Faculty
- Dr. Anna Marra; Classics, Humanities and Italian Studies
Overview
The New Hampshire Prison Education Project (NHPEP) is a collaborative effort between New Hampshire Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) and the New Hampshire Department of Corrections (NH DOC) which seeks to deliver credit-bearing university courses in New Hampshire state prisons. The NHPEP sets itself apart from current and former offerings of higher education in NH prisons by 1) providing in-person instruction, and 2) creating a pathway towards a degree and continued enrollment possibilities for students released after the end of their sentences.
Dr. Anna Marra plans to offer an interdisciplinary class on Dante’s Divine Comedy in 2023 and provide inmates and students with an opportunity for reflection, agency, and self-improvement through the study of this classical text. She believes UNH undergraduates reading Dante in conversation with incarcerated students would gain perspectives that UNH undergraduates would not engage if they read the text in an UNH classroom.
In order to collaborate with the NH Prison Education Project (NHPEP), Dr. Anna Marra needs to complete the Inside-Out training. The training is a comprehensive six-day, 40+ hour intensive education program that helps professors develop courses and the necessary tools to teach in prisons. Participating in this program will also allow her to earn a certificate issued by Temple University. The content provided during the training is geared toward those in higher education and some topics included in the training are: curriculum development, institutional relationships, group dynamics, ethical issues, and interactive pedagogical approaches.
About Anna Marra
Anna has taught for 20 years both in Italy and in the US and is interested in extending her teaching experience while elevating the educational opportunities of those incarcerated. In Spring 2023, she intends to offer an interdisciplinary class on Dante’s Divine Comedy and provide inmates and students with an opportunity for reflection, agency, and self-improvement through the study of this classical text. She believes that UNH undergraduates reading Dante in conversation with incarcerated students would gain perspectives that UNH undergraduates would not engage if they read these text in an UNH classroom. “Over the last five years, I have been reflecting on how a Dante course—particularly reading Inferno—may provide inmates with a meaningful, relatable story of emerging from dire circumstances.”
