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ERIC Number: EJ1233874
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: N/A
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0024-1822
EISSN: N/A
Getting to Shared Goals: Alternative Ways to Achieve Social Change on Campus
Kington, Raynard S.
Liberal Education, v105 n2 Spr 2019
With the future leaders of the nation at our campuses, we must question the notion that opposition is the only option for problem solving and effecting change. While protest and opposition are appropriate in some situations, there are often other methods through which students can learn and engage as informed, passionate citizens of whatever community they belong. In Raynard Kington's experience as president of Grinnell College, a cooperative approach is often the most effective form of student engagement. It is motivated by the desire to either work with those who already share common goals or by making a strong, evidence- and value-based case to convince organizations or individuals to become supporters. This article discusses one way Grinnell is broadening perspectives through an approach that is analogous to the use of case studies in business schools or actors portraying patients in medical schools. In fall 2017, Grinnell sponsored its own version of a "Fred Friendly Seminar" for a fictional campus incident that raised fundamental questions about the tension between inclusivity and free speech. "The Fred Friendly Seminars" were a series of discussions broadcast on PBS over a thirty-year period using the Socratic method to explore a case raising important societal issues. For Grinnell's seminar, representatives from different areas of the campus community gathered on a stage and took on roles similar to their ones in real life.
Association of American Colleges and Universities. 1818 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009. Tel: 800-297-3775; Tel: 202-387-3760; Fax: 202-265-9532; e-mail: pub_desk@aacu.org; Web site: http://www.aacu.org/publications/index.cfm
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: Iowa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A