Visual narratives: exploring the concept of 'Home' through imagery.
Dr Rachel Hoare, School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies & Director of the Centre for Forced Migration Studies & Bernadette Rollins, Student, School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies
This presentation examines how using image-based prompts, in a Masters level module delivered in the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, entitled: 'Forced Migration and Identity: Reconstructed and Reimagined Futures', invites students to explore personal and cultural meanings of 'home' through visual association, encouraging deeper connections than text-based discussion alone.
Presentation: Visual narratives: exploring the concept of 'Home' through imagery.(Download)
Rachel delivers language and linguistics modules in the French department, an elective on the human experience of forced migration, and a masters module on identity and forced migration, while also supervising student research in these areas. In addition to her academic role, she works part-time as an expressive arts psychotherapist with unaccompanied refugee minors and young adults for Tusla, the Irish Child and Family Agency.
Rachel's humanistic psychotherapy practice informs her teaching philosophy, and she endeavours to create inclusive learning environments that value individual potential. Rachel's research-led teaching methodology draws from relational and narrative pedagogy, experiential learning, and Universal Design for Learning principles, enabling her to creatively address diverse learner needs and preferences.