Forsaking Neutrality in Political Science: Making the Case to Intellectually Assassinate

The author conducted a self-study of her "American Political Thought" political science course, utilizing anonymous midterm evaluations to unpack the ways students reflect on critical Whiteness and critical race pedagogy. The author utilizes critical Whiteness alongside critical race pedagogy, particularly race metacognition, to suggest political science educators must forsake neutrality in teaching and learning spaces. The author uses critical hermeneutics as a method to reflect the inner-subjectivities of student's understandings and experiences with race centered in political science. It is time for Political Science educators to intellectually assassinate ideas that perpetuate Whiteness rather than forsake Black and Brown bodies. Critical Whiteness is used to demonstration racialized experiences as it relates to political phenomena discussed in the political science course.