Michael Illuzzi
Assistant Professor
Education:
Ph.D. - Political Science University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Brief Biography:
Michael Illuzzi is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Providence College. His work in political theory and American politics focuses on racial, gender, and class inequalities and U.S. political movements that have fought against overlapping injustices. His teaching and research interests also include critical community engagement, populism, peoplehood, and critical storytelling’s potential to challenge dominant narratives. His book is Mending Stories of Prophetic Peoplehood in United States History: Creating a New “We” in an Age of “Us” vs. “Them” (University Press of Kansas, forthcoming). In it, he argues rather than turning to create new theories for alternatives to authoritarian populism, we can instead learn from past American actors and activists.
Area(s) of Expertise:
American political thought, critical community engagement, storytelling, narrative power, populism, U.S. racial, gender, and class inequalities, American political history, foundations of political theory, social movements, and critical university studies.
Teaching Philosophy:
I believe that teaching is about creating a community where people feel comfortable entering into a larger conversation and finding their voices to influence the direction of that conversation. Students need to feel empowered to challenge what they take for granted. My teaching has been most influenced by bell hooks (1994) and Parker Palmer (1997). To follow hooks’ call to empower student voices and construct a class environment that values their unique contributions, I have students let me know before class what they want to talk about and run seminars as much as possible based on their interests and passions. From Parker Palmer I have learned the importance of letting my guard down and letting class discussions go in unexpected directions. I also believe that part of good pedagogy is helping students question what they take for granted and learning how to step out of their own perspectives. I have found that giving students role-playing assignments where they assume the persona of historical figures and having them participate in role-playing simulations frees them to pursue arguments they would not otherwise be comfortable arguing.
Detailed CVPersonal website
