Human Rights, Communality, and Transdisciplinarity in General Education: An Integrated Path for Wicked Problems

ABSTRACT

Contemporary debates in general education increasingly emphasize the need for curricular approaches capable of engaging complex socioecological challenges often described as wicked problems, including food insecurity, environmental degradation, and democratic erosion. Within this context, this article advances an integrated pedagogical pathway for general education that articulates communality and human rights through a transdisciplinary approach. The analysis centers on Journey to the Seed: Food Sovereignty, Culture, and Human Rights, a seminar developed and implemented at the College of General Studies of the University of Puerto Rico. Through qualitative examination of curricular design, pedagogical strategies, and student learning practices, the article examines hoy experiential activities—such as food cartographies, community-engaged learning (CEL), and reflective assessment—operationalize human rights education and communality within general education. The discussion illustrates how this integrative approach supports students’ capacity to connect everyday food practices with broader questions of power, dignity, and collective responsibility, contributing to ongoing efforts to reimagine general education as a space for addressing wicked problems through ecosocial justice.