An Ignatian Pedagogical Approach to Fostering Conversations on BIPOC Farmland Ownership Through Film Screenings

This article applies the Ignatian pedagogical paradigm (IPP) to developing a day-long event focused on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) farm ownership in a college of agriculture at a mid-south university. The event utilized IPP’s five elements—context, experience, reflection, action, and evaluation—to engage students with conversations surrounding the systemic barriers adversely affecting BIPOC producers. The event included a screening of “Gaining Ground,” which provided historical and contemporary insights into the challenges of BIPOC landownership, setting a foundational context and offering a direct experiential learning opportunity. The screening was followed by a panel discussion involving experts in agriculture, social justice, and policy, which deepened the reflective component of the pedagogical framework. The action and evaluation phases were highlighted through networking opportunities with leaders in the field and feedback collection to assess changes in participant perceptions and intentions to act on their knowledge. This case study demonstrates the IPP’s effectiveness in delivering educational content and inspiring actionable insights and personal growth for students in agricultural colleges. It underscores the paradigm’s value in academic settings for addressing complex social issues and offers a model for educators who seek to enhance student engagement and societal impact through structured pedagogical approaches.