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Papers by Melissa Ann L Canlas

Equity & Excellence in Education, 2017

ABSTRACT In this article, the authors discuss how one public high school became a site for socio-... more ABSTRACT In this article, the authors discuss how one public high school became a site for socio-politically relevant pedagogy for immigrant and refugee youth, building on the concept of culturally relevant pedagogy that has been discussed in educational scholarship (Howard, 2001, 2003; Ladson-Billings, 1994, 1995a, 1995b). By exploring newcomer youth's understandings of their experiences, self-conceptions, and positioning in the global economy, the authors draw on a three-year qualitative case study utilizing ethnographic methods to highlight the key tenets of a socio-politically relevant pedagogy for youth who lead transnational lives. The key tenets proposed include: (1) the cultivation of critical consciousness around global inequalities and transnational migration; (2) the creation of formal and informal avenues for reciprocal learning between families/communities and schools; and (3) support and care for the material conditions of students' and families' lives.

Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 2017

This article presents data from a two-year ethnographic case study to explore how immigrant and r... more This article presents data from a two-year ethnographic case study to explore how immigrant and refugee youth in the United States made sense of participation in a weekly human rights club after school. Three types of student responses to human rights education are exemplified through the profiles of students. The article offers new insights on studies of immigrant youth as well as possibilities that exist at the intersection of human rights education and anthropology of education. [immigrants and education, human rights education, refugee youth, urban schooling, social justice] Human Rights Education Legal anthropologist Marie-Benedicte Dembour (2010) offers categorizations of human rights scholars and places them in four schools, some of which map neatly onto typologies of HRE. Dembour's first two schools include the natural school, which views human rights as "God-given," and the deliberative school, which focuses on "human rights as political values that liberal societies choose to adopt" (Dembour 2010, 3, emphasis in original). HRE stemming from the deliberative school might focus on values and awareness for students or professionals such as police, judges, etc. (Tibbitts 2002); and compliance with and political literacy (Keet 2010) in international and domestic laws. For Dembour, the distinction between natural and deliberative schools is the focus in the latter approach on societal agreement on rights as opposed to an inherent value for them; for HRE, the distinction Bajaj et al. Human Rights Education for Newcomer Youth 125

Radical Teacher, 2015

In this article, we discuss our approaches, pedagogies, and practices for a weekly human rights c... more In this article, we discuss our approaches, pedagogies, and practices for a weekly human rights club that serves immigrant and refugee youth. The research team is involved in a research collaboration with a public high school in a large urban area on the West Coast. In this article, we discuss some of our curricular and pedagogical strategies and students’ responses to lesson plans and activities that aimed to build solidarity, resistance to dominant and assimilative narratives, and action towards social justice. Our approach focuses on intersecting a transforamtive human rights perspective with the praxes of critical pedagogies and social justice. This article discusses a radical approach to teaching Human Rights along three key themes: student-centered human rights pedagogy, cultural wealth and HRE, and students’ articulation of human rights language into action.

Leadership Means Moving A Community Forward": Asian American Community College Students and Criti... more Leadership Means Moving A Community Forward": Asian American Community College Students and Critical Leadership Praxis Asian Americans are underrepresented in both formal leadership positions and leadership research (Foldy & Ospina, 2009), and rarely are Asian Americans viewed as leaders, activists, or agents of social change. Leadership development programs, particularly those focused on social and racial justice, are largely absent from the curriculums and educational experiences of Asian Americans (Omatsu, 2006), and few leadership development programs focus specifically on the needs of Asian Americans (Chung, 2014; Liang, Lee, & Ting, 2002), particularly at the community college level. This study addressed the need for critical leadership development for Asian American community college students, focusing specifically on leadership directed towards social justice. This study utilized a Participatory Action Research (PAR) design that was integrated into an 18-week ethnic studies course at Urban Community College (UCC). The 10 co-researchers in this study were students in a leadership development program at UCC-Asian American Leaders in Alliance (AALIA)-from January-May in 2015. Research data included student blog posts, reflection journals, analytical worksheets, and class presentations. The research team studied critical Asian American leaders participating in alliance building on campus and as allies to Black Lives Matter movements. In their findings, researchers challenged deficit models that portray Asian Americans as unlikely and ineffective leaders and instead focused on the legacies and examples of Asian This dissertation, written under the direction of the candidate's dissertation committee and approved by the members of the committee, has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. The content and research methodologies presented in this work represent the work of the candidate alone.

