New Approaches to Humanizing and Relational Engagement With Public Issues in Social and Civic Education

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Current models of controversial public issues discussions have been critiqued for their potential to reinforce social inequalities and socialize students into deeply flawed existing political structures (Gibson, 2020; Mirra & Garcia, 2022). Such critiques have prompted increased attention to the need for prioritizing humanizing, relational practices in civic contexts (cf., Allen, 2004; Hauver, 2019; Levine, 2013) and explicitly connecting such relational practices to the pursuit of a more just society (cf., Stickney, Cordova, & Hipolito-Delgado, 2022). In this symposium, participants will engage with five brief commentary papers that offer different perspectives on engaging with controversial public issues within civic education that center considerations like emotion, lived experiences, collaboration, and storytelling.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Social Studies Research

Chair

• Hilary Gehlbach Conklin, DePaul University

Papers

• Collaborative Deliberation: An Alternative to Adversarial Discussion - Keith C. Barton, Indiana University; Li-Ching Ho, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• #BlackEmotionsMatter Too: Learning From Black Students' Emotionalities to Deliberate Controversial Issues - Brittany Jones, Michigan State University

• Critical Emotional Engagement: Attending to Emotions in Teaching Controversial Public Issues - Maia G. Sheppard, University of Iowa

• Why Does Whiteness Make Me Feel This Way? The Affective Politics of Discussions of Antiracism - Tianna Dowie-Chin, University of Georgia; H. James Garrett, University of Georgia

• Preparing Novice Social Studies Teachers for Humanizing Approaches to Controversial Civic Issues Through Storytelling - Hilary Gehlbach Conklin, DePaul University; Molly W. Andolina, DePaul University

Discussant

• Melissa L. Gibson, Marquette University