Active Engagement for Social Justice in Education

Catalog description

The course prepares students for pedagogical thinking and active engagement in social justice education in community and school-based contexts. This course is a core class of the Social Justice in Education minor and is taken either together with or subsequent to CI 185 , Foundations of Social Justice in Education. It builds on the key theoretical content of the minor's Foundations course, introducing students to the major patterns of thought that have shaped the history of education and curriculum design in the United States, and guiding students through a process of curricular reasoning. Students will engage in argumentation to investigate ways in which theoretical concepts have implications for the design of curricular interventions. Case studies or 'live' examples of social justice-oriented advocacy or educational projects being implemented in the US and abroad will provide a space for analysis and discussion. Students will explore curricular assumptions, identify instructional objectives, and articulate learning outcomes based on the cases they explore. Additionally, an action research project conducted in a classroom or community group will ask students to identify and research a problem, and develop a preliminary plan of action in collaboration with community or school-based stakeholders. Students are introduced to ethnographic data gathering techniques, problem-posing, and pedagogical reasoning and documentation. Team-building, listening and communication skills, and reflective practices are emphasized. A final project encourages students to document and express their work through visual and digital technologies directed at both their peers and the community partners.