Disrupting Canonical Instruction: Resisting Whiteness Through Critical Canon Pedagogy

• In Event: Millennium Hotel Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Explorations of Equity and Identity in Humanities Classrooms

Abstract

Drawing from critical curriculum theory and critical Whiteness studies, this case study details the experiences of 30 British literature students, 90% of whom identified as White, as they participated in a five-day unit in which they investigated the disciplinary practices that have marked the teaching of canonical British literature in secondary English classrooms. The Critical Canon Pedagogy (CCP) unit extended Moje’s (2015) 4E’s heuristic of disciplinary inquiry and provided students with an opportunity to restory (Thomas & Stornaiuolo, 2016) their entirely White curriculum and in doing so, resist the traditional narratives and voices of the canon. Findings reveal that engaging with the unit helped students reconsider and resist dysconsciously racist and hegemonic literacy practices. Implications for secondary education are discussed.

Author

• Jeanne Dyches, Iowa State University