Migration: An Empathy Exercise

Subgroup Size

Entire group

Duration

40 minutes

External Cost

No

Source

Ryan, M. (2012, Oct. 9). Migration: An empathy exercise. Curriculum for the Bioregion. https://serc.carleton.edu/bioregion/examples/65892.html

 

Designed by Maureen Ryan, Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, Western Washington University. This activity is part of the On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Teaching Activities collection. 

The case studies in this exercise can be dropped or changed. Also, some participants may have a strong emotional reaction to the questions due to situations of forced migration or other painful associations. It could be important to foreground this at the start of the activity and to ensure that people are asked to share only what they feel comfortable sharing. In some cases, the activity may not be appropriate due to the uneven emotional labor it is likely to elicit within a group.