2007-2008 Classes
Fall 2007
"Deviant Bodies, Bad Subjects, and Social Change"
Donna Hunter (Program in Writing and Rhetoric), Sangeeta Mediratta (Program in Writing and Rhetoric)
Winter
2008
"Are Women Special? Freedoms and Women's Rights"
Margo Horn (Structured Liberal Education), Andy Rutten (Political Science)
Spring
2008
"Philosophy and Social Justice"
Debra Satz (Philosophy), Rob Reich (Political
Science)
Background Info
Since spring quarter of 2001, Stanford faculty, staff and students
have been engaged in a unique project in Redwood City. Each
quarter, two Stanford faculty members offer a course in the
humanities to the residents of Hope House, a residential drug
and alcohol treatment facility for women who were recently incarcerated.
Focusing on such themes as ethics, social justice, and moral
responsibility, the women of Hope House engage in college-level
course work as part of their rehabilitation and recovery. This
is a collaborative effort between the Program in Ethics in Society
and Stanford Continuing Studies.
Upon
successful completion of the course, each Hope House resident
receives a certificate from Stanford Continuing Studies that
verifies two units of credit earned. Along with Continuing Studies,
these units are recognized by Canada College and are entirely
transferable to other educational institutions. In addition
to the units, Stanford Continuing Studies awards each graduate
with a voucher to take one continuing studies course in the
future, free of charge (estimated value $350 each). Every quarter, approximately
16 women complete the Stanford class.
Stanford Hope House Scholars proceeds with the following convictions.
- First, a liberal arts education ought not be the sole province
of the wealthy and well-educated. We believe that study of
the liberal arts will contribute substantially to the intellectual
growth and personal enrichment of course participants, and
will help equip them for fuller participation in the educational,
economic and political life of our society. To receive a liberal
education is to learn about freedom, and becoming free; this
is the democratic birthright of all Americans.
-
Second, the program exists to support the vocational and educational
aspirations of the students. By exploring together some of
the greatest works produced in the humanistic disciplines,
we aim to sharpen their analytical and conceptual skills and
abilities at written and oral expression; and to provide support
for their personal and academic aspirations for higher education.
Utilizing
Stanford's greatest resources - our faculty and students - we
offer unique opportunities for the residents of Hope House.
By challenging their minds, we offer a non-traditional avenue
for the women to deal with their addiction, recovery, incarceration,
freedom, and reunification with their children.
The
pursuit of higher education is currently an unattainable goal
for the majority of the population that this program serves.
"Educational opportunities" for the addicted and incarcerated
community usually refer to job skills or GED courses. While
those are clearly important, we also know the limits that this
type of education alone imposes on individuals. It is evident
in terms of employment opportunities and income level. In addition,
the less tangible impacts that a limited education has cannot
go unnoticed. Issues of self-esteem, confidence, critical thinking
skills and abstract problem-solving are but a few. Stanford
seeks to do what Stanford does best - offer a challenging, liberal
education to a non-traditional group of students who would otherwise
not have this opportunity.
Past
courses and instructors
Spring 2007
"What is Salvation? Answers from World Religions and Philosophy"
Marc Pauly (Philosophy), James Collins (Classics)
Winter
2007 "Are Women Special? Freedoms and Women's Rights"
Margo Horn (Structured Liberal Education), Andy Rutten (Political Science)
Fall
2006 "Circumstances, Expectations, and Responsibility"
Robert Jones (Introduction to Humanities), Darko Sarenac (Introduction to Humanities)
Summer
2006 "Current Events: What's Going On?"
Anne Newman (PhD candidate, Education), Joan Berry (Ethics in Society)
Spring
2006 "Are Women Special? Freedoms and Women's Rights"
Anne Newman (PhD candidate, Education), Andy Rutten (Political Science)
Winter
2006 "Philosophy and Social Justice"
Debra Satz (Philosophy), Rob Reich (Political Science)
Fall
2005 "Theories of Human Nature"
Krista Lawlor (Philosophy)
Spring
2005 "Storytelling"
Suzanne Greenberg (Structured Liberal Education)
Winter
2005 "A History of Feminism in the United States"
Edie Gelles (Humanities & Sciences Programs), Margo
Horn (Introduction to the Humanities)
Fall
2004 "Ordinary Wonder and Everyday Humor"
Charlie Junkerman (Continuing Studies), Hilton Obenzinger
(Honors Writing)
Spring
2004 "Art and Life: Looking to Learn & Learning to Look"
Janice Ross (Dance), Rush Relm (Drama)
Winter
2004 "Women's Rights/Women's Freedoms"
Terry Shtob (Continuing Studies), Andy Rutten (Political Science)
Fall
2003 "Philosophy and Social Justice"
Debra Satz (Philosophy), Larry Cuban (Education)
Spring
2003 "Philosophy and Social Justice"
Debra Satz (Philosophy), Rob Reich (Political
Science)
Winter
2003 "Why Think About Moral Questions? Why Be Just?"
