The Teacher-Scholar

Abstract

The teacher-scholar enjoys the opportunity to contribute to the development of public intellectualism and, particularly, to a concern for social justice and the democratic process. As teachers, we have the opportunity to share with students the skills of critical questioning, which is the fundamental grounding for thinking about what a commitment to social justice and democratic processes means. As scholars, even when we conduct policy-driven studies, we have the opportunity to contribute to progressive social change, as long as we remain independent of the client and engaged with basic theoretical and conceptual questions of the social sciences. In response to Calavita's call for a commitment to engaged research, I propose that we begin our work at work.