Intercultural Understanding and Pedagogy of Empathy: A Cultural Experiential Learning from an Interdisciplinary Dialogue Project

Ouedraogo, Somnoma Valerie

doi:10.1080/07256868.2021.1930726

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Ouedraogo (pp. 317) states that, "the term cultural empathy refers to the ability to participate in the reality cognitively, affectively, and behaviourally, or world, of the cultural 'other'" [53]. Cultural empathy is considered an essential skill that helps social workers to adopt an open attitude towards cultural diversity based on cross-cultural knowledge.…”

Section: Theoretical Framework: Empathymentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing Cultural Empathy in International Social Work Education through Virtual Reality

et al. 2023

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School-based bullying is a major global social problem affecting societies around the world. It is argued that Virtual Reality (VR) offers benefits and possibilities in social work education. Within this context, a study was carried out with the aim of analysing students’ experiences with a school-based bullying scenario through Head-Mounted Display Virtual Reality (HMD VR), and exploring the pedagogical potential of this technology to support the enhancement of cultural empathy in international social work education. Using cultural competence and social constructivist perspectives focused on empathy theory, this article addresses the following research questions: How do the research participants describe experiencing the bullying scene with HMD VR? How do the research participants account for their HMD VR experiences in connection with empathy? How can the pedagogical use of HMD VR enhance international social work students’ cultural empathic skills? Data for the study were gathered through four Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with 38 volunteer research participants based on their postexposure to a scenario on school-based bullying through HMD VR. ATLAS.ti v.23 software (Atlas.ti, Berlin, Germany) was used to undertake a deductive thematic analysis. The findings reveal that HMD VR plays an important role in enhancing different dimensions of empathy, which is an essential element in transformative learning in social work education. The overall implications of using HMD VR in international social work education for enhancing cultural empathy are discussed. The article concludes that HMD VR has a promising role; however, several ethical, practical, and pedagogical aspects need to be considered for this technology tool to provide the sought-after pedagogical value in social work education.

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Section: Theoretical Framework: Empathymentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing Cultural Empathy in International Social Work Education through Virtual Reality

et al. 2023

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“…For example, one of these norms governing bodies in the context of intercultural language education is the essentialised relation between self-other embedded in much interculturalism, namely, the often taken for granted assumptions that self and other "have" essentialist identities that can be understood and respected, if one learns how to exercise empathy. Critical literature in interculturalism challenges these norms (e.g., see Ouedraogo, 2021;Porto & Zembylas, 2020a;Zembylas & Papamichael, 2017), suggesting that the cultivation of empathy between self-other-especially if empathy is framed in passive, ahistorical and uncritical terms-is inadequate as a pedagogical framework in intercultural education, because it promotes self-indulgent, uncritical, and superficial sentimentality.…”

Section: Relevant Literature and Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of literature in intercultural language education

Porto¹,

Zembylas²

2022

ICE

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In this article we discuss how the design of a higher education language course can challenge the power of sentimentality in the classroom. In particular, the paper analyses the role of literature in intercultural language education through the lens of affect theory, while focusing on minimizing sentimentality in the classroom, especially when the literary texts used confront students with trauma-related content involving human rights abuse, death and suffering, and trigger discomforting emotions in students such as sadness, anguish, fear and more. We suggest that it is important for educators and students in higher education to recognize the affective and biopolitical dimensions of literature teaching in intercultural language education. This is illustrated through the design of an English language course syllabus in an Argentinian higher education setting. The paper concludes with a discussion of the curricular and pedagogical implications for intercultural language education.

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