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2. A critical pedagogy for a critical time

  • Jane Booth (author)
Chapter of: Stories of Hope: Reimagining Education(pp. 27–40)

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Metadata
Title2. A critical pedagogy for a critical time
ContributorJane Booth (author)
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0462.02
Landing pagehttps://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0462/chapters/10.11647/obp.0462.02
Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
CopyrightJane Booth;
PublisherOpen Book Publishers
Published on2025-07-02
Long abstractThis chapter advocates for a community-centric university model grounded in the principles of critical pedagogy. It challenges the market-driven approach to Higher Education and questions the narrow focus on employability, instead emphasising the development of reflexive, inclusive graduates who can disrupt the status quo. The chapter highlights the importance of building reciprocal relationships between universities and the voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector to ensure that learning and research align with broader societal needs. Additionally, it calls for meaningful engagement with those marginalised by the neo-liberal capitalist economy, fostering dialogue to envision a more hopeful, sustainable, and socially just future. Through these efforts, the chapter promotes a transformative approach to Higher Education that prioritises equity, collaboration, and societal impact.
Page rangepp. 27–40
Print length14 pages
LanguageEnglish (Original)
Contributors

Jane Booth

(author)
Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Social Policy at University of Wolverhampton

Dr Jane Booth is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Social Policy at University of Wolverhampton. Her research interests are coproduction, critical pedagogy, and community-facing learning in the social sciences. Jane leads several community-based modules, including the applied research option for the undergraduate Independent Project (Dissertation) module, where students work co-productively with a local voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise sector organisation to produce a piece of research that benefits that organisation and the local community. Jane collaborates with Professor Karina Croucher (University of Bradford) on the “Dying 2 Talk” project, codesigning resources with young people to build resilience around the topic of death and dying. In her previous role (University of Bradford), she developed IMPACT: a volunteer “bank” to encourage students to volunteer in the local community. As a result, she was awarded the 2017 Teaching Excellence Award at University of Bradford.

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