Posttraumatic Student Dissent in the Doctoral Classroom

• In Event: 66.088 - Sheraton Roundtable 13 - Osgoode Ballroom
  In Roundtable Session: 66.088-1 - Learning Against Oppressive Structures

Abstract

Doctoral students face an interesting paradox within the doctoral classroom. Upon entering the classroom, they are placed into the position of students and asked to set their knowledge and experience aside in order to learn from the teacher. In this paper, we draw on Foucault’s concept of technologies of self and Braidotti’s (2006) notion of transversals in an effort to make sense of our experiences. We argue that an ethics of care in the doctoral classroom can contribute to learning in constructive and emergent ways. This paper is based on four experiences of governmentality in the doctoral classroom: learning as transformative practice, the hidden classroom and power structures, disconnect between pedagogical strategies and outcomes, and turning away from difficult knowledge.

Authors

• Melissa Twance, Lakehead University

• Lianne Fisher, Brock University

• Devon Eva Lee, Lakehead University