Project for Democratic Pedagogy
In 1916, John Dewey wrote that democracy, more than a type of government, is a form of “associated living,” one that school—beginning in early childhood—has to not just prepare young people for, but also train them in. “Democracy,” then, is not something outside of school that “the people” participate in sometimes (say, during elections) but an ethos that must course through every relationship at every level. Democratic societies require democratic pedagogy.
The Project for Democratic Pedagogy will collate and amplify existing efforts on campus to foster democratic practices in and beyond the classroom. The Project will sponsor events and programs that reflect on the current crises of democratic institutions, as well as those that seek to imagine and enact new forms of democratic relation, and it will work with campus and community partners to foster long-term, community-engaged democratic worldmaking.
Programming in development.
Project for Democratic Pedagogy Grant Openings
The Humanities Center’s Project for Democratic Pedagogy invites proposals from faculty for two new course development and support projects. All selected faculty will participate in the Democratic Pedagogy Institute, two half-day (4 hour) sessions at which faculty will discuss readings on democratic pedagogy and meet with staff from the Faculty Hub, the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement, and the Humanities Center as they plan their courses. They will also receive up to $700 in reimbursement for research materials.
The first session of the Institute will be in early May and the second will be in August, the week before classes begin.
Applied Democratic Practice
Faculty from any School may propose individual courses, new or substantially redesigned, at any level of the curriculum that are designed around applied democratic practices. Such courses will:
- Be based on principles of democratic pedagogy, understood to mean that the modes of engagement, inside and/or outside the classroom, do not presume what Paulo Freire calls “the banking model” of teaching where an instructor transmits content to students. Instead, all participants of the course take responsibility for learning, including making decisions about how classroom time is spent and how assessment will happen.
- The courses should be tied to the projects or struggles of people in the wider Richmond area, configuring class activities so that UR students, faculty, and staff are working with local residents on ongoing projects or organizing efforts.
We especially welcome courses that engage with practices of conflict resolution, restorative justice, negotiation, arbitration, or other modes of democratic conflict management, as well as courses that facilitate respectful free expression of ideas and/or empathetic or “deep” listening.
We would especially welcome courses that address the 2025-26 Humanities Center theme question, “How do we inherit?”
Faculty can submit an itemized budget request for up to $3,000 to support their work. Funds may go to transportation costs, honoraria for community partners, purchasing tickets to exhibitions or performances, or other costs as needed. If the course involves bringing guests to campus for events, and those events are open to the campus community, additional funds can be granted on a case-by-case basis.
To apply, faculty should send a description of the course, addressing the requirements above, that is approximately 500-750 words long. Please indicate how it will be tied to the wider RVA community, which semester the course will be offered, and how it will address the yearly Humanities Theme, if applicable. Please also include a rough anticipated budget. This text can be sent, ideally as a Word document, to Center Director Nathan Snaza: nsnaza@richmond.edu. Applications are due by April 1.
Study in Common
Groups of faculty can apply to link three or four courses in a given semester based on shared study, understood to mean that faculty and students from all courses will gather together a minimum of three times during the semester around shared experiences: discussion of shared readings, talks by guests, performances, exhibitions, or community-based learning experiences.
Courses may address any topics, but priority will be given to courses that address the 2025-26 Humanities Center theme, “How do we inherit?” and the 2026-27 theme, “How is authority constructed?” Priority will be given to applications where most or all courses meet Foundational Curriculum requirements (FYS, Area of Inquiry, or Integrated Focus Areas), and where each course is offered in a different School, department, or program.
These shared study experiences should be designed such that whatever topics or texts are engaged, they are not ones that are commonly framed in terms of our present moment’s partisan polarization. Shared topics or texts may be from any time period, from the ancient world to the present, but they should require students and faculty to construct interpretive frameworks for discussion where there are not “two sides,” and where the political, aesthetic, and intellectual work requires students to discuss and debate in non-polarized terms.
The Humanities Center will handle scheduling, room booking, and any financial costs associated with these experiences. This may include paying for tickets and transportation, food, and honoraria for guests. When possible, we especially welcome faculty to propose on-campus events that can be open to the wider campus community, especially when they align with the Humanities theme question.
Faculty applications should include a tentative list of the three (or more) shared experiences they plan, as well as rough itemized budgets for these experiences, totalling, in general, no more than $7,000.
To apply, faculty should send a description of the courses, addressing the requirements above, that is approximately 750-1,000 words long. Please indicate which semester the courses will be offered and explain how it will be tied to the wider RVA community, as well as how it will address the 2025-26 Humanities Theme, if applicable. Please also include a rough anticipated budget. This text can be sent, ideally as a Word document, to Center Director Nathan Snaza: nsnaza@richmond.edu. Applications are due by April 1. NOTE: It is recommended that courses be scheduled for the same time. Interested faculty for FALL 2025 may want to consult with each other now before students begin registering – please reach out to Nathan directly if you plan to do this.