An expert on extremism, far-right movements, and youth radicalization, Cynthia Miller-Idriss is the director of research at American University's Center for University Excellence, where she runs the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL). PERIL addresses issues of youth polarization and extremist radicalization through…

Faculty and administrators often present risk-taking as something honors students must do, but rarely do they take risks themselves. In an ideal situation, communal risk-taking would subvert institutional power dynamics, free students from grade-associated anxiety, and enable them to build dynamic partnerships with faculty. This paper discusses…

In the course of reviewing a recent quantitative survey of approximately 1300 Swedish youths on subjects like religion and leisure activities, I came across a finding which seemed intriguing to me: some 50% of those identifying themselves as Muslims reported that they confided in their teachers (compared to only 5% of non-Muslims) for help with…

In this article, I ask how university students with disabilities negotiate with staff arrangements for alternative assessment practices. I draw on three case studies using a personal pronoun perspective to challenge the conventional view that educational policy and teaching practice are forms of rational action. I demonstrate how the lives of…

In this article, the author intends to focus on the ruptures that sometimes emerge when his outsider and insider identities clash, shift places, or simply exist together in the classrooms he inhabits as teacher. He provides what Jerrie Cobb Scott calls an extended "think about" where he unpacks his own uncritical dys-consciousness and how it has…

Dana is a graduate assistant in the second year of a master's program in student personnel. In a class discussion of assistantship issues, Dana reveals that he has decided not to enforce the university's policy of "writing up" all underage students who are in a residence hall room where alcohol is present. He says that in his opinion the punitive…

Conflict can shut down communication, the key to social justice advocacy. In this article, the author shares his insights on how some communication strategies can help manage conflict and sustain open conversation with students about contentious issues. Recently, the author participated in an extremely heated discussion session for student affairs…

The season of new buds and blossoms also signals fashion changes in the college classroom. Shorts, short skirts, tees, muscle tops, underwear exposed by low-rise pants, hospital scrubs, and flip-flops appear. With the advent of warm weather, women's clothing style can be tight and/or revealing. Jewelry and accessories become more visible. Today,…

A Latina college professor describes the family history-writing project she uses in her reading/language arts teacher preparation course. The project provides opportunities for Spanish bilingual teacher candidates to gain greater understanding of their cultural selves and to consider ways to successfully deploy that new insight as teachers in…

The unfortunate reality is that racism permeates life. The time that students spend in higher education offers a window of opportunity for educators to confront students' assumptions about the world and challenge them to critically analyze their experience. After students complete their education, they carry their knowledge to offices, law firms,…

Maughn Rollins Gregory writes eloquently and passionately about the critical role his openness, self-exposure, and vulnerability play in creating classroom spaces for genuine discourse and growth. Asked to write a response to Gregory's compelling essay, the author asks herself a similar question: What role will her openness, self-exposure, and…

This feature is a collection of brief essays recently written by Japanese and Chinese gay youth, followed by commentary from several leading educators and scholars. Akihiko Komiya's "Difficulties Japanese Gay Youth Encounter" provides excerpts from the stories of six gay youth and their everyday lives, based on their letters in…

Explores ideas to help college educators empower students through their teaching. The article discusses assumptions of power and privilege that underlie empowerment, providing examples of how educators can disempower. Biological, psychological, and sociocultural processes of empowerment as related to race, gender, and disability are examined. (SM)

Before one can have the freedom to express ideas in open debate, however, one must have freedom of conscience: the right to arrive at one's private beliefs, without being coerced into an artificial unity by those who wield power over him/her. After all, the freedom to speak is a dead letter if one lacks the freedom to think, to believe, or to…