Course development, teaching, and dissemination of academic materials is nothing if not unpredictable when it is executed in a College Prison Program. Around the country, each prison has different rules and every warden and state offer varying levels of support towards the idea of educating individuals who have been convicted of a felony. Lockdowns, funding controversies, access to textbooks outside of class, limited to no access to technology and micro-managing of time can all influence the type of education and assessment that is possible in the development of a college level course in a prison setting. This presentation explores the pedagogical process of building a college course in Sociology that is not only accessible to Prison Inmates but highly-relevant to their specific experiences and, works within the extremely regimented needs of the Prison. Based on the values of accessible education, a pedagogy of inclusivity and a theory of intersectionality, this author will explore ways in which we can compile an archive of sociological and educational materials pertinent to the realities of incarceration. By providing students materials that are relevant to their world and their needs we can create an educational experience that truly empowers students to cultivate their minds; even within a system when all other power in their lives has been muted.
