Expanding Diversity through Inside Out

• In Event: The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program: Starting and Teaching a Class

Abstract

The unique design of the Inside Out seminar allows for rich student diversity. Diversity really improves the classroom experience. Discussing complex issues such as morality, justice, citizenship, or identity is much more effective when the class approaches these ideas from different perspectives and brings unique experiences. To help elicit these diverse worldviews, students were asked to engage in a series of scenarios – including dramatic performance and debate. As a final project, students were also asked to write and present a one-act play that directly addressed and/or extended the themes from the semester. The final project was completed in groups with equal numbers of inside and outside students. This paper reports on the success of a variety of the employed scenarios.

Author

• Stephen C McGuinn, Quinnipiac University