College of Education
#WSUFacultyFriday — Amir Gilmore
This Q&A was part of a #WSUFacultyFriday that the WSU social media team put out on February 12, 2021.
Amir Gilmore
Assistant Professor
Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education
Important: “No need to be called Dr.; I simply go by Amir.”
If you conduct research, what is your main research topic?
Broadly, my research examines the anti-Black polity of Black boys and young men within K-12 schooling, higher education, and U.S. society.
Specifically, I explore how refusal-based desires, such as joy, are paramount to securing, cultivating, and sustaining the mattering, well-being, and futurity of Black boys and young men.
What classes do you teach at WSU?
At the undergraduate level, I teach TCH_LRN 467: Adolescence, Community, and School. At the graduate level, I teach MIT 552: Multicultural Education in a Global Society and CSSTE 533: Race, Identity, and Representation.
This semester I am teaching a special topics course (TCH_LRN 522) on the nuances, complexities, and specificities of antiblackness in U.S. education and society.
What brought you to WSU Pullman?
I came to WSU Pullman to pursue a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education. My program and college liked me so much that they wanted me to be a professor in the program. It is truly a privilege to see the university from the faculty side.
How has COVID-19 changed how you teach?
Teaching virtually has been a struggle for me, but COVID-19 has taught me to slow instruction down and extend the use of teacher wait time. Moreover, giving and extending grace to myself and my students is central to my pedagogy. My biggest disappointment is that my teacher jokes don’t land like they used to!
What is a Fun Fact about yourself?
I LOVE road tripping! If I were a rich man or gas was free, I would never own a home, and I would travel throughout the U.S. Being on the road, singing off-key to music, truly gives me joy!
Responses to this social media post
- Jackson Bores: “I learned so much from Amir. Thank you for the critical analyses!”
- Melissa Rauch: “The coolest professor!!”
- Mali McEnderfer: “One of my favorite insturctors in my Education courses! Amir facilitated some amazing discussions, and I think about his class often as a I teach my elementary musicians.”
- Deus Mugabe: “Here for this spotlight! Go Professor Amir. My bad *just Amir :).
- Kaytlin Schmidt: “Hands down one of my favorite instructors while I was getting my music education degree. Every conversation in that class was always incredibly insightful and I’m glad that I had the chance to take it with him!”