Summary:
In many divided societies, like South Africa, notions of and knowledges about “ community” tend to evoke deep feelings of despair and connectedness. Yet these emotions and affective knowledges are seldom engaged in the classroom when we teach about “community”. This presentation explores pedagogical resources such as pedagogic discomfort, the pedagogical principle of mutual vulnerability, and compassion and strategic empathy to enhance teaching about “community”. I illustrate these concepts in the Community, Self, and Identity project (CSI), an interdisciplinary, inter-institutional collaborative project across two Western Cape based universities. This project engaged three human service professions disciplines, psychology, occupational therapy and social work, that commonly employ the notion of community as a central teaching resource. I suggest that the CSI project illustrates the importance of extending critical pedagogies to include affect when teaching about “community” and discuss some of the implications of affective inclusion.
Bio:
Ronelle Carolissen is an associate professor of community psychology and chair of the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Stellenbosch. She holds a doctorate from the University of Stellenbosch. Her research expertise and publications explore social justice and critical community psychology perspectives in the context of transformation and innovation in higher education. She is the co-editor of the books Community, self and identity: Educating South African university students for citizenship (HSRC Press, 2012) and Discerning critical hope in educational practices (Routledge, Nov/Dec 2013).
VENUE: Room 3052, Psychology Department, R W Wilcocks Building
DATE: Tuesday, 23 July 2013
TIME: 13:00 - 13:50
