Term

Summer 2026

Capstone

Capstone Project

Degree Name

MAT

Facilitator(s)

Karen Moroz

Content Expert

Alicia Vonderharr

Abstract

This capstone project, written and constructed by Mackenzie Carrane is entitled, “Banning Books in America: Exploring the Impact and Implications of Censorship in Education.” The purpose of this project was to research the causes and impacts of the book banning practice across America in the 21st century. The research question: why are books banned and challenged, and how does this censorship impact schools and communities they serve? stemmed from a childhood love for books. In particular, one book which was later banned in many schools. Research has shown that while book banning is often done under the guise of protecting students from immoral content, what it actually does is cause them harm. Books which are restricted or removed from school libraries often reflect marginalized groups, which causes students who belong to those groups to feel isolated, underrepresented, and lacking in value themselves. In response to those negative outcomes, this project was created to facilitate the teaching of these controversial texts in a way that guides them through the narrative in a safe classroom environment. It took shape in the form of a 5-week unit of study, now housed on a Google site for easy access, which asks students to read a banned text of their choosing, think critically about its value, and collaborate with their peers to understand complex themes and ideas. Educators can access and download the materials for teaching this unit for free, with descriptions of each lesson.

Project Type

Curriculum

Keywords

Curriculum, Literacy, Reading

Additional Files
Carrane, Mackenzie Project.pdf (3352 kB)

dc_type

text

dc_publisher

DigitalCommons@Hamline

dc_format

application/pdf

dc_source

School of Education Student Capstone Projects

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