In Your Shoes

1 Credit · Level: Undergraduate

In a moment of particularly intense division within an already highly ideologically, socially, and politically polarized era, we find ourselves experiencing what we might call a "conversation emergency" in which meaningful, productive conversation itself is increasingly elusive. Yet so many of us yearn for alternatives that cut against the prevailing grain of silos and slogans, “us and them” thinking, retreat and avoidance, rigidity and the circling of wagons. In order to meet this moment with wisdom, these times call on us to slow down and clarify our vision, strengthen our resolve, and acquire the skills for more productive engagement with one another when significant social, ideological or political differences are present among us. We can derive great benefit for ourselves and others from experiences that nurture our resilience, fortify our empathy, inspire our search for unity of purpose while at the same time honoring our real differences, and build diverse communities equipped to forge new ways forward together. In this course we will co-create such an alternative way of being together that is both substantive and exciting. The course will feature a creative and supportive exploration of our own experiences* of today's “conversation emergency” through the In Your Shoes performance technique-based process. Though absolutely no theater experience is at all necessary nor presumed**, we will also co-create and present a very informal performance piece (what we call a “share out”) for peers and friends, scripted directly from our interactions throughout the process. We will thereby widen the circle to include the audience in our experience and offer them a glimpse into what is possible when we create communities of trust in challenging times. In this course, we’ll do all that and through guest speakers, we’ll gain some exposure to organizations engaged in a range of other approaches to dialogue and working together across differences. * All prompts are very specifically designed to create space for participants to respond with any level of personal sharing or vulnerability they like - from a little to a lot. Participants are asked to share simply what they’d like others to know. Responses always run the gamut from lighthearted and humorous to very personal and serious, and everything in between. All these types of responses are valued and celebrated. **In the majority of In Your Shoes experiences, most participants consider themselves “non-performers.” For the share out participants will not have to memorize anything - scripts will be in hand. But serious performers are welcome too, of course.