UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK
LEARNING ABOUT CULTURAL DIVERSITY THROUGH INTERGROUP DIALOGUE:
Interfaith/Secular, EDPL 338G (0102)
1 Credit, Spring 2006
Facilitator: Mark Brimhall-Vargas
Office: 1124 Shriver Lab, East Wing
Office Hours: By Appointment
Phones: 301.405.2840 E-Mail: brimhall@umd.edu
Course Description
This dialogue engages students (you), generally considered to be from many identity groups in facilitated dialogue
about the similarities and differences of experiences that exist within, and across, these groups and/or in relationship to other
groups. The goal of this dialogue is for you to develop comfort with, and skill for, discourse on difficult topics related to
religious/spiritual/faith-based/secular identity toward the end of fostering positive, meaningful, and sustained relationships with
individuals from other groups.
Whereas in debate, you learn to listen to gain advantage, in dialogue, you learn to listen to gain understanding. In so
doing, you develop increased multicultural interaction facility, heightened intra- and inter-group awareness and sensitivity, and
greater commitment to civic engagement.
Given the topic of our dialogue, it is important that I, as the facilitator, make a few points explicitly clear. First, this
course is not designed or intended to convert anyone from one particular faith to another, or to force people of faith to adopt a
secular viewpoint. As the facilitator, I have a particular religious perspective, but students do not have to share that
perspective. Second, I will not allow this class to be used as a venue for proselytizing. If that is your goal in entering this
dialogue, you may be happier elsewhere. Third, this dialogue is primarily intended to have people communicate across
different religious and secular identities about the socio-political and socio-cultural issues that exist among these various
religious and secular identities. And fourth, it is also unreasonable to assume that we will avoid theological issues altogether.
Students should feel free to express their theological viewpoints (if they even have one), because doing so can enhance the
dialogue (and relationships in the dialogue) and will have no bearing whatsoever on the grade a student receives.
General Objectives
1.
“Knowing”—Epistemological/Choice
 You will develop increased personal and political awareness of cultural identity affiliation and difference, as well
as increased knowledge about equity and diversity;
2.
“Know How”—Epistemological/Choice
 You will develop increased communication and conflict exploration skills, as well as growth in perspective taking
and complex thinking; You will develop the ability to juxtapose as well as integrate personal narrative and critical
academic analysis;
3.
“Being”—Ontological/Seeing
 You will develop decreased propensity for stereotyping, a reduction in intergroup interaction anxiety, increased
comfort with multiculturalism, greater appreciation for difference, and increased motivation for cross-group
bridge-building;
4.
“Doing”—Axiomatic/Responsibility
 You will develop interest in taking action to bring about equity and justice.
Learning Expectations/Methods of Evaluation
1.
Dialogue Attendance and Participation—20% (20 points out of 100 points)
 Participation is necessarily a function of attendance. If you are not present, you are (by definition) not
participating.

Participation is graded daily on the following rubric: 0=not present, 1=largely silent, disengaged, late, or
disruptive, etc., 2=good engagement.

Given that there are 7 sessions for our particular dialogue, this accounts for a total of 14 points for participation.
2.

The final session (the Social Justice from Classroom to Community) is worth 6 points, based solely on
attendance. If you cannot attend, an alternate assignment (worth 6 points) will be created for you.

Dialogue Attendance Policy: You should be aware that the nature of learning in intergroup dialogue is
cumulative (for example, understanding concepts discussed in the third dialogue is to some degree contingent
upon having attended the first and second dialogues). Therefore, it is crucial that you attend every dialogue. You
will sign a dialogue attendance sheet at the beginning of each dialogue. If you arrive to a dialogue session, late
you will sign a late dialogue attendance sheet at the conclusion of each dialogue.

Dialogue Participation Policy: You are expected to contribute to each dialogue session and to engage in related
activities.
Assigned Reading
 Reading is not graded directly per se. Rather, evidence of your having done the readings is reflected in your
participation grade (see above) and your daily reflection grade (see below). You should be prepared to, and
are expected to, participate in discussion of all assigned readings.

