Full Description
Post-Truth's Assault on America's Schools and Colleges presents a wide-ranging analysis of the psychological, historical, philosophical, and socio-political perspectives on how the post-truth age has become a serious peril to American life and polity in general, and to our schools and colleges in particular. Confirmation bias, religious and political fanaticism (e.g., White Christian nationalism), and disinformation and propaganda (especially in social media) are among the main currents in American culture that are examined in detail through the lenses of critical social theory, critical race theory, analytic philosophy, and qualitative research methods.
Particular attention is given to those states most in danger. Today's P-12 schools and post-secondary education face serious attacks on various fronts: outrageous book bans; efforts to distort curricula (especially in English, history, and social studies); attempts to denigrate and undermine women, Black Americans, Jewish Americans, children, LGBTQ+ citizens amongst, others, while avowing authoritarian agendas that endanger freedom and democratic governance. Education, at every level, should play a major role in combating this existential assault on the substance - indeed, the soul - of America.
It is hoped that this book will provide hope for those who are fighting the assault on truth in school and society and will spur readers to engage in more concerned civic reflection - and action. It is critically relevant for everyone who is deeply interested in America's political and educational systems. It will be particularly useful for teachers and administrators in P-12 schools; college faculty and staff; and undergraduate and graduate students in teacher education, higher education, and the social sciences.
Contents
Chapter 1. Wild Ways of the Mind in Post-Truth America; Joseph L. DeVitis
Chapter 2. Truth Is Both Real and Socially Constructed; Delores D. Liston
Chapter 3. The Post-Truth Transformation of Higher Educatiom; Daniel R. DeNicola
Chapter 4. Climate Change, Disinformation, and the Humanities-Based Inoculation against Zombie Ideas; Lawrence Torcello
Chapter 5. God-intoxicated Men and the Making of Miracles and Medicine; Eric Smaw and Mark Chaet
Chapter 6. Tageted Harassment of Faculty in the Post-Truth Era; Nina M. Flores
Chapter 7. Iconoclasts among the Cornfields: The Right-Wing Assault on Freedom of Expression in Indiana Higher Education; Joanna Swanger
Chapter 8. Building the Third American Republic and Overcoming Post-Truth Politics; Richard Guarasci
Chapter 9. Reactionary Politics and Republican Supermajorities: Post-Truth Education in Tennessee in the 2020s; Zachary A. Casey
Chapter 10. Progress to Privatization: The Curious Case of Education Reform in Arkansas, 1993-2024; Blake S. Rutherford
Chapter 11. Examining Educational Intimidation Bills in Missouri; Fighting for inclusion, equity and Justice; Tian Yu
Chapter 12. Weaponizing Multiple Perspectives: Post-Truth in Texas Schools; Liz Harrelson Magill and Kevin R. Magill
Chapter 13. Between Hegemonies: Power and Truth in Oklahoma Education; Jenny Sperling, Caleb Creed, and Quan Phan
Chapter 14. Standing in a Raging River: How Post-Truth Carves Idaho's Socio-Cultural Landscape; Kevin M. Talbert
Chapter 15. From Inclusion to Exclusion: How Post-Truth Restrictions In Utah Undermine Education for Democracy; Steven P. Camicia
Chapter 16. Manufactured Hysteria: Gender, Sex, Sexuality, and Parent Rights in Florida; Jessica Heybach and Adrienne Sulma
Chapter 17. Countering False Narratives in U. S. Higher Education: Pragmatist Pedagogies of Resistance in Post-Truth Florida; L. Ryan Musgrave
