Dialogic Approaches as Tools for Human Rights Education

• In Event: Understanding and Combating Bias, Controversy, and Fear in PS Curriculum & Classroom

Abstract

This paper examines the utility of dialogic approaches as an effective pedagogical tool for human rights education, training and practice, and is guided by three central research questions: What is the utility of dialogic approaches as tools for human rights education, training and practice? What skills do students develop through dialogue? Do these translate to their human rights practices in their personal, political and professional lives?

The field of human rights is contentious, and teaching human rights presents a number of unique challenges. Foundational questions in the discipline such as what are human rights?; and how should human rights scholars and activists take action? are far from settled, and debates around these questions are complex. Engaging in this discourse requires tackling messy realities and often difficult, uncomfortable conversations.

The impetus for this research emerged from a problem observed by University of Connecticut’s Human Rights in Action Learning Community (HRALC) faculty: students were reluctant to discuss contentious human rights related issues in class. Based on student feedback, this was due to anxieties that sharing opinions on controversial topics might ultimately increase tensions in their residencies. Reflecting on this, the HRALC leadership team reframed the 1-credit course designed for community members to develop the skills necessary for meaningful dialogue around controversial human rights topics. The goal is that students will learn and practice productive dialogue that allows them to disagree while maintaining a sense of community and relationships.

Dialogic and deliberative pedagogies have a long history, both within and beyond institutions of higher education, and are often associated with democratic or civic learning objectives (Shaffer, 2017). In addition to fostering students’ capacity to participate in democratic life, such pedagogies are also associated with deeper content learning and personal growth (Shaffer, 2017). For human rights education in particular, dialogic pedagogies are promising avenues to advance students’ critical content knowledge, personal values and ethics, and participatory democratic skills (United Nations General Assembly, 2011). In the context of the HRALC, where first and second year students are learning about human rights, seeking opportunities to practice human rights advocacy and civic engagement, and building relationships with their peers, dialogic pedagogies are potentially key to ensuring a successful experience.

Drawing from participant observation, student reflections, and focus group interviews collected in the 2020-2021 Human Rights and Action Learning Community, this paper develops what a dialogic approach to human rights education looks like, and examines the challenges, impacts and potential for improvement as a means of measuring its utility as a pedagogical tool.

Authors

• Erica MacDonald Laplante, University of Connecticut

• Rachel Jackson, University of Connecticut