The APSA Community College Faculty Award is presented annually by the American Political Science Association (APSA) to honor exemplary contributions that advance the multi-faceted goals of community college faculty.
Anne Gillman is a Professor of Political Science at American River College. She loves democracy, music, nature, and family (not in that order). She holds a PhD from Johns Hopkins University and an MIA from Columbia University. She primarily teaches Introduction to American Politics and Women and Politics, striving to cultivate her students’ independent capacity to act as informed political participants. Her dissertation focused on how marginalized populations interact with the state, and her research involved hanging out with artists in favelas of Brazil. When not teaching, Anne loves romping around in the great outdoors with her husband, Eric, and two sons, Theo and Spencer.
Citation from the Award Committee:
Anne Gillman dedicates her time to teaching and researching models of applied civic engagement. She teaches political science courses and focuses on how to bring politics to students in real time. Anne’s work has taken her from Washington D.C. to Ecuador, Brazil, and Guatemala. She transfers her legislative knowledge from D.C. to her American Government students at ARC. Her knowledge of citizen revolutions and grassroots movements in Latin America influences her perspective on civic engagement and citizen activism. Professor Gillman holds a Ph.D. from John Hopkins University and is an active scholar with numerous publications that demonstrate her contributions to not only to the discipline of political science in general, but also to the fields of comparative and American politics. Furthermore, her publications make connections between the active researcher and the individual practitioners on the ground. Anne also demonstrates broad academic interests. Her various conference participations allude to interests that are not only important for the discipline but to her students as well as beneficiaries of her commitment to research and knowledge.
One of Professor Gillman’s more unique contributions is the work she is developing on pedagogy. This model was presented at APSA’s 2023 Teaching and Learning Conference, and focuses on the epistemology of knowledge “how we know what we know.” One of the components of this model is the pragmatic doing of democracy. For community college students, this is like a light bulb. The digital aspect of this model is not only appealing to a new generation of students, but it also bridges the diversity of community college students, because it provides for a conduit to understanding and generating knowledge about political science and democracy. This work is not only being used in Anne’s classes, but also across the political science department and more broadly in other disciplines at ARC. Professor Gillman cultivates a disciplinary approach in her teaching that considers the diversity of her students and their respective needs in her teaching. Her commitment to civic engagement and the connection between students’ lives and the classroom are demonstrated by her recognition of students needs in a post-pandemic era and its particular effects on disproportionate impacted populations. She starts her classes with community building exercises and provides a safe space for student to engage with each other and with the curriculum. Anne has established a tradition of epistemology in the teaching of politics and its connection to democratic principles, and political science while balancing the uniqueness of her students, and their distinctive needs. She is also a committed practitioner of political science research and innovation. The applied civic engagement and student focused teaching are elements that Anne delivers to her students, and thus, creating meaningful learning opportunities for students at ARC.
APSA thanks the committee members for their service: Dr. Elsa Dias (chair) of Pikes Peak State College, Dr. LaTasha Chaffin DeHaan of Elgin Community College, and Dr. Stephanie A Hallock of Harford Community College.
