Document Type
Contribution to Books
Publication Date
2020
Abstract
In this chapter, the authors discuss the process of embedding experiential learning in a required ethics and diversity course (ED200). The course is a model of humanistic education in which students develop disciplinary-based methodological expertise while also drawing on cross-disciplinary, inclusive, problem-solving skills. The authors suggest that in a course that challenges students to think about their lives in community, engagement with that community plays a critical role in humanizing the learning experience. This pedagogical emphasis on experiential learning, instantiated as community engagement, unites the foci of ethics and diversity through students’ practical application of and reflection on their experiences to enhance ethical and cultural self-awareness. In the process, it also fosters a desire for participatory and justice-oriented citizenship (Westheimer & Kahne, 2004). In what follows, the authors provide a history of the development of ED200. The authors then justify the inclusion of experiential learning in the course from theoretical and practical perspectives: Why is it valuable to include experiential learning in this course and how does it advance the goal of developing critically engaged citizens through improving ethical reasoning skills and actionable understanding of diversity? Last, the authors detail positive impacts and implementation challenges and indicate next steps for continued development.
Copyright Statement
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Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Publication Information
Caldwell-O'Keefe, Riley and Recla, Matt. (2020). "'Slowly Changing the World': Embedding Experiential Learning to Enhance Ethics and Diversity". In E. Sengupta, P. Blessinger, and M. Makhanya (Eds.), Integrating Community Service into Curriculum: International Perspectives on Humanizing Education (Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning series, Volume 25, pp. 147-164). Emerald Publishing Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2055-364120200000025010
Comments
Integrating Community Service into Curriculum: International Perspectives on Humanizing Education is volume 25 of the Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning book series.