Immersion experiences, when intentionally designed and thoughtfully integrated, can be powerful vehicles for transformative learning, justice-centered reflection, and curricular innovation. In this session, a team of faculty, staff, and student participants from the Center for Social Justice’s immersion experiences will share how immersion pedagogy has been embedded into undergraduate courses and co-curricular programming through the Alternative Breaks Program (ABP) and Magis Kino Border Immersion experiences. Grounded in a five-phase immersion pedagogy model—preparation, encounter, reflection, connection, and action—this session explores how faculty have partnered with CSJ to align immersions with course outcomes, institutional learning goals, and commitments to community accountability. Through recent examples, participants will learn how justice-focused experiential learning can be meaningfully scaffolded in classrooms and student programs.Participants will come away with a clear understanding of a replicable framework for immersion pedagogy and how it can be applied in curricular settings. They will also explore practical tools for deepening student reflection, strengthening the connection between immersive experiences and academic content, and fostering long-term community engagement.
Following a brief panel, participants will engage in small-group activities to imagine and begin designing a future immersion experience informed by this model.
