This document provides an overview and discussion of voicing. It begins with announcing the topics to be covered, including a Paulo Freire text, voicing, and an essay practice on what students stand for. It then discusses voicing as the capacity for humans to give an account of themselves and their place in the world. Voicing is a manifestation of human agency and a desire to make sense of one's life. It is socially grounded and involves both listening and speaking as part of a reflexive process. The document concludes by inviting students to practice voicing for their upcoming essay.

2. Today’s topics: Paulo Freire text Voicing Practice for essay: What do I stand for? Questions? Evaluation form

3. End of this course but the start of a new beginning… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXYVVRwk1fY What will your verse be?

4. Voicing Human beings can give an account of themselves and of their place in the world. “We have no idea what a culture would be where no one any longer knew what it meant to narrate things” (Paul Ricoeur) We give meaning to our world and our existence, this is what makes us human (c.q. Freire): treating people as they lack that capacity is to treat them as if they were not human Voice is a word for that capacity (a manifestation of the active agency of humans) Voice is necessary: we have a desire to narrate, a desire to make sense of our lives. Voice is not enough, we need to know that voice matters. The offer of effective voice is crucial to the legitimacy of modern democracies.

5. Voice as a process The process of giving an account of one’s life and conditions ‘Giving an account of one’s life’ (Judith Butler, 2005): narrative is the basic feature of human action. As Charles Taylor (1986) puts it: “man is self-interpreting animal” Voice is socially grounded: voice is not the practice of individuals in isolation. Our stories are entwined, and our individual story gets contextualized in the stories of others.

6. Voice as a process (2) Voice is a form of reflexive agency. The act of voice involves taking responsibility for the stories one tells. Both listening and speaking

7. Cycle of action-learning (Freire, 1970)

8. Let’s hear your voices Practice for the essay you have to write on “what you stand for”