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Universities and the Prison Industrial Complex is a Course

Universities and the Prison Industrial Complex

Ended Jun 12, 2020

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Full course description

Course Information

Dates/Times: June 8 - June 12, 2020
Synchronous sessions are on 6/8, 6/10, and 6/12 from 1:00-2:15 pm

Description:
This course examines the involvement of higher education institutions in providing educational opportunities for incarcerated individuals. Students will gain insight into the prison complex by exploring pertinent issues related to mass incarceration, to inequities within the American judicial system, and to the role that higher education can play in responding to such trends. Students will achieve a better understanding of both the history and current status of prison education policies at both the federal and state levels.  The focus of the course is threefold: a.) provide an overview of federal and state policies related to higher education in prison, situating these policies within broader empirical scholarship on mass incarceration in the United States; b.) explore moral and ethical implications related to prison education; and c.) consider the challenges, barriers, and opportunities within the implementation and administration of higher education programs for incarcerated students.

Fees & Policies:

Tuition includes all instructional materials. Participants receive a certificate of participation

Payment is due by credit card at registration.
Refunds will be granted only up to the first day of class/program.

Please note that all participants from outside Boston College will not receive academic credit nor a transcript documenting their participation in this course. However, all participants will be awarded a certificate of completion.

Course Instructor

photo of Andrew Conway
Patrick Conway

Patrick Conway is a doctoral student in Higher Education, and current instructor within Boston College's Prison Education Program.  He previously worked as a criminal defense investigator for public defense offices in Washington, DC and Boston. His research interests relate to the development and expansion of higher education opportunities in prison, including policy and media coverage analysis, effective teaching practices, and the exploration of student experiences in prison.  He also teaches on campus as part of the First-Year Writing program. His writing has appeared in various literary journals, and has been recognized in the Best American Essays anthology.