Bridging the Gap Between Online and In-Class Discourses on Sensitive Topics


Addison Kornel, University of Guelph

In the online sphere students can become exposed to political debates and, occasionally, hate speech. However, if students choose, they are able to engage with this content using a degree of inter-passivity. That is, they may engage vicariously in controversial topics through others by virtue of the online spectator position. However, my position is that classroom discussion must take the opposite tact. Students are taught early on in sociology that their perspective holds weight. Rather than leaning on the mechanics of online discussions in the real world (i.e., the spectator stance), students ought to be up-skilled to articulate their position on controversial topics respectfully and fully. The classroom, I will argue, is a bridge by which this shift may be hastened, provided it is the intention of the instructor to encourage such behavior. I will discuss the need to bridge inter-passive online communication to productive in-class discussions on topics that are highly sensitive. Identifying the need for this transition, I believe, is a positive step towards informed pedagogy, whereby a discourse of polarizing content can flourish in a controlled and productive manner.

This paper will be presented at the following session: