching, and political hostility to the entire enterprise of education have made for an increasingly fraught landscape. Radical Hope is an ambitious response to this state of affairs, at once political and practice — the work of an activist, teacher, and public intellectual grappling with some of the most pressing topics at the intersection of higher education and social justice. Kevin Gannon asks that the contemporary university's manifold problems be approached as opportunities for critical engagement, arguing that, when done effectively, teaching is by definition emancipatory and hopeful. Considering individual pedagogical practice, the students who are the primary audience and beneficiaries of teaching, and the institutions and systems within which teaching occurs, Radical Hope surveys the field, tackling everything from impostor syndrome to cell phones in class to allegations of a campus 'free speech crisis'. Throughout, Gannon translates ideals into tangible strategies and practices (including key takeaways at the conclusion of each chapter), with the goal of reclaiming teachers' essential role in the discourse of higher education.

The first book to address campus crises that's by and for faculty, staff, and students—the true heart of higher ed and the people who make it work.Higher education is in crisis—and there's no shortage of books by campus leaders about how to fix it. This volume is by and for the rest of us—the faculty, staff, and students who comprise the lion's share of campus populations. It is our values, livelihoods, and prospects for success that are most threatened by these crises—and, often, by top-level administrators' responses to them. The volume brings together more than forty contributors from colleges and universities across the United States and beyond. Essays address a range of aspects of the current polycrisis, including declarations of financial exigency, program closures and faculty layoffs, campus closures, political interference, and outbreaks of violence. Authors draw on their own experiences—and those of their colleagues and students—to share what worked, what didn't, and what they learned along the way. If crisis hasn't come to your campus yet, don't worry, it will. When it does, this book will help.