Words of Engagement: Intergroup Dialogue program
The Words of Engagement Intergroup Dialogue Program (WEIDP) is a for-credit social justice education program that brings together students of diverse social identity groups for facilitated face-to-face conversations about identity, power and accountability. Utilizing theory, experiential learning, and equity frameworks, WEIDP supports participants in exploring key questions about who we are, what we know about each other, and how cultural systems of power impact our lives and relationships. The program prepares students to navigate an increasingly diverse society through relationship building across and within difference and taking steps, both individually and collectively, to promote equity and justice.
WEIDP courses count towards the Cultural Competence Diversity Requirement. Courses are typically 1-credit dialogues that occur in the first and second half of the fall and spring semesters. Each dialogue is themed around a set of social identities (e.g. dialogue on race, gender, immigration, religious bias, ability, etc.) and is co-facilitated by trained intergroup dialogue facilitators. While most of our dialogue offerings are for undergraduate students, WEIDP occasionally offers non-credit professional programming and dialogues for faculty/staff and for-credit for-credit courses for graduate students.
Goals of Dialogue
Upon completion of this course, students will have developed the following dialogical skills.
Register for a Dialogue
Students can register for a dialogue course directly on Testudo. Each dialogue course consists of 3-4 themed sections. Once registered, we will ask the student to complete a profile that assists us in placing participants into a specific themed section. (e.g. a student who registers for WEID139: Dialogue on Race, Gender, and Immigration, may be placed into the dialogue section on Gender).
Our general undergraduate intergroup dialogue course is WEID139. ln addition to WEID139, WEIDP courses are offered within particular disciplines or living-learning communities.
Become a Facilitator
An essential feature of the dialogue process are the skilled facilitators who support participants' learning and their overall experience. The WEIDP facilitation team consists of UMD staff, graduate students and professionals from the surrounding area. They are educators with a depth of knowledge on various dimensions of identity (such as gender, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, national origin, ability/disability, religion, etc.) as well as knowledge about the dynamics of power, privilege, and oppression.
While we do expect facilitators to join our program with some prior knowledge and experience with social justice and an existing passion for diversity, facilitators receive training from the university's new Intergroup Dialogue Training Center housed in the College of Education.
Facilitators may be undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty or staff members. Occasionally alumni may return to facilitate a dialogue section as well.
Undergraduate students who have taking an intergroup dialogue course are able to enroll in WEID300 to become a facilitator for the next semester's dialogue. Student Affairs graduate students are able to facilitate WEIDP for their practicum experience.
Faculty, staff and other graduate students are able to train to become facilitators in a three-day training program in the summer or winter for the following semester.
To learn more about how to become a WEIDP facilitator, please email the program at dialogue@umd.edu.
Other Resources
Common Ground Intergroup Dialogue Program
The Department of Resident Life runs their own intergroup dialogue program. Their facilitators are trained alongside WEIDP facilitators, but the themes are different. While the WEIDP dialogues are framed around an identity category, Common Group dialogues are framed around a current issue or hot button topic. Common Ground facilitators are available for co-curricular programming in addition to their academic course offerings.
Learn more about Common Ground Intergroup Dialogue.
College of Education Intergroup Dialogue Training Center
In 2024 the College of Education opened their Intergroup Dialogue Training Center. While they are still finding their footing, we anticipate them serving as a resource and training hub for intergroup dialogue facilitation skills and support. We will update this page with their website once available.
Report an incident
The University of Maryland values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive and respectful campus for students, faculty and staff. If you have been impacted by hate, bias, intimidation, sexual misconduct or discrimination, you can file a report with the units here.
You may also contact UMPD by calling:
Emergency: 911 or 301-405-3333 - Mobile Phone #3333
Non-Emergency: 301-405-3555