Episode 6: Gerpha Gerlin & Robert Cloutier: Accessibility and Collaborative Course Design (Part 2)

This, our sixth episode, is the promised second edition of our interview with Gerpha Gerlin last fall. Our earlier interview focused on the Mental Health and the Media course Gerpha was preparing to teach at Stateville Correctional Center during the winter 2024 quarter. One of the unique aspects of this course was Gerpha’s decision to include her teaching fellow, Robert (Bobaloo), in the course design process, as well as inviting him to take more of a leadership role in the overall course than your typical TA. For our follow-up interview, we were lucky enough to get to hear how the course went from both Gerpha and Bobaloo! Using an asynchronous interview process, we'll address some of the successes and learning moments of the course, especially around sharing power in the classroom, teaching heavy topics through a trauma-informed lens, and building relationships that can act as safety nets in moments that require adaptability. You can find the transcript at this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AXmN4UV51eE3rZ7ivKqXjNC9dnQQNOm3nf3gKBgrhpo/edit?usp=sharing Key topics in this interview include: collaborative course design • sharing power in the classroom • trauma-informed pedagogy • teaching in a prison environment Here are some resources related to this episode: Gerpha Gerlin (academic profile): https://sites.northwestern.edu/npep/gerpha-gerlin/ Northwestern Prison Education Program (NPEP) (website): https://sites.northwestern.edu/npep/