Please join us in congratulating Addyson Frattura who successfully defended her PhD Dissertation on March 13 of 2026.
Title:
Expulsion and a Problem of Freedom
Abstract:
School expulsion, social segregation, and capital punishment are three forms of expulsion that I describe to show how freedom is impacted by expulsion. A person can be harmed by an expulsion which can create a problem of freedom. A person may be denied the agency to pursue one’s desires, to think and act for oneself, or to critically think and engage within the world.
Expulsion may limit freedom when a person is forced to leave school, a particular part of society, or life itself. In the dissertation, I describe and analyze expulsion to show how it is not just about punishment but how it is also about life and freedom (an existential problem). If this is the case, then education should take up an abolitionary ethic of love. An abolitionary ethic of love is an ethical response to life-denying punitive models and toward life-affirming education and societies.
Supervisory Committee:
Dr. Sam Rocha
Dr. Claudia Ruitenberg
Dr. Dónal O’Donoghue
We are thankful for the Examining Committee’s contribution and expertise.
Dr. Rene Arcilla, New York University, External Examiner
Dr. William Pinar, EDCP, University Examiner
Dr. Anne Phelan, EDCP, University Examiner
Dr. Kiran Soma, Chair of Examination Committee
Congratulations Addyson!