Dissertation Proposal Defense by Conor P. McLaughlin

Location

Mother Rosalie Hill Hall, 201

*Free

Exploring the Impact of Transgressive Teaching on the Practices of White, Heterosexual, Male Student Affairs Professionals
by Conor P. McLaughlin

Committee:

Christopher B. Newman, PhD, Chair
Zachary Gabriel Green, PhD, Member
Craig M. Elliot, PhD, Member

Abstract

     It has been well established that any form of engaged pedagogy, and specifically the style of engaged pedagogy outlined by hooks in the seminal work Teaching to Transgress, can have a substantive and transformative impact on the experiences of students in primary, secondary, and higher education classrooms. Scholars have theorized that transgressive teaching, when implemented by student affairs professionals, can have similar effects on the experiences of students, especially those from identity groups which have historically been marginalized in higher education. However, there have yet to be studies that attempt to understand how student affairs professionals can begin to incorporate transgressive teaching into their work.
     In order to attempt to fill this gap in the existing literature, I intend to use a qualitative, phenomenological approach to understand the deeper meaning that connects the individual experiences of 10-15 student affairs professionals who identify as White, heterosexual, and male, work in a variety of functional areas and institution types, and have a variety of levels of experience in the field of student affairs. To gather participants, I will use a two-stage process, starting with a generic purposive sampling approach, followed by a snowball sampling approach. I intend to collect data in four stages using two modes, three semi-structured interviews to be conducted with each participant before, immediately after, and three to four weeks after they read Teaching to Transgress, and by analyzing journal entries kept by participants while they read Teaching to Transgress. I intend to use an In Vivo coding approach to analyzing the data collected from the interviews and the participant journals.
     Given the potentially transformative nature of these practices, the findings of this study can contribute to three bodies of literature. These include those focusing on student affairs professionals, critical whiteness studies, and improving campus climate. Additionally, this study’s findings can contribute to the understanding of ways to improve the experiences on campus of students who hold identities that have been minoritized and marginalized within higher education. Finally, this study’s findings can contribute to increasing the effectiveness of student affairs professionals in their interaction and engagement with students.

*Free to current USD Graduate Students and Faculty