Elisabeth Hansot (Political Science), David Tyack
(Education)
Fall
2002 "Women's Writing/Women's Lives"
Terry Shtob (Continuing Studies), Linda Paulson
(Continuing Studies)
Spring
2002 "How Free Can We Be?"
Mark Mancal (History), Suzanne Greenberg (Structured
Liberal Education)
Winter
2002 "Ethics and Social Justice"
Scotty McLennan (Dean for Religious Life), Elisabeth
Hansot (emerita, Political Science)
Fall
2001 "Freedom and Responsibility"
Krista Lawlor (Philosophy), Suzanne Greenberg
(Structured Liberal Education)
Spring
2001 "Philosophy and Social Justice"
Debra Satz (Philosophy), Rob Reich (Political
Science)
One Tutor's Experience by Dawn Cardon
If I was asked to name the single most influential
experience I've had at Stanford, it would be my work with Hope House. I got involved in the program through a fluke.
In the fall quarter of my freshman year I received an email advertising for a new tutor. The message was accidentally
posted to my freshman dorm list because the available position wasn't intended for a freshman. I was so excited at the
description of the position that I failed to read all the way through the email, missing the parts stating that the
program was looking for upperclassmen, and that male and minority applicants were encouraged to apply. As a Caucasian
freshman I didn't fit the profile, but my enthusiasm outweighed my inexperience, and I was granted an interview and
hired within a week.
I wasn't sure what to expect on my first visit to Hope House.
Though I'd grown up in low-income areas and witnessed
drug dependence
and alcoholism in my neighborhood and the families of my friends I worried what it would be like to teach women who were newly
sober and and just beginning to fight their own addictions. When we arrived that first day, I was amazed at the enthusiasm of the
women in the program. Though their participation in our class was mandatory they all seemed grateful to be there. The classwork
was hard for a majority of the women, many of whom hadn't finished high school or even grade school. But as much as some of them
struggled, they were all the more proud of themselves and amazed at their own achievements. At the end of each quarter I hear
women laud their own success in an academic environment, a foreign setting to most of them.
Since my very first tutoring session I've grown not only as a
teacher and a mentor but as a person. Each quarter I meet a number
of incredible women who've persevered through extreme adversity. As I read and write essays with them I witness their remarkable
academic progress. I am also exposed to their transformative recovery progress as they confront their past and prepare for their
futures. My role is much more complex than just that of a tutor. I've befriended many of the women, and I am not only a teacher
to them but a friend and sometimes even an inspiration. They see me, a "Stanford student," a figure of success and opportunity,
and they know that they themselves are in an actual Stanford class. And thus education doesn't seem so incredibly far away. Not
only is Stanford so real and so close, but to these women who would never have expected it, it is a part of their lives. By the
end of our program, their graduation from the class is an accomplishment they'll forever possess.
I look forward to the next two years of work with Hope House.
It's an excellent way to 'burst the bubble' that I live in
here at Stanford. But more than a reality check, each session at Hope House is a learning experience as much for
me as for the women whom I tutor. As they struggle to rediscover themselves I'm reminded to question who I am,
what I want, and where I see my life going. In my microcosm of midterms and mini-skirts these amazing women keep
me grounded and grateful for the really important parts of my life, which right now includes my time with them.
Interviews with Debra Satz, Rob Reich, and the Staff and Women at Hope House
Hear what motivated Debra and Rob to start the Hope House scholars program and what the program has meant to both the staff at Hope
House and the women that attend the Stanford classes.
Part 1 Bringing Stanford to Hope House
Part 2 Challenges and Frustrations
Part 3 What the Students Bring
Part 4 What the Students Take Away