3.
4.
You should bring 3 critical comments or questions handwritten on 3x5 cards for each reading assignment;
these comments/questions will be used to structure discussion during each dialogue session. Each card
should have your name written on the back. You should hand in these cards at the beginning of each session.
Note: This means you will need to invest in 3x5 cards.
Daily Reflections—20% (20 points out of 100 points)
 At the conclusion of the first four dialogue sessions, you will be able to download a Microsoft Word file
from WebCT containing the Daily Reflection question(s). These reflections are designed to give you an
opportunity to converse with the facilitator about issues, questions, and/or ideas about the dialogue’s topics
that you do may not want to discuss openly in the dialogue setting.

Good reflections are able to weave your personal narratives on the session with your critical analysis of the
readings discussed in it. Reflections should be thoughtful; you are expected to engage in self-critique and to
comment on or critique the contributions of other students in the session.

That said, reflections are also informal and easy to do. They should be no longer than one page, doublespaced. The idea is that you should think about your journal BEFORE you sit down to write about it. In this
way, you can simultaneously be honest, thoughtful, and concise.

Reflections are due at 10:00 am on the Thursday that follows the dialogue; i.e., you have Tuesday evening,
all of Wednesday, and Thursday morning to complete it. Fair warning: WebCT will not allow late
submissions, so do not wait until the last minute to do your journal.

Reflections are each worth 5 points based on the following rubric: 0=Reflection was not turned in,
3=Reflection was turned in, but was careless, thoughtless, useless, etc. 5=Reflection was turned in, and was
insightful, honest, thoughtful, etc.

On occasion, I may ask you whether you would like to read your journal to the class (particularly if you make
an interesting observation). The decision to read your journal aloud is completely up to you and has no
bearing whatsoever on your grade.
Autobiography and Autobiographical Response—40% (40 points out of 100 points)
 For sessions six and seven, you will not have a daily reflection. Instead, you will write an autobiography (in
some way related to our topic) due on session six. Download the document from WebCT, and turn them in
there. These will be read aloud in class, so please be aware of this when you are writing; i.e., do not put
something in there that you do not want to reveal.

Bring a hard copy to class on session six. You will be reading from this copy, and then will turn it over to
one your classmates for an autobiographical response.

The autobiography should be about two to two-and-a-half pages long, double-spaced. It should not be a
simple recitation of facts, figures, and dates. Be expressive and creative.
5.

The autobiographical response (which will be explained more in session six) will give you an opportunity to
creatively render your own life experience in the narrative of your classmate. Download the instruction
document from WebCT, and turn them in there. These, too, will be read aloud in class, so please be aware of
this when you are writing; i.e., do not put something in there that you do not want to reveal.

Bring a hard copy to class on session seven. You will be reading from this copy, and then give it to the
classmate about whom you were writing.

The autobiographical response should be about one to one-and-a-half pages long, double-spaced. Take the
time to do a good job on this assignment. Autobiographical responses done at the last minute are
disrespectful and defeat the point of the exercise.

The autobiography and autobiographical response are due at different times than the daily reflections. You
will have until Sunday at noon to complete them. Again, fair warning: WebCT will not allow late
submissions, so do not wait until the last minute to do these assignments.

The autobiography and autobiographical response are each worth 20 points based on the following rubric:
0=assignment not turned in, 5=obviously a last minute effort, little thought, 10=Nice ideas, but poorly
constructed, some reflection and self knowledge, 15=Good paper with interesting ideas, self analysis, and
evidence of sincere thought, but has a few flaws (grammar, length, etc.) that preclude an outstanding grade,
20=Outstanding paper with super ideas and self analysis, strong structure, and good attention to detail.
Out of Comfort Zone Experience—20% (20 points out of 100 points)
 You are to experience an event that is ‘outside of your comfort zone’ related to our dialogue topic. This
assignment is not structured into the sequence of our dialogue sessions; thus, you can undertake it at any
time.

You must receive permission from me prior to going on to this event. Prior experience suggests that not all
students exercise good judgment with this assignment; hence, the requirement. You may undertake this
assignment with other members of the dialogue, but each of you must write your own reflection.

