Dr. Alexander Pope

Dr. Alexander Pope (Sandy) is an assistant professor in the Department of Secondary and Physical Education at Salisbury University. His primary appointment involves undergraduate and graduate social studies methods. A former classroom teacher in Texas and New York, his university teaching extends to include social justice initiatives such as the Maryland Holocaust Educators Network social justice seminars sponsored by the Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights, where he has twice been a Fellow. He has completed two fellowships at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Dr. Pope is interested in all areas of civic engagement, but particularly the ways in which students and teachers come to see themselves as active in their communities. Stemming from his dissertation work, he has authored articles on the potential of civic education and chapters on engaged pedagogies in social studies education.

Dr. Pope also co-Directs Salisbury University’s Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement. With his colleague, Dr. Sarah Surak, he oversees daily operations, a multi-year research project to collect and analyze data on the delivery of a civic engagement curricular and co-curricular programming, and the Center for Civic Reflection. Surak and Pope are the 2019 recipients of the Wilson H. Elkins Professorship from the University System of Maryland to support these efforts.

Courses with a Civic Engagement Component
- SCED 372: Secondary Social Studies Methods 1 – Spring 2019
- EDFN 210: School in a Diverse Society – Spring 2019
- ELED 499: Diversity and the Community – Spring 2018
- IDIS 280: AmeriCorps Training – Spring 2018
- IDIS 280: AmeriCorps Training – Fall 2017
- IDIS 280: AmeriCorps Training – Spring 2017
- IDIS 280: AmeriCorps Training – Fall 2016
- ELED 313: Social Studies Methods in the Elementary Classroom – Spring 2016
- ELED 313: Social Studies Methods in the Elementary Classroom – Fall 2015
Civic Engagement Publications

Pope, A., Cohen, A., & Duarte, C. (2018). Making civic engagement go viral: Applying social epidemiology principles to civic education. Journal of Public Affairs. Manuscript accepted for publication.

Cohen, A., Littenberg-Tobias, J., Pope, A., Stolte, L., & Wong, K. (2018) Action civics education and civic outcomes for urban youth: An evaluation of the impact of Generation Citizen. Citizenship Teaching and Learning. Manuscript accepted for publication.

Pope, A., & Kyriacopoulos, K. (2018). Questions lead to action. In J. Hubbard and J. Harshman, Eds. Extending the Ground of Public Confidence: Teaching Civil Liberties in K-16 Social Studies Education. Peer-reviewed chapter accepted for publication.

Surak, S., and A. Pope. (2016). Engaging the Educators: Facilitating Civic Engagement through Faculty Development. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 20 (3), 41-62.

Surak, S., Jenson, C., Pope, A., and M. McCartney. (2017). “Assessing Faculty Development Seminars to Support Civic Engagement.” In Rios, A., McCartney, M., Bennion, E.A., and D.W. Simpson (eds.) Teaching Civic Engagement: From Student to Active Citizen. Washington, DC: American Political Science Association.

Pope, A. (2014). Critical civic consciousness: Exploring the U.S. civic opportunity gap with Giroux and Freire. Citizenship Teaching and Learning, 9(3), 241-256.

Pope, A., Stolte, L., & Cohen, A. (2011). Closing the civic engagement gap: Finding a home for action civics at school. Social Education 75(5), 265-268.
Civic Engagement Grants Awarded

2018-2019 AmeriCorps / ShoreCorps Grant; $411,256; Primary Investigator

2017-2018 Maryland Geographic Alliance grant for Geographic Student Impact Studies; $27,014; Primary Investigator

2017-2018 AmeriCorps / ShoreCorps Grant; $378,737; Primary Investigator

2016-2017 AmeriCorps / ShoreCorps/PALS Grant; $337,245; Primary Investigator
Civic Engagement Invited Lectures and Conference Presentations

Pope, A. (2016). Barriers to civic engagement: Critical readings of community as de-legitimizing student engagement. Paper presented to the College and University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Washington, DC.

Pope, A. (2016). Defining community through research. Paper presented to the 12^th Annual International Congress on Qualitative Inquiry, Urbana-Champaign, IL.

