“A little kinder and gentler”: Archival pedagogy, affectivity, and the ethics of care in a time of covid-19

Poole, Alex H.; Zhang, Jane

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/110932 Copy

Description

Title

“A little kinder and gentler”: Archival pedagogy, affectivity, and the ethics of care in a time of covid-19

Author(s)

• Poole, Alex H.
• Zhang, Jane

Issue Date

2021-09-20

Keyword(s)

• Education
• Curriculum
• Online learning
• Pedagogy
• Students

Abstract

This qualitative case study breaks new ground theoretically and empirically by bringing affectivity and the ethics of care to bear on graduate LIS education. Drawing upon semistructured interviews with 29 leading archival educators, this research centers on educators’ and students’ affective reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students struggled to complete academic work, to develop community, to stave off loneliness and isolation, and to attend to family or caretaking responsibilities or challenges. Educators meanwhile struggled with the transition to online education, with the loss of interpersonal connections with students and colleagues, and with the necessity of depending wholly upon technology. Educators responded both sympathetically and empathetically by focusing on students’ wellbeing, by adding flexibility to deadlines, and by increased responsiveness and outreach. We contend that the pandemic surfaced a nascent feminist ethics of care, and we advocate for developing this into a full-fledged ethics of pedagogical care.

Series/Report Name or Number

• Education
• Curriculum
• Online learning
• Pedagogy
• Students

Type of Resource

Text

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/110932

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