You must do a write up of this assignment. Download the document from WebCT, and submit it there when
you are done. It is due on the Sunday after the autobiographical response at noon. Fair warning: WebCT
will not allow late submissions, so do not wait until the last minute to do this assignment.

The out of comfort zone experience is worth 20 points based on the following rubric: 0=assignment not
turned in, 5=obviously a last minute effort, little thought, 10=Nice ideas, but poorly constructed, some
reflection and self knowledge, 15=Good paper with interesting ideas, self analysis, and evidence of sincere
thought, but has a few flaws (grammar, length, etc.) that preclude an outstanding grade, 20=Outstanding
paper with super ideas and self analysis, strong structure, and good attention to detail.
Criterion for Evaluation and Grading
You will be evaluated on dialogue attendance, dialogue participation, and the completion of all other learning
expectations. You will be graded on the quality of your contributions to the dialogue—your creativity, the degree to which
your effort to understand and grow from the dialogues/activities/readings/reflections is demonstrated, the degree to which you
work to share and develop your thinking, and your timeliness in completing assignments, not on the content of your opinions.
Grading Rubric
A = 90-100%
B = 80-89%
C = 70-79%
D = 60-69%
F = 59% or less
Facilitator Responsibilities
1.
2.
3.
4.
Overall Dialogue Facilitation
Office Hour/Phone Availability
Student Support and Affirmation
Other…
Methodology
1.
Problem-Posing Dialogue/Activities
2.
Individual Reading Assignments
3.
Individual Writing Assignments
Impact Statement
In the discussion of politically complex and charged issues, like those at focus in this course, interpersonal as well as
intellectual discomfort may arise. It is necessary to engage in discussion of these issues in order to come to a comprehensive,
critically conscious understanding of how prejudice and discrimination operate in our lives and the larger world around us. It
is only by engaging in the open and honest discussion of inequity that we can learn how to build inclusive and socially just
communities both on-campus and beyond. If you become particularly distressed about any discussion please speak to me
immediately, and/or take advantage of the services offered by the campus' Counseling Center located on the first floor of the
Shoemaker Building.
Equal Educational Opportunity Policy Statement
In accordance with federal, state, local, university, college of education, and my personal policy (especially with
respect to the 1964 Civil Rights Act and Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act), access to equal educational
opportunity based on race; ethnicity; geographic origin; language; socioeconomic class; sex and gender; gender identity and
expression; sexual orientation; physical, developmental, and psychological ability; religious, spiritual, faith-based, or secular
affiliation; age and generation; and physical appearance, among other categories of social identity, is paramount. Every effort
will be made to arrange for reasonable accommodations to ensure that such opportunity exists and is measurable in terms of
equality of outcome.
Statement on Academic Integrity
The university has approved a Code of Academic Integrity available on the web at
www.inform.umd.edu/CampusInfo/Depatments/jpo/code_acinteg.html. The code prohibits students from cheating on exams,
plagiarizing papers, submitting the same paper for credit in two courses without authorization, buying papers, submitting
fraudulent documents, and forging signatures. The code strives to promote a “community of trust” on our campus.
Statement on Learning
You are responsible for discovering learning through the dialogues, interactive activities, reflections, and readings.
Statement on Health
Please take the time to eat right, exercise, and get enough rest. You will be better for it.
Desired Student Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, you will have developed:

“Knowing”—Epistemological/Choice
increased personal and political awareness of cultural identity affiliation and difference, as well as increased
knowledge about equity and diversity;

“Know How”—Epistemological/Choice
increased communication and conflict exploration skills, as well as growth in perspective taking and complex
thinking; the ability to juxtapose as well as integrate personal narrative and critical academic analysis;
1.
2.
3.

“Being”—Ontological/Seeing
decreased propensity for stereotyping, a reduction in intergroup interaction anxiety, increased comfort with
multiculturalism, greater appreciation for difference, and increased motivation for cross-group bridge-building;
4.