Surak, S., Pope, A., & Pereboom, M. (2016). Innovations in citizenship education: Experiential learning, faculty development and assessment. Paper presented to the American Democracy Project, Indianapolis, IN.

Maker, E., Cohen, A., Fitzgerald, J., & Pope, A. (2015). Effective civics education pedagogy and programs: A systematic review. Paper presented to the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.

Pope, A. (2015). Panel Chair. Civic engagement at Salisbury University: Reflections from faculty experiences. Salisbury University Teaching & Learning Conference, Salisbury, MD.

Pope, A. (2015). Service learning in elementary education. Salisbury University Teaching & Learning Conference, Salisbury, MD.

*Pope, A., McFadden, J., & Swiderski, M. (2015). Using civic engagement to cultivate 21^st Century civil society in a university setting. Paper presented to the Middle States Council for the Social Studies Regional Conference, Gettysburg, PA.

Surak, S., & Pope, A. (2014). Educating the educators: Facilitating civic engagement through faculty development. Paper presented to the American Political Science Association Teaching & Learning Conference, Washington, D.C.

Pope, A., Surak, S., & Pereboom, M. (2014). Institutionalizing civic engagement through faculty development. Paper presented to the American Democracy Project Annual Conference, Louisville, KY.

Pope, A., & Cohen, A. (2014). Mapping civic epidemics. Paper presented to the Center for the Study of Citizenship: Place, (Dis)Place, and Citizenship Conference, Detroit, MI.

Pope, A. (2013). Actors or directors? Why teachers and students might struggle to describe “civic action.” Paper presented to the College and University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Annual Conference, St. Louis, MO.

Pope, A. (2013). Invoking conscientização to address the civic opportunity gap. Paper presented to the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA.

Pope, A, & Patterson, T. (2013). Two programs’ use of sustainable citizenship to address environmental poverty in the American northeast. Paper presented to the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA.

Pope, A., & Patterson, T. (2013). Sustainable citizenship: How educational farm visits promote high-quality citizenship. Paper presented to the Center for the Study of Citizenship: The Meaning of Citizenship Conference, Detroit, MI.

Pope, A., & Cohen, A. (2013). A civic epidemic: Reconceptualizing citizenship education. Paper presented to the Center for the Study of Citizenship: The Meaning of Citizenship Conference, Detroit, MI.

Cohen, A., Pope, A., Bates, W., & Muennig, P. (2013). Addressing disparities in civic engagement and health: Identifying areas of overlap. Paper presented to the 5^th Annual Health Disparities Conference at Teachers College, New York, NY.

Pope, A. (2012). Critical civic consciousness: A conceptual framework for civic engagement. Paper presented to the College and University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Annual Conference, Seattle, WA.

Pope, A. (2012). Conceptions of civic engagement: Three teachers’ approaches to active citizenship. Paper presented to the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Stolte, L., Pope, A., Cohen, A., Warren, S., & Allen, J. (2011). Experiencing government: Pedagogical lessons from Malden High School. Paper presented to the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Annual Conference, Washington, D.C.

Pope, A., & Stolte, L. (2011). How students can impact the community with action civics. Paper presented to Kappa Delta Pi 48^th Biennial Convocation, Indianapolis, IN.

Cohen, A., Pope, A., Stolte, L., Warren, S. (2011). Inciting civic imagination through action: Generation Citizen. Paper presented to the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.

Pope, A. (2011). From family farm to community education: A working model. Paper presented to the National Council on Public History Annual Meeting, Pensacola, FL.

Pope, A. (2011). Educating for the next generation of active citizens. Paper presented to the Center for the Study of Citizenship: Bodies and Citizenship Conference, Detroit, MI.

Patterson, T., & Pope, A. (2010). Educating for sustainable citizenship: Two sides of the Megalopolis. Paper presented to the College and University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Annual Conference, Denver, CO.

Pope, A. & Patterson, T. (2010). Sustainability and civics: Promoting education through farm field trips. Paper presented to the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Annual Conference, Denver, CO.