David Tripp returned to his teaching position on the BA Core Faculty after serving as the Program Chair from 1998 to 2002. As chair he worked to strengthen the curriculum by developing core course offerings for each area of concentration, designed and implemented a one day a week track, worked in collaboration with Antioch Seattle and Santa Barbara to bring on-line course offerings to students in Los Angeles, and developed a new academic writing curriculum. Prior to assuming the chair position in 1998, David taught a wide range of interdisciplinary courses focused on Cultural Theory, Rights and Justice, and Social Theory.
As program chair David prioritized diversifying the program faculty, bringing issues of race, class, gender, sex and sexuality more fully into the curriculum. He also worked to enhance, the contributions the BA program makes to the university. To this end he instituted a regular All-BA-Faculty Dinner that focused on issues important to the quality of pedagogic practice at Antioch. And he established the popular quarterly Colloquy Series that brought significant scholars, artists and activists to campus.
In September of 1999 David designed, and then served as Founding Director (1999-2006) of, an innovative new program that brings courses in the humanities and writing arts to the poor and working poor of our Los Angeles. Working closely with Blair Smith (former Administrative Director of CHE/Bridge), David developed the Community Humanities Education (CHE) program (now the Bridge Program). The program partners with local community agencies to offer a nine month program comprised of interdisciplinary courses in Art History, Literature, Philosophy and the Writing Arts. CHE/Bridge provides a critical perspective on the Western tradition of the humanities, and helps the poor and working poor develop critical thinking skills while claiming their own voice as they come to participate more fully in public life. Everything is provided free of charge: tuition, books, supplies, child care, and transportation.
Currently David teaches a number of core and elective courses in the program; serves as co-director of the Queer Studies Minor Concentration; and also oversees the UGS Independent Study Project learning opportunities.
