Punk pedagogy in a course about punk: A qualitative study of undergraduate students’ experiences
This research suggests that alternative teaching methods inspired by counterculture movements could offer effective ways to engage students in higher education. As universities seek to evolve beyond traditional lecture-based teaching, approaches like punk pedagogy might provide valuable insights into how to make learning more collaborative, accessible, and personally meaningful for students.
College of Health researcher(s)
Abstract
Critical pedagogy is one of the major influences on the development of punk pedagogy. Despite the challenges with defining punk pedagogy, we offer a set of guiding principles that informed the current study. The principles are as follows: (a) do-it-yourself (DIY) ethos, (b) anti-hierarchical structure, (c) co-creation of knowledge, (d) inclusive and accessible, and (e) diverse representation. The purpose of this study is to understand students’ experiences with punk pedagogy principles implemented in a course about punk, titled “Punk 101: An exploration of punk rock through zine and do-it-yourself culture.” There were two research questions that guided the current study: (1) What were students’ overall course experiences in Punk 101? And (2) What were students’ experiences with punk pedagogy principles in Punk 101? We used a phenomenological approach involving students’ critical reflection of their experiences in a university-level course. Seven students participated in semi-structured interviews following the course. In this course, students listened to a playlist of 14 songs per week, read and discussed zines, and recorded a sound file from a DIY circuit board or created a zine about a topic of their choosing for their final project. The instructor implemented punk pedagogy principles in a variety of ways throughout the course. Students had positive experiences with the Punk 101 course; they gained knowledge and appreciation about punk music and culture, personal growth through DIY, and community building inside and outside of the classroom. Punk pedagogy is a viable approach in higher education. Further research is warranted to understand effective ways to use punk pedagogy strategies in the university classroom, and beyond.