Humanistic Pedagogy Nurtures Students' Sense of Self-Unbound

As the program chair of an adult undergraduate human relations degree program in Washington, D.C., I have the awesome responsibility of shaping meaningful educational programs for non-traditional students. These students bring a myriad of experiences and worldviews into the classroom. Many of these experiences and views have been shaped and influenced by reductionism. Given the cultural demographics of the university’s student body, the humanistic perspective becomes invaluable and beneficial for the students and the educators. Remaining cognizant of the history of oppression that many of the university students continue to experience reminds me of the responsibility to create educational and academic opportunities that will stimulate socio-political awareness. Utilizing a humanistic pedagogy nurtures students’ emergent sense of self-unbound by reductionist frameworks to which many non-Caucasian people in the United States are exposed. Students’ belief systems are challenged in ways that validate their personal experiences while simultaneously expanding and empowering their self-awareness. Students grow academically and personally by deliberate exposure to an educational program that values diverse human experiences and recognizes the impact of history and politics on these personal experiences. As an educator and practitioner, choosing to consciously expose and apply humanistic principles enable students to begin deconstructing legacies of inequality.