Using Multimedia in Faculty Development on Multicultural Education: Scenes From the Movie “Crash”

Abstract

Abstract Training medical students to address health care disparities based on race, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic class involves not only education on epidemiologic and clinical evidence for the existence of such disparities, but also the fostering of critical awareness of the impact of assumptions, biases, and prejudice on physician-patient interactions. Development of critical awareness may be achieved through engaged small-group discussions in a safe environment and requires instructors who are skilled at facilitating discussions on potentially contentious issues such as race, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic class. This 1.5-hour workshop will assist faculty in guiding discussions on race, gender, sexual orientation and socioeconomic diversity. Upon viewing four different scenes from the Academy Award-winning movie “Crash,” participants will engage in active discussion sessions in which they reflect on their impressions of the actors, situations, and themes of each scene. Participants will be asked to discuss the contentious and emotionally-charged issues that created the situation in each scene as the basis for exploration of their own personal and professional experiences and identities. In preparation for teaching in these areas, it is essential that the instructors themselves reflect on their own biases, values, and perspectives, and model the types of discussions they will facilitate. This workshop is a unique tool for getting faculty to reflect on their own attitudes toward race and diversity (e.g., race, socioeconomic class, and gender) and to capture the interest and involvement from the audience. This workshop also provides faculty with an opportunity to both discuss how best to manage opposing opinions and difficult topics in the classroom environment, and recognize how struggling with these issues themselves informs them of how students may deal with similar issues.

Keywords

• Health Equity Research
• Faculty Development
• Culture
• Ethical Relativism
• Multicultural Education
• Multimedia