Join EmpowerED for our second movie screening, Dead Poets Society (1989) on Thursday, November 21st from 5:00 - 7:30 pm. Dead Poets Society is a coming-of-age drama about an unconventional English teacher at a conservative all-boys prep school who inspires his students to embrace poetry, pursue their passions, and question societal expectations. 

In partnership with Assistant Professor Scott Jarvie of the Department of English and Comparative Literature, we will explore the theme of “hero teachers” in the media and problematize ideas of saviorism within the teaching field. Current graduate students within the Lurie College of Education English Teacher Preparation program, Aly Gerdes and Jesse Hall, will join the panel with Professor Jarvie to further explore the film's themes in light of their experiences in preservice and inservice settings. 

The EmpowerED: Re-Conceptualizing Teaching Series brings together SJSU students, faculty, researchers, and local community educators for quarterly movie screenings and panel discussions to critically examine public depictions, perceptions, and expectations of public education teachers in the United States. Programming supported by the College of the Humanities and the Arts’ Artistic Excellence Programming Grant and Lurie School of Education.