Social Justice Theory Course Criteria
All of the following criteria must be met in order for courses to fulfill the guideline. Consider the criteria as they relate to your discipline or your field of study.
- Courses should have assignments that can be used to assess the provided Social Justice Theory student learning outcomes.
- Course topics should be about the theory, history, current events, and/or social movements surrounding social (in)justice issues pertinent to at least one of the following: race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration status, nationality, ability status, environmental justice, religion and/or social stratification. For example, the course might explore the history and current status of social justice movements, such as Civil Rights, Women’s Movements, Immigration Reform, Sexuality and Labor.
- Course topics should enable students to acquire knowledge and sensitivity to the ethical and political implications of at least one of the following: social problems, oppressive systems, interpersonal and structural discrimination, unequal distribution and access to power and resources (including natural resources), and the interdependence and intersection of systems of oppression.
- Course readings and discussions should challenge hegemonic structures and practices that further social injustice and oppression, and promote strategies to redress systemic barriers to equality and inclusiveness.
Social Responsibility Praxis Course Criteria
(Criteria 1-4 must be met for a course to become a Social Responsibility Praxis Course)
- Community engagement may come in the form of service, research, community-based education, or another form of collaboration, conducted by faculty members in a way that is appropriate to their pedagogy, methodology and personal approach, and operating from a framework that honors reciprocal, respectful, ethical partnership with the community members, agencies or institutions with whom the faculty member and students are collaborating.
- Community engagement fieldwork normally includes at least 40 hours in a single semester, and is complemented by classroom discussions, lectures, and assignments (which correlate with stated Social Responsibility Praxis student learning outcomes) to engage critical reflections and rigorous analysis that address the theories of social justice that are specific to the disciplinary and community context.
- The agenda for the community engagement is made in collaboration between college partners (students, faculty, and/or staff) and the primary community partner contacts, attempting always to recognize and build on existing assets of the community.
- Community engagement actions address the structural, political, social, economic, and/or environmental conditions (and any other root causes) that have resulted in the need for community engagement, and explore the benefits and potential pitfalls of community-campus partnerships.
- (As applicable/ If applicable) Community engagement courses that involve research must follow appropriate ethical standards, such as: informed consent, mutual benefits, equal partnership in designing and conducting research, and sharing of end products.
