Teaching the History of U.S. Higher Education: A Critical Duoethnography

Abstract

In this duoethnography, we interrogate our roles as critical pedagogues in designing and teaching a graduate level course focused on the history of U.S. higher education. Throughout this dialogue, we surface tensions around what it means to enact critical pedagogy. Rather than just espousing a critical stance, we wrestle with how external pressures such as limited time, the need and desire to convey certain information to students, and neoliberalism influence the doing of critical pedagogy. We also discuss how our social identities, as well as those of the students alongside whom we teach and learn, affect the learning process. We conclude our paper by drawing upon our experiences and dialogue to consider what it means to do—rather than just espouse—a critical pedagogical style in the study of higher education.