ABSTRACT
Dialogic methods create a space where emotions can be acknowledged in the classroom, again, for the purpose of engaging the whole student in his or her own learning process. The experiential and dialogic pedagogies of engaged learning are particularly important when teaching about controversial issues such as religious and ethnic conflict. Teaching about and navigating intergroup conflict is challenging for faculty in the academy. The course uses a dialogic method adapted from intergroup dialogue courses taught in the Program on Intergroup Relations. Traditional intergroup dialogue courses are often peer facilitated, use a highly structured pedagogy, and engage equal numbers of students who represent two different social identities with historical conflict. Educators use critical pedagogy to promote learning by students who may fall along the religiosity spectrum, for example, conservative religious students in liberal academic settings. Pedagogy should support students in making connections between their worlds inside and outside of the classroom.
