Whitman at the Penitentiary
Just a few miles from Whitman College’s campus sits another iconic institution: the Washington State Penitentiary. While the two are near in distance, they often seem worlds apart. Whitman at the Penitentiary helps bridge that gap.
In enlightening courses, Whitman students and incarcerated students meet together and learn as equals about criminal justice, art, literature, ethics, politics and other fascinating topics. These courses will broaden your perspective, deepen your empathy and strengthen your ability to navigate challenging conversations.
3 Reasons to Study at the Penitentiary
Break Down Barriers
Whitman at the Penitentiary will take you off campus and into the community to learn with—and from—people with different life experiences from your own. You’ll have eye-opening discussions, make meaningful friendships and learn what community really means.
Embrace Your Curiosity
Whatever your major, Whitman at the Penitentiary courses will inspire and challenge you—and get you thinking deeply about the world you live in. This is your chance to get outside your comfort zone and make connections between the subjects that interest you. It’s liberal arts at its best.
Gain Real-World Experience
If you’re interested in the meaning of incarceration in America, there’s no substitute for sitting down with someone experiencing it. You’ll go beyond sound bites, policy and theory—and have revealing and reflective conversations with real people impacted by the criminal justice system.
Interested in Whitman?
We’d love to send you information, including more on academic majors and student life at our beautiful campus in Walla Walla, Washington.
“We have lots of meaningful conversations in classrooms on campus about big topics like incarceration. However, there truly is no substitute for sitting at a table with someone who has lived experience in the subject matter and having conversations with them. Learning alongside my incarcerated classmates has been a highlight of my time at Whitman.”
Our Whitman Student Voices BlogCourses at the Penitentiary
See just a few of the fascinating courses you might take.
Being Human: Literature & the Human Being
What does it mean to be human? In this course, you’ll read stories, plays and poetry that explore human experiences like grief, love, anger, cruelty, empathy, imagination, morality and suffering. You and your classmates will work together to form your own ideas about what makes us human.
Comics & Storytelling Studio
This course uses the language of comics to tell compelling visual stories. Through hands-on drawing practice, looking at comics together, discussing student works in critique, and demonstrations, students will learn strategies for creating worlds and settings, advancing plot, building characters, conveying emotion, and communicating visually.
Restorative Justice
If wrongdoing is a breach of relationships, then restorative justice suggests a possible pathway to repair them. In this course, you’ll examine restorative justice theory and practice—and work alongside incarcerated students on a final project exploring practical ways to implement your ideas.
Forgiveness & Repair
The concept of forgiveness feels familiar, but it can be surprisingly difficult to pin down. What counts as genuine forgiveness? What are its limits? Are there relationships that are beyond repair? These are the kinds of questions we’ll examine—and put into practice—in this course.
The Meaning of Life
No one gets out of this life without at some point asking themselves, “Why bother? What’s the point?” In this course we’ll tackle difficult questions like these head-on: What does it mean to say that life is meaningful or meaningless? Does a meaningful life presuppose the existence of a divine being? Does death rob life of meaning or provide it?
Criminological Theory
Why do people commit (or choose not to commit) crime? To answer that question, we’ll draw on traditional sociological theory as well as insights from biology, medicine, psychology, economics, philosophy and history. We’ll explore a wide range of theories used to explain criminal behavior—and look at their strengths and weaknesses.
Amazing Experiences You Can Pursue
Put the pieces together. Whitman at the Penitentiary courses often culminate in an end-of-semester showcase, where your friends and professors from across campus can join you at the penitentiary to meet your classmates and hear the ideas and work you’ve created together.
Join a reading group. Informal reading groups give Whitman students and their incarcerated peers a chance to have less structured conversations about books in genres like philosophy, science fiction, graphic novels, history, social policy and more.
Land an internship or job. Past students have gone on to be student assistants for Whitman at the Penitentiary courses or to do impactful work at organizations like the STAR Project, Unincarcerated Productions and various correctional centers.
Connect With the Director of Whitman at the Penitentiary
Meet Mitch Clearfield, Senior Lecturer of Philosophy and General Studies and Director of Whitman at the Penitentiary. He and fellow faculty members will be your guides on an unforgettable journey to learn alongside incarcerated students.
Your Questions Answered
All Whitman at the Penitentiary courses meet at the Washington State Penitentiary. Students must follow all rules and guidelines of the penitentiary.
Space is limited, so the consent of the instructor is required. Students must also submit to and pass a criminal background check conducted by the penitentiary. Interested students should contact the instructor as soon as possible.