ERIC Number: EJ1207917
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Making Visible the Invisible: Social Justice and Inclusion through the Collaboration of Museums and Spanish Community-Based Learning Projects
Vázquez, Karina Elizabeth; Wright, Martha
Dimension, p113-129 2017
Concerns about inclusion and social responsibility as conduit for social justice on university campuses offer a platform for interdisciplinary initiatives. Here we focus on one such initiative, which seeks to build community between University of Richmond students and local Latino and Hispanic populations using the University of Richmond Museum collection. Collaborations between museums and Spanish classes, including a community-based learning component (Spanish Community-Based Learning and Museums - SCBLM), provide outreach to the local community and might prompt dialogues about extant social injustices (however overt or subliminal). In these experiential learning projects, the museum serves as a communal resource to embody ACTFL's Five C's of language teaching (communication, cultures, connections, comparisons, communities). The SCBLM engagements, typically Spanish museum tours, encourage social awareness, connections, and social justice by way of empathetic inclusion. This paper explains the vision (objectives) of this practice (community-based learning) and the outcomes (implications) with university students; for support, we use research from museum studies, language teaching, and critical pedagogy. As a new endeavor in academic and museum scholarship, this paper provides a model for interdisciplinary teaching and research. Finally, we state the necessity for student-community inclusive projects within universities, as they allow for a more socially aware, empathetic, and connected community.
Descriptors: Social Justice, Social Responsibility, Interdisciplinary Approach, Hispanic Americans, Museums, School Community Relationship, Empathy, Spanish, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Universities, Experiential Learning, Cultural Awareness, Critical Theory, Teaching Methods, Service Learning, Native Speakers, College Students
Southern Conference on Language Teaching. P.O. Box 33615, Decatur, GA 30033. Tel: 404-290-1942; Web site: http://www.scolt.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Virginia (Richmond)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A