Teaching Social Justice: Critical Tools for the Intercultural Communication Classroom - Paperback

by Brandi Lawless (Author), Yea-Wen Chen (Author)

The intercultural communication classroom can be an emotionally and intellectually heavy place for many students and teachers. Sensitive topics arise and students must face complex issues with intellectual curiosity and collegial respect. To navigate the precarious waters of intercultural communications, teachers need an intentional approach to foster meaningful discussion and learning.
This pedagogical guide presents conceptual overviews, student activities, and problem-solving strategies for teaching intercultural communication. The authors navigate eight categories of potential conflict, including: communicating power and privilege, community engagement in social justice, and assessing intercultural pedagogies for social justice. In addition to empirical studies and the authors' own classroom experiences, the book features the personal narratives of junior and senior intercultural communication teacher-scholars whose journeys will encourage and instruct readers towards more fulfilling teaching experiences.

Author Biography

Brandi Lawless is associate professor at the University of San Francisco. Her research explores the intersections of race, class, gender, and nationality in a variety of contexts in higher education and nonprofit contexts. Her work appears in Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, Journal of Applied Communication Research, Communication Education, Howard Journal of Communication, Journal of Communication Pedagogy, and Communication Teacher, as well as in several edited collections.
Yea-Wen Chen is associate professor at San Diego State University. Her research explores the impacts of communicating intersecting identities across relating, organizing, and teaching social justice. Her work appears in Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, Howard Journal of Communications, and Journal of Communication Pedagogy, as well as in several edited collections.