Re-Imaging educational practices for more effective participation and meaningful interaction towards social justice & citizenship

Abstract

In 2024, the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) introduced a compulsory, non-credit-bearing module, “Critical Social Justice and Citizenship”, for all first-year UKZN students across disciplines, schools, and colleges. The module is designed to identify, challenge, and interrupt forms of prejudice and discrimination. The module employs a blended learning and teaching approach, comprising pre-recorded online lectures and in-person tutorials, and is underpinned by a theoretical framework based on education for liberation and critical pedagogy, which encourages active and empowered student participation. Ongoing participatory action research is used to monitor and assess the module’s effectiveness. This article presents data generated from students who participated in tutorials facilitated by Hailey Fudu. Data were collected through class discussion groups and weekly feedback surveys. The article analyses the effective creation of space for meaningful interaction on sensitive topics in a way that encourages students to develop compassion for others and learn from personal experiences shared by the facilitator and each other, with the overall aim of interrupting prejudice and discrimination, and enabling them to become agents of positive change on campus and in their respective fields