The Pulse of Democracy 2024—Assessing the Health of Our Body Politic *In-Person* *NEW*

Recent history and politics have felt like an ambush to engaged citizens. Where does it seem our democracy is headed? In this four-session course, we hope to use a deeper understanding of American history to gain a better understanding of the bewildering and terrifying events happening in our country as we approach another national election. This course will use historical themes explored in The Plot Against America by Philip Roth as a lens for understanding where we are now. Instructor: Joshua Frank

Sections

Instructor

Joshua Frank has worked as an educator for twenty-nine years--as a teacher, an administrator and a trainer. He has designed and implemented innovative, data-based programs for at-risk middle and high school students, helping them to set and reach specific academic goals. He completed his Bachelor’s degree at UMass/Amherst, and Master’s degrees from UMass/Boston and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. His areas of interest include working with at-risk students, fostering positive, effective teacher-student relationships, and promoting cultural competence and equity in schools. Josh’s 2007 Education Digest article, “When White Educators Discipline Students of Color,” was republished as a “classic” in the August 2015 Connections: The Journal of the National School Reform Faculty.