Freshman Seminar: Introduction to Social Justice Studies

[FRSCJ- 101]
Striving for social justice is the most valuable thing to do in life.
-Albert Einstein

Fall 2016
Wabash Room 1015
Monday Afternoons 2-4:30PM
Instructor:
Angeline Jones, WB 1M11E, ajones38@roosevelt.edu, 312-341-4340
Office Hours:
By appointment only
Required Texts: Readings for diversity and social justice (3rd ed.) 2013
I. Rationale:
Why social justice? Why do we have curb cuts in our side walk? Why do we have is it that women
were not allowed to vote until
II. Course Aims and Outcomes:
Aims
Social justice is a concept that sometimes seems to be thrown around more and more lately, and
used to describe anything that seeks to disrupt the status quo. However, social justice is much
more than that. Defined very generally as, justice in terms of the distribution of wealth,
opportunities, and privileges within a society, we will work to dissect this and go deeper into the
core concepts behind this. This course aims to create socially aware students, (Thats YOU!)
Through self-reflection, readings, group discussions, as well as projects, you as the student will
gain a better understanding of core social justice concepts as well as your own working definition
of social justice.
Specific Learning Outcomes:
Foundational Knowledge: By the end of this course, students will be able to accurately define
core concepts in the field of social justice.
Application: By the end of this course, students will be able to work collaboratively to conduct
qualitative interviews on social justice with the end result of reporting on their findings.
Integration: By the end of this course, students will be able to integrate course concepts into
everyday experiences by identifying them in current media.
Human Dimension: By the end of this course, students will be able to critically reflect on
concepts covered and articulate this new understanding through written analysis.
Human Dimension: By the end of this course, students will be able to discuss collaboratively the
ways in which understanding of core concepts has grown, changed or remained the