Paper short abstract:

The community college system in the United States provides access to higher education to millions of people who might otherwise be left out of this vital pathway for social mobility. In this paper I present my analysis of a recent 2023-2024 project where I analyzed student data in anthropology.

Paper long abstract:

The community college system in the United States provides access to higher education to millions of people who might otherwise be left out of this vital pathway for social mobility. This paper is based on first-hand experience teaching in a Latinx-serving community college in Southern California where teaching anthropology helps students fulfill a new ethnic studies requirement while also providing an invaluable opportunity to expand their worldview, especially those solely seeking an AA degree. In this paper I present my analysis of a recent 2023-2024 project where I analyzed student data in anthropology and discovered older students (30 years and above) have a lower success rate compared to younger students (18 – 26 years). In this predominantly Mexican American community along the US-Mexico border, the lower success rates among older students raises important questions concerning the relationship between age, types of knowledge, and tools for effective learning later in life. This paper draws from scholarship on motivation among adult learners to theorize how teaching anthropology can validate lived experiences and embolden older students to draw from this experience to produce knowledge in the classroom and their community. Teaching anthropology in community colleges represents an opportunity to broaden students’ worldview and destabilize the deep-seated assumption that valuable knowledge is received rather than produced. I present findings from my data project and share teaching strategies to increase equity in my anthropology courses.