“Doing”—Axiomatic/Choice
interest in taking action to bring about equity and justice.
Electronic Communication
All materials for the dialogue (assignments, readings, the syllabus, etc.) are available on WebCT. When in doubt, look there
first. WebCT can be found at www.courses.umd.edu.
Please visit your e-mail at least once a day to find out any current information about the dialogue.
If you get a new e-mail address, please tell me (us) immediately! You will also need to change it administratively so that your
new e-mail address is in the University of Maryland directory—call the OIT Help Desk to find out how to do this if you don’t
know how.
Also, make sure that your “reply to “ address is the same as your “send from” address for whatever e-mail address you are
using for this dialogue—if you don’t, when you e-mail me, you will not get the answer when I respond to you.
If you have an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that has junk e-mail filters, or you have set-up your local e-mail software to filter
out junk e-mail, the e-mails that I send to the entire dialogue may get kicked out of your e-mail in-box. This is because these emails have multiple recipients and may, therefore, be perceived by your filters to be junk e-mail. To avoid this problem, turn
off your filters for the duration of the dialogue or make sure to check your junk e-mail folder for dialogue communications.
Course Outline
Week 1—Beginning the Dialogue
Welcome!
Pre-Test
Introductions
Review of Syllabus
Introductory overview of dialogic communication:
 dialogue as listening for understanding/discussion as serial monologuing/debate as listening to gain advantage
 the intent of a comment and the impact of a comment
 explaining a perspective and owning or taking responsibility for a perspective
 “suspending judgment”
 “holding” an important theme that emerges over an appropriate period of time
 creating “third space”—a place where participants bring “first space” or personal knowledge, ideas, and opinions and
talk about them using “second space” or group knowledge, norms, and etiquette
 developing and awareness of personal triggers/flashpoints
Decide on parameters for dialogue:
 ways in which respect will be demonstrated for everyone's perspective in the dialogue
 strategies for ensuring that everyone is included in the dialogue; that no one person or group dominates the discussion
 what the content focus or foci for the dialogue will be, identification of the salient “issues” within the content-focus
areas of the dialogue
Interactive Activities:
 Who are you?/Where are you from?/A story about your name
 Why did you choose this dialogue? What did you think this dialogue would be about when you saw its title?
 Hopes and Expectations/Fears and Challenges
 Brief Article
 Brief Activity
Assignments:
 Reading



Complete the “Who am I and what do I bring?” Exercise (and bring it with you to the next class)
Daily Reflection
Comment/Question Cards
Week 2—Getting to Know Ourselves and Each Other
Welcome back and Re-introductions!
 Review of dialogic communication
 Review of parameters for dialogue
 Collect Comment/Question Cards
Activity
 Who am I and what do I bring?
Assignments:
 Readings
 Daily Reflection
 Comment/Question Cards
Week 3—Dominant/Subordinate Identities and Power
Welcome back.
 Collect Comment/Question Cards
Activity: TBA
Assignments:
 Readings
 Daily Reflection
 Comment/Question Cards
Week 4—Hot Topic 1
Welcome back.
 Collect Comment/Question Cards
Activity: TBA for Hot Topic
Assignments:
 Readings
 Daily Reflection
 Comment/Question Cards
Week 5—Hot Topic 2
Welcome back.
 Collect Comment/Question Cards
Activity: TBA for Hot Topic
Assignments:
 Readings
 Autobiography
 Comment/Question Cards
Week 6—Allies (Part 1)
Welcome back.
 Collect Comment/Question Cards
Activity: Reading our Autobiographies to each other. Discussion.
Assignments:
 Readings
 Autobiography Response
 Exercise: Being an Ally or Co-Ally (Just review and think about it. We’ll do it in class.)
 Comment/Question Cards
Week 7—Allies (Part 2)
Welcome back.
 Collect Comment/Question Cards
Activity: Reading our Autobiographical Responses to each other. Discussion.
Assignments:
 Out of Comfort Zone Experience
Closing thoughts
Evaluations
 Post-Test
 Reactionnaire
Week 8—Social Justice from Classroom to Community
April 24, 2006: 12- 2 pm. Nyumburu Multipurpose Room. This is a required day for all to attend.

Social Justice from Classroom to Community Final Session Attendance