Leadership Means Moving A Community Forward": Asian American Community College Students and Criti... more Leadership Means Moving A Community Forward": Asian American Community College Students and Critical Leadership Praxis Asian Americans are underrepresented in both formal leadership positions and leadership research (Foldy & Ospina, 2009), and rarely are Asian Americans viewed as leaders, activists, or agents of social change. Leadership development programs, particularly those focused on social and racial justice, are largely absent from the curriculums and educational experiences of Asian Americans (Omatsu, 2006), and few leadership development programs focus specifically on the needs of Asian Americans (Chung, 2014; Liang, Lee, & Ting, 2002), particularly at the community college level. This study addressed the need for critical leadership development for Asian American community college students, focusing specifically on leadership directed towards social justice. This study utilized a Participatory Action Research (PAR) design that was integrated into an 18-week ethnic studies course at Urban Community College (UCC). The 10 co-researchers in this study were students in a leadership development program at UCC-Asian American Leaders in Alliance (AALIA)-from January-May in 2015. Research data included student blog posts, reflection journals, analytical worksheets, and class presentations. The research team studied critical Asian American leaders participating in alliance building on campus and as allies to Black Lives Matter movements. In their findings, researchers challenged deficit models that portray Asian Americans as unlikely and ineffective leaders and instead focused on the legacies and examples of Asian This dissertation, written under the direction of the candidate's dissertation committee and approved by the members of the committee, has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. The content and research methodologies presented in this work represent the work of the candidate alone.

In this article, the authors discuss howone public high school became a site for socio-politicall... more In this article, the authors discuss howone public high school became a site for socio-politically relevant pedagogy for immigrant and refugee youth, building on the concept of culturally relevant pedagogy that has been discussed in educational scholarship (Howard, 2001, 2003; Ladson-Billings, 1994, 1995a, 1995b). By exploring newcomer youth’s understandings of their experiences, self-conceptions, and positioning in the global economy, the authors draw on a three-year qualitative case study utilizing ethnographic methods to highlight the key tenets of a socio-politically relevant pedagogy for youth who lead transnational lives. The key tenets proposed include: (1) the cultivation of critical consciousness around global inequalities and transnational migration; (2) the creation of formal and informal avenues for reciprocal learning between
families/communities and schools; and (3) support and care for the material conditions of students’ and families’ lives.

This article presents data from a multi-year ethnographic case study to explore how immigrant and... more This article presents data from a multi-year ethnographic case study to explore how immigrant and refugee youth in the U.S. made sense of participation in a weekly human rights club after-school. Three types of student responses to human rights education are exemplified through the profiles of students. The article offers new insights on studies of immigrant youth as well possibilities that exist at the intersection of human rights education and anthropology of education.

Bringing Human Rights Education to US Classrooms, 2015

In this article, we discuss our approaches, pedagogies, and practices for a weekly human rights c... more In this article, we discuss our approaches, pedagogies, and practices for a weekly human rights club that serves immigrant and refugee youth. The research team is involved in a research collaboration with a public high school in a large urban area on the West Coast. In this article, we discuss some of our curricular and pedagogical strategies and students’ responses to lesson plans and activities that aimed to build solidarity, resistance to dominant and assimilative narratives, and action towards social justice. Our approach focuses on intersecting a transforamtive human rights perspective with the praxes of critical pedagogies and social justice. This article discusses a radical approach to teaching Human Rights along three key themes: student-centered human rights pedagogy, cultural wealth and HRE, and students’ articulation of human rights language into action.

