Discussion Guide
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-10
Grades 11-12

Between Goodbyes: Discussion Guide

Using This Guide

This guide is an invitation to dialogue. It is based on a belief in the  power of human connection and is designed for people who want to use Between Goodbyes to engage family, friends, classmates, colleagues, and communities. In contrast to initiatives that foster debates in which participants try to convince others that they are  right, this document envisions conversations undertaken in a spirit  of openness in which people try to understand one another and  expand their thinking by sharing viewpoints and listening actively.

The discussion prompts are intentionally crafted to help a wide range of audiences think more deeply about the issues in the film. Rather than attempting to address them all, choose one or two  that best meet your needs and interests. Be sure to leave time to consider taking action. Planning next steps can help people leave the room feeling energized and optimistic, even in instances when conversations have been difficult.
For more detailed event planning and facilitation tips, visit https:// communitynetwork.amdoc.org/.

Sources

About the authors

Sara Docan-Morgan

Sara Docan-Morgan (she/her) is Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Wisconsin, La  Crosse. She is the author of the monograph, In Reunion: Transnational Korean Adoptees and the Communication of Family (2024, Temple University Press). Dr. Docan-Morgan’s scholarship on Korean adoptees and family communication has been published in Adoption Quarterly, the Journal of Family Communication, the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Communication Quarterly, Family Relations, and the Journal of Korean Adoption Studies, as well as in edited volumes. Her research focuses on how personal identity and family identity are formed, maintained, and negotiated through discourse in both adoptive and birth families. She teaches courses in interpersonal communication, family communication, race, and gender. Dr. Docan-Morgan was a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Seoul, South Korea from 2016 to 2017 and has received  various teaching awards throughout her career. She serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Family  Communication and has presented her research to adoptees, adoptive parents, and Korean birth families. Her  career-long goal has been to create opportunity for conversation and curiosity surrounding difference and  relationships.

Author photo