First-year class helps students have respectful dialogue
While first-year students in UIC’s College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs must take a class that helps them ease their transition to college life, this year, a pilot program has them learning another essential lesson: how to talk to people they don’t agree with.
The program, Perspectives, is built into the college’s required 16-week first-year seminar, which is divided between the fall and spring semesters. The seminar focuses on issues like managing mental health, financial aid questions, housing and how to use the library system. It’s led by the college’s senior academic advisor, Mirtza Campbell.
The class is taught by Dean Stacey Swearingen White.
“The whole purpose of this curriculum is to be a broad umbrella for anyone of any perspective to be able to engage in conversations across differences,” said White.
White nominated the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs for this initiative and was selected along with 13 other schools of public service. The pilot project was conducted in partnership with the Volcker Alliance, which funded the initiative. Former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul A. Volcker founded the nonpartisan nonprofit organization to empower the public sector workforce to solve the country’s challenges.
The class uses a curriculum developed by the Constructive Dialogue Institute; six seminar classes are dedicated to helping students learn constructive ways to communicate effectively and respectfully while maintaining their own views.
The six lessons focus on different aspects of psychology and delve into research about how belief systems are used to define people.
The aim is to have the students understand that often, their reactions are “built into us as humans” and may have helped us through evolution by offering a “fight-or-flight response” to push us away from people who differ from us or from situations that feel uncomfortable.
“We need to step back and think about it a little bit more closely and ask, ‘Why am I reacting this way?’” said White. “Then we may find out we are closer together than we thought.”
This is done in class through group activities and classroom discussions. Students are presented with different scenarios and must analyze their reactions.
One scenario recently presented to the class: A student puts up a controversial flag in their dorm room that can be seen by others from the hallway. How do other students in the dorm react? In this scenario, by informing the university leadership and using social media to cyberbully the person. Students in the college’s first-year seminar were asked to analyze that response.
Trevor Harner, an urban studies major, began the discussion by saying that for some, the flag may be a symbol of regional pride even though others may see it as a symbol of oppression. He said he would ask the student to move the flag so he would not have to see it.
Evan Burkey, an urban studies major, was in the same group. After listening to Harner, he was able to think about how the flag may represent something different for different people, he said. The class has helped him stop and analyze his reactions, he added.
“I’m going to be first, like, ‘It’s crazy that they have that,’ but I haven’t asked them or talked to them or know their views,” said Burkey.
Lauren Linnert, an urban studies major, echoed Burkey’s conclusion to stop and think.
“It helped me to stop assuming and listen to people’s stories,” said Linnert. “It gives me the moment to stop and think about the other side and not just think about my own personal beliefs.”
Desani Smith, an urban studies major, said the class was valuable to him because it gave him resources to tap into when dealing with someone with a “bad attitude.”
“What I’ve gotten from the class is just to have a sense of constructive conversation with others and how to approach certain situations even if you feel uncomfortable,” said Smith.
For urban studies major Bella Bachleda, the class has improved her conversations with those she may disagree with because of differences in age, conversation styles or other reasons. And that includes her family members.
“This program is great because it teaches you ways of conflict resolution and mediation and understanding each other’s values,” said Bachleda. “Because of that, I’ve been able to have more productive conversations with my family and know where they are coming from.”
