ABSTRACT
Creation of a classroom environment safe enough for students to expess their perspectives, hear classmates views and engage in classroom dialogue remains a major challenge in social work teaching. Intergroup dialogue and Theatre of the Oppressed are two approaches that effectively meet these challenges. Intergroup dialogue offers a systematic method of creating safety, exploring and owning social identity, engaging in hot topics, and ally building. Theatre of the Oppressed promotes communications that allow creative delving into sensitive topics. Data are presented from a cohort of students in a social work undergraduate oppression class. An ethnographic method was implemented to review student responses to a pedagogical approach that combined intergroup dialogue and Theatre of the Oppressed. Data analysis revealed students’ increased self-reflection and perspective taking.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Betty Garcia
Betty Garcia is professor Emeritus and
Elizabeth Crifasi
Elizabeth Crifasi is a assistant professor at California State University, Fresno.
Adrienne B. Dessel
Adrienne B. Dessel was associate director and lecturer at the University of Michigan.