Working class students, staff, and faculty have stories to tell. Our conference will feature a storytelling workshop, based on the Our Stories initiative developed by Colby King with Class Beyond the Classroom. The workshop will be moderated by Colby and will feature stories from 3 working class students, staff, or faculty who will reflect on how their working class backgrounds have shaped how they navigate opportunities in higher education, examining issues like class consciousness, culture shock, imposterism, and breakaway guilt. The workshop will also provide substantial time for connection and discussion among attendees. This event aims to create a space where stories of college and university are shared and validated.
We want to hear your stories! If you’re interested in offering your story as a panelist, please register your interest by emailing organizers at irelandworkingclass@gmail.com.
Dr. Colby King, Assistant Professor of Sociology at University of South Carolina Upstate, is the creator of the ‘Our Stories‘ initiative and will lead this workshop.
To find out what’s in store, you can read about the storytelling initiative and how these workshops can support Working-Class, First Generation and Financially Insecure (WCFGFI) students, staff, and faculty in the open-access journal article by Dr. King, with Dr. Jakari Griffith and Dr. Meghan Murphy, here. You can also learn more about the Our Stories initiative in the chapter by Dr. King and Dr. Sean McPherson in the Routledge International Handbook for Working-Class Studies, available here.
For more information on scholars supporting WCFGFI students and staff visit the working-class studies association website.
Working-Class Studies 