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Capstone Argument

Caitlin Pokladnik

Human and Family Sciences, University of Rhode Island

HDF 412: Historical, Multi-Ethic, & Alternative Leadership

Melissa Camba-Kelsay , Melissa Boyd-Colvin

December 16, 2021

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Part 1

The first group dialogue centered around Module 1 and my group decided to focus on

assumptions, or snap judgements about people. A couple important core themes that came up

included that people make assumptions on a daily basis, but they can be inaccurate, and most of

the time are inaccurate. This can relate to course content, specifically the Cycle of Liberation,

coined by Harro in 2018. In this cycle the first arrow in this cycle is “Waking Up” and is where

an event occurs where a person then experiences internal conflict. For instance, you may have an

assumption about someone, but then an event occurs that proves that assumption to be

inaccurate, which changes what you believe at your core. This then leads to the “Getting Ready”

phase where self empowerment through education and self reflecting as well as destroying

limiting beliefs and internalized oppression occur. Therefore, this is a time to ask why you had

that assumption. This is followed by the second arrow of “Reaching Out” where a person will

look to others to hear their experiences. A change in person-to-person communication can be

seen here where people begin to actively listen to others and hear them out on their perspectives.

Now that the assumption is destroyed you can now form an accurate picture of that person

through conversation with them to see who they really are, not who you thought they were. This

arrow reaches towards the “Building Community” phase where a person will join people like

them to find support and find others not like them to continue those conversations that allow for

exposure to different perspectives and questioning of norms. Following this is the “Coalescing”

arrow where people move into action such as raising awareness, education, and lobbying.

Additionally, people who may have also had the same assumption as you can now be educated.

This leads to the “Creating Change” phase where real change is made at institutions (schools,

underisties, organizations, etc.) that create a new more inclusive or just culture. . “Maintaining”
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is the final arrow and points toward “Getting Ready”, where authenticity and transparency is

used which gives hope and inspires people. The core, or what makes the Cycle of Liberation

going, is self love, support, and authenticity.

Harro, B. (2018). The cycle of liberation. In M. Adams, W. J. Blumenfeld, D. C. J. Catalano K.

S. DeJong, H. W. Hackman, L. E. Hopkins, B. J. Love, M. J. Peters, D. Shlasko, & X.

Zuniga (Eds.) Readings for diversity and social justice (pp. 627-634). NY: Routledge

The second group dialogue centered around Module 2 and my group decided to focus on

how to listen. A core theme that came out of the conversation was how listening can impact how

effective leadership is. Through active listening, such as giving the floor to people who want to

share, asking follow up questions, and being present in the moment, a person feels respected and

heard. It is important for leaders to foster this environment of community because it creates

unity, which can lead to everyone focusing on the group’s goal. Connecting this back to the

course content, leaders that critically understand that communication, ethically and logistically, is

important because it builds credibility which can build a community.

Caputo, J. S., Hazel, H. C., & McMahon, C. (1994). Interpersonal communication: Competency

through critical thinking. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

I learned a few skills in terms of having a successful group dialogue experience. Both

groups I was in stressed active listening by agreeing to give the floor to people who want to

share, asking follow up questions, and being present in the moment. We also bounced off of each
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other’s ideas and experiences which only build on our previous knowledge and further the

conversation.

Part 2

I learned that having conversations with others who are not similar to me, whether it be

different opinions or different upbringing, is essential for me to understand others and expand my

understanding of the world. For instance, my most significant learning in HDF 412 was that

people have different upbringings which can impact their growth and mindset. For instance, there

is a major difference between children who are raised in an environment (home and school)

where race is embraced/seen as positive or ignored/seen as negative. The Black Identity

Development mode, coined by Cross and Fhagen-Smith in 2001, opened my eyes as to how it is

life growing up in America being black in today's age. This can impact how a black person sees

themselves and others that are also black. Additionally, the Asian American Identity

Development model, coined by Kim in 1981, introduced me to the concept of white

identification, where Asian American children in school are bullied and feel ostracized from their

peers so they reject their racial identity and may take on the white identity to try and "fit in."

These two models made me realize that not everyone has the same experience concerning race in

their childhood.

Patton, L.D., Renn, K. A., F.M., & Quaye, S. J. (2016). Student development in college: Theory,

research and practice (3rd ed.).San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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Wijeyesinghe, C.L. & Jackson III, B. W. (Eds.). (2001). New perspective on racial identity

development: A theoretical and practical anthology. New York: New York University

Press.

Future HDF 412 students can expect to gain a better understanding of their peers, as well

the space to have real conversations with others that have grown with you throughout the years.

It has been great reconnecting with people I have not seen in years, and even making new

connections, and seeing their growth.

Part 3

I think the class did a good job in making the classroom safe, as well as staying in

dialogue, valuing and affirming each other, and sharing different points of view. We respected

each other in that when someone wanted to share, we gave them the floor, but also were able to

build on each others’ comments. We had great discussions that opened our minds to others’

perspectives and I even continued the conversations after class. My most significant learning

about my ability to work with others is that it is important to know when to contribute and when

to observe. I have previously been a more observant person in group discussions, but I feel more

comfortable now sharing my opinion and perspective. Over the semester we had the opportunity

to learn more about each other, which I think helped us respect each other as people more.
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References

Caputo, J. S., Hazel, H. C., & McMahon, C. (1994). Interpersonal communication: Competency

through critical thinking. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Harro, B. (2018). The cycle of liberation. In M. Adams, W. J. Blumenfeld, D. C. J. Catalano K.

S. DeJong, H. W. Hackman, L. E. Hopkins, B. J. Love, M. J. Peters, D. Shlasko, & X.

Zuniga (Eds.) Readings for diversity and social justice (pp. 627-634). NY: Routledge

Patton, L.D., Renn, K. A., F.M., & Quaye, S. J. (2016). Student development in college: Theory,

research and practice (3rd ed.).San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Wijeyesinghe, C.L. & Jackson III, B. W. (Eds.). (2001). New perspective on racial identity

development: A theoretical and practical anthology. New York: New York University

Press.