PRTM Seminar to Focus on Critical Conversations

Four years after the country’s last election, most Americans agree that our partisan divide is even deeper. As the 2020 presidential election approaches, educators must be prepared to support students no matter what the result. At the same time, since 2016 the notion that “civil conversation” works for all of us has been called into question by those that contend that without equity, “civility” simply stifles pain and outrage over injustice and hate.

Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management (PRTM) is hosting a seminar featuring Adrienne Davis from NC State’s Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity. on Friday October 30th at 12:30 pm. Davis will facilitate a conversation on how to level up  efforts to help students and colleagues not only be present, but fully participate, in interactions with others in the classroom and in our personal lives:

Topic: PRTM Seminar – Adrienne Davis
Time: October 30, 2020 12:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://ncsu.zoom.us/j/94482823401?pwd=YkhVSFROckJrWnZRZUZ1MUFZQXdxZz09
Meeting ID: 944 8282 3401 | Passcode: 923898

University Efforts to Foster an Inclusive Campus

NC State is among the most diverse of the UNC campuses and numerous faculty, staff and students are engaged in activities related to white privilege, gender equity and social justice. However, this was not always the case.

Founded as an an all-white, all-male institution in 1887 and remained so until it was forced by the Civil Rights Movement, the courts and other events to admit non-white students. In 1953, the first African American graduate student was admitted to the university and the first African American undergraduate students were allowed to enroll in 1956. For the next three decades, NC State was neither particularly accessible nor hospitable to African American students. Many would claim this to be a colossal understatement.

Recreation and Leisure Departments Serve Increasingly Diverse Audiences

Departments offering studies in parks, recreation, and tourism in universities throughout the United States serve an increasingly diverse clientele. Accordingly, many recreation and leisure departments across North America are preparing students to serve a diverse audience while simultaneously challenging oppression and advocating for positive social change.

“Outdoor recreation has traditionally been viewed as a white, middle-to-upper class activity,” explains Kimberly Bush, director of undergraduate programs and teaching associate professor in NC State’s PRTM department.  “However, as we see more people of color engaging with nature and the outdoors, others may be inspired to enroll in recreation programs and get outside themselves.”

Recommendations for Instructors

Based on a panel discussion about diversity at the 2018 The Academy of Leisure Sciences (TALS) Research and Teaching Institute, NC State professors joined experts from around the country and nation in generating recommendations for other educators. Recommendations for instructors were published in SCHOLE: A Journal of Leisure Studies and Recreation Education. These include:

> Self-assess personal values and biases affecting teaching.
> Create a collaborative learning space.
> Focus on the social structures perpetuating oppression.
> Emphasize authentic participation and action.

The paper also highlights specific activities that may help other instructors facilitate students’ connections with broader issues of social justice.

Following are collected articles and resources on facilitating or participating in critical conversations:

Teaching the 2020 Election: What Will You Do on Wednesday?
Why Is It Important for People With Different Political Beliefs to Talk to Each Other?
The Danger of Silence: TED Talk with Teacher and Poet Clint Smith
10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation: TED Talk with Writer Celeste Headlee