A Troubling Inheritance : Reworking Problematic Curricula

As long as there have been formal curricula, there have been disappointing curricula. In an increasingly authoritarian world, problematic curricula are on the rise, leaving teachers in a bind. When faced with these problematic curricula, some teachers will submit and do as they are told, while other teachers will oppose the problematic curricula, and, in some cases, face the consequences. Instead, Seth McCall argues for reworking problematic curricula. Turning to the nearest bookshelf, he engages with his own troubling inheritance, a problematic curriculum: E. D. Hirsch et al.’s The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. As a gift from a beloved family member, that text proved too dear to discard and too problematic to accept unchanged. Drawing on examples of assemblage art, the author reworks the problematic curriculum through cutting, juxtaposing with other materials, and re-contextualizing in a different setting. Navigating in the wake of reactionary movements, A Troubling Inheritance: Reworking Problematic Curricula encourages teachers to find forms of subsistence while continuing to work toward a larger vision of social justice.

As long as there has been formal curriculum, there has been disappointing curriculum. In an increasingly authoritarian world, problematic curricula are on the march, leaving teachers in a bind. Faced with these problematic curricula, some teachers will submit and do as they are told. Other teachers will oppose the problematic curricula, and, in some cases, face the consequences. Instead, the author argues for reworking problematic curricula. Turning to the nearest bookshelf, the author engages with his own troubling inheritance, a problematic curriculum. As a gift from a beloved family member, that text proved too dear to discard and too problematic to accept unchanged. Drawing on examples of assemblage art, the author reworks the problematic curriculum through cutting, juxtaposing with other materials, and re-contextualizing in a different setting. Navigating in the wake of reactionary movements, the author concludes by encouraging the teacher to find forms of subsistence while continuing to work toward a larger vision of social justice.