Equity & Excellence in Education, 2017

ABSTRACT In this article, the authors discuss how one public high school became a site for socio-... more ABSTRACT In this article, the authors discuss how one public high school became a site for socio-politically relevant pedagogy for immigrant and refugee youth, building on the concept of culturally relevant pedagogy that has been discussed in educational scholarship (Howard, 2001, 2003; Ladson-Billings, 1994, 1995a, 1995b). By exploring newcomer youth's understandings of their experiences, self-conceptions, and positioning in the global economy, the authors draw on a three-year qualitative case study utilizing ethnographic methods to highlight the key tenets of a socio-politically relevant pedagogy for youth who lead transnational lives. The key tenets proposed include: (1) the cultivation of critical consciousness around global inequalities and transnational migration; (2) the creation of formal and informal avenues for reciprocal learning between families/communities and schools; and (3) support and care for the material conditions of students' and families' lives.

Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 2017

This article presents data from a two-year ethnographic case study to explore how immigrant and r... more This article presents data from a two-year ethnographic case study to explore how immigrant and refugee youth in the United States made sense of participation in a weekly human rights club after school. Three types of student responses to human rights education are exemplified through the profiles of students. The article offers new insights on studies of immigrant youth as well as possibilities that exist at the intersection of human rights education and anthropology of education. [immigrants and education, human rights education, refugee youth, urban schooling, social justice] Human Rights Education Legal anthropologist Marie-Benedicte Dembour (2010) offers categorizations of human rights scholars and places them in four schools, some of which map neatly onto typologies of HRE. Dembour's first two schools include the natural school, which views human rights as "God-given," and the deliberative school, which focuses on "human rights as political values that liberal societies choose to adopt" (Dembour 2010, 3, emphasis in original). HRE stemming from the deliberative school might focus on values and awareness for students or professionals such as police, judges, etc. (Tibbitts 2002); and compliance with and political literacy (Keet 2010) in international and domestic laws. For Dembour, the distinction between natural and deliberative schools is the focus in the latter approach on societal agreement on rights as opposed to an inherent value for them; for HRE, the distinction Bajaj et al. Human Rights Education for Newcomer Youth 125

Radical Teacher, 2015

In this article, we discuss our approaches, pedagogies, and practices for a weekly human rights c... more In this article, we discuss our approaches, pedagogies, and practices for a weekly human rights club that serves immigrant and refugee youth. The research team is involved in a research collaboration with a public high school in a large urban area on the West Coast. In this article, we discuss some of our curricular and pedagogical strategies and students’ responses to lesson plans and activities that aimed to build solidarity, resistance to dominant and assimilative narratives, and action towards social justice. Our approach focuses on intersecting a transforamtive human rights perspective with the praxes of critical pedagogies and social justice. This article discusses a radical approach to teaching Human Rights along three key themes: student-centered human rights pedagogy, cultural wealth and HRE, and students’ articulation of human rights language into action.

Leadership Means Moving A Community Forward": Asian American Community College Students and Criti... more Leadership Means Moving A Community Forward": Asian American Community College Students and Critical Leadership Praxis Asian Americans are underrepresented in both formal leadership positions and leadership research (Foldy & Ospina, 2009), and rarely are Asian Americans viewed as leaders, activists, or agents of social change. Leadership development programs, particularly those focused on social and racial justice, are largely absent from the curriculums and educational experiences of Asian Americans (Omatsu, 2006), and few leadership development programs focus specifically on the needs of Asian Americans (Chung, 2014; Liang, Lee, & Ting, 2002), particularly at the community college level. This study addressed the need for critical leadership development for Asian American community college students, focusing specifically on leadership directed towards social justice. This study utilized a Participatory Action Research (PAR) design that was integrated into an 18-week ethnic studies course at Urban Community College (UCC). The 10 co-researchers in this study were students in a leadership development program at UCC-Asian American Leaders in Alliance (AALIA)-from January-May in 2015. Research data included student blog posts, reflection journals, analytical worksheets, and class presentations. The research team studied critical Asian American leaders participating in alliance building on campus and as allies to Black Lives Matter movements. In their findings, researchers challenged deficit models that portray Asian Americans as unlikely and ineffective leaders and instead focused on the legacies and examples of Asian This dissertation, written under the direction of the candidate's dissertation committee and approved by the members of the committee, has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. The content and research methodologies presented in this work represent the work of the candidate alone.

