"It Changed My Life Forever": Low-Income Adults' Experiences in the Clemente Course in the Humanities

• In Event: 18.072 - Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: 18.072-5 - Global Perspectives on Humanities Instruction and Access

Abstract

The Clemente Course in the Humanities – a free college course for low-income adults – is founded on the belief that humanities education fosters the skills necessary to overcome adversity. This paper, which draws from a two-year ethnography of Clemente courses, examines the relationship between students’ course participation and their personal growth and development. Data reveal that when marginalized adults are afforded access to seemingly elite educational and cultural spaces, they engage in learning that promotes reflection, critical thinking, and transformation and are motivated to more fully participate in the economic and political aspects of their communities. Findings may inform ways educators, social service providers, and institutions can better teach, engage, and support adults on society’s margins.

Author

• Charity Anderson, Rutgers University - Newark