Power, Resilience, and Justice in Educational Practices 

 
 
 

Instructor: Maica Porcadas (she/her/hers) Homepage:  maicaporcadas.weebly.com  

Phone: (913) 267-5484 Email:  maica1001@gmail.com   
 
 
Course Description 
This course will focus on the foundations of building equitable education by examining the discourse of power 
within the education system. Using a critical and ethnic studies based approach, this course will take into 
account individual identity, system dynamics, and sociohistorical contexts to construct one’s understanding of 
creating progressive and relevant teaching practices. Students will reflect on their own experiences with 
schooling, and will reflect on their peers’ experiences, in order to cultivate a deeper understanding of the 
needed processes to support and empower all students. 
 
Learning Objectives 
By the end of this course, students will be able to do the following: 
● Differentiate the difference between education and schooling in connection with identifying the 
influence of external factors of culture, society, and history on an the student experience 
● Apply critical thinking skills to understand the different forms of discourse as well as the forms of 
knowledge that is perceived by society 
● Build a teaching philosophy that takes a stance on one’s values and vision of improving traditionalistic, 
irrelevant, and ineffective education practices 
 
Course Textbooks 
● Adams, M., & Bell, L. A. (2016). ​Teaching for diversity and social justice​. Abingdon: Routledge. 
● Freire, P. (1972). ​Pedagogy of the oppressed​. Place of publication not identified: Penguin Education. 
● Hemphill, D., & Blakely, E. (2015). L ​ anguage, nation, and identity in the classroom: Legacies of 
modernity and colonialism in schooling​. New York: P. Lang. 
● Rios, V. M. (2011). ​Street life: Poverty, gangs, and a Ph. D.​ California: Five Rivers Press. 
 
* Please note that the only ​required t​ ext is Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice (2016). Other readings 
and articles will be made available. More articles will be added and introduced throughout the semester.  
 
Methods of Instruction 
This class will be a mixture of various methods of instruction. It will have a heavy focus on class and group 
discussions, along with in-class activities. This course will also implement “think-pair-share” throughout the 
semester. For projects and assignments, students will have the option to express their understanding of the 
classroom content through a variety of different forms (will be further discussed as the semester progresses). 
All class slideshows and presentations will be available prior to class, and will be made available for students 
to download or print so they may have it during the class lectures. Please be sure to read and annotate all 
readings prior to the class. 
 
 
 
 Week 1 Topics  Week 1 Activities 

Introductions & Identity Intersections  ❏ In-Class Activity: Privilege Walk 

● Community Classroom Guidelines  ❏ In-Class Activity: Identi-tree 
● Identity Matrix and Social Positioning  ❏ Due: Ideal Classroom 
● Addressing Guilt   
 

Week 2 Topics  Week 2 Activities 

Oppression & Power  ❏ In-Class Activity: Gallery Walk 

● 4 I’s of Oppression  ❏ Class Discussion Session 
● Socialization and Marginalization  ❏ Group Work: Brainstorm 
● Marx’s Base and Superstructure   
● Power/Knowledge Construction (cont.)   
 

Week 3 Topics  Week 3 Activities 

Oppression & Power  ❏ Class Discussion Session 

● 4 I’s of Oppression (cont.)  ❏ Group Work: Brainstorm 
● Power/Knowledge Construction (cont.) 
 

Week 4: Class Presentations (Anti-Oppression Toolkit) 

Week 5 Topics  Week 5 Activities 

Theoretical Foundations and Principles of Education  ❏ Class Discussion Session 

● Eurocentricity   ❏ Due: Schooling Reflection Log 
● Miseducation throughout History   
   

Week 6 Topics  Week 6 Activities 

Theoretical Foundations and Principles of Education   

● Miseducation throughout History (cont.) 
● Modernity in Education 
 

Week 7 Topics  Week 7 Activities 

Theoretical Foundations and Principles of Education  ❏ Due: Schooling Reflection Log 

● Ethnic Studies, Critical Race Theory  ❏ Due: Check in w/ instructor about final project 
● Community Cultural Wealth   
● Transactional vs. Transformative Learning 
 

Week 8 Topics  Week 8 Activities 

Theoretical Foundations and Principles of Education  ❏ Class Discussion: Agents of Change Film 
● Education as Resistance   ❏ Due: My Relationship w/ Ethnic Studies 
Paper 
 
 Week 9 Topics  Week 9 Activities 

Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice   

● Racism and White Privilege  
● Sexism, Heterosexism, and Trans Oppression  

Week 10 Topics  Week 10 Activities 

Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice  ❏ Due: Check in w/ instructor about final project 
● Classism 
● Religious Oppression 
● Ableism 

Week 11 Topics  Week 11 Activities 

Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice  ❏ Due: Schooling Reflection Log 
● Youth Oppression and Elder Oppression 
● Youth Participatory Action Research - YPAR 

Week 12 Topics  Week 12 Activities 

Youth Participatory Action Research - YPAR (cont.)  ❏ Class Discussion Session 

❏ In-Class Activity: YPAR examples 
 

Week 13: Work Week & Review 

Week 14: Classroom Presentations - Letters to the Young Scholar 

 
 
Evaluation and Grading 
Each week presents an opportunity to engage with your community of students and the opportunity to self 
reflect on the impact of the course content with your own experiences. In traditional schooling grades are 
often seen as a reflection of one's capacity to grasp course content. This course will grade based on the 
growth, commitment, and effort you put into this class throughout the semester. 
 
Attendance  20% 
Discussion and Reflections  20% 
Mini Assignments  20% 
Final Project and Presentation  40% 
 

Total   100% 
 
 
Academic Honesty Policy 
Academic integrity is a basic principle, which requires that students take credit only for ideas and efforts that 
are their own. Cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty are often defined as the 
submission of materials in assignments, exams, or other academic work that is based on sources that are 
prohibited by the faculty member or in ways that do not properly cite where a student's ideas and efforts 
came from.  
 
 
Disability Services and Accomodations 
Providing equal opportunities for students who experience disabilities is a campus-wide responsibility and 
commitment. A ​ s part of this commitment, the university will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided 
reasonable accommodations. ​Disability Support Services (DSS) empowers, supports, and advocates for 
students who experience disabilities by providing equal access and accommodations to all curricular 
assignments, programs, services, and activities​.