Leadership Means Moving A Community Forward": Asian American Community College Students and Criti... more Leadership Means Moving A Community Forward": Asian American Community College Students and Critical Leadership Praxis Asian Americans are underrepresented in both formal leadership positions and leadership research (Foldy & Ospina, 2009), and rarely are Asian Americans viewed as leaders, activists, or agents of social change. Leadership development programs, particularly those focused on social and racial justice, are largely absent from the curriculums and educational experiences of Asian Americans (Omatsu, 2006), and few leadership development programs focus specifically on the needs of Asian Americans (Chung, 2014; Liang, Lee, & Ting, 2002), particularly at the community college level. This study addressed the need for critical leadership development for Asian American community college students, focusing specifically on leadership directed towards social justice. This study utilized a Participatory Action Research (PAR) design that was integrated into an 18-week ethnic studies course at Urban Community College (UCC). The 10 co-researchers in this study were students in a leadership development program at UCC-Asian American Leaders in Alliance (AALIA)-from January-May in 2015. Research data included student blog posts, reflection journals, analytical worksheets, and class presentations. The research team studied critical Asian American leaders participating in alliance building on campus and as allies to Black Lives Matter movements. In their findings, researchers challenged deficit models that portray Asian Americans as unlikely and ineffective leaders and instead focused on the legacies and examples of Asian This dissertation, written under the direction of the candidate's dissertation committee and approved by the members of the committee, has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. The content and research methodologies presented in this work represent the work of the candidate alone.

In this article, the authors discuss howone public high school became a site for socio-politicall... more In this article, the authors discuss howone public high school became a site for socio-politically relevant pedagogy for immigrant and refugee youth, building on the concept of culturally relevant pedagogy that has been discussed in educational scholarship (Howard, 2001, 2003; Ladson-Billings, 1994, 1995a, 1995b). By exploring newcomer youth’s understandings of their experiences, self-conceptions, and positioning in the global economy, the authors draw on a three-year qualitative case study utilizing ethnographic methods to highlight the key tenets of a socio-politically relevant pedagogy for youth who lead transnational lives. The key tenets proposed include: (1) the cultivation of critical consciousness around global inequalities and transnational migration; (2) the creation of formal and informal avenues for reciprocal learning between
families/communities and schools; and (3) support and care for the material conditions of students’ and families’ lives.

This article presents data from a multi-year ethnographic case study to explore how immigrant and... more This article presents data from a multi-year ethnographic case study to explore how immigrant and refugee youth in the U.S. made sense of participation in a weekly human rights club after-school. Three types of student responses to human rights education are exemplified through the profiles of students. The article offers new insights on studies of immigrant youth as well possibilities that exist at the intersection of human rights education and anthropology of education.

Bringing Human Rights Education to US Classrooms, 2015

In this article, we discuss our approaches, pedagogies, and practices for a weekly human rights c... more In this article, we discuss our approaches, pedagogies, and practices for a weekly human rights club that serves immigrant and refugee youth. The research team is involved in a research collaboration with a public high school in a large urban area on the West Coast. In this article, we discuss some of our curricular and pedagogical strategies and students’ responses to lesson plans and activities that aimed to build solidarity, resistance to dominant and assimilative narratives, and action towards social justice. Our approach focuses on intersecting a transforamtive human rights perspective with the praxes of critical pedagogies and social justice. This article discusses a radical approach to teaching Human Rights along three key themes: student-centered human rights pedagogy, cultural wealth and HRE, and students’ articulation of human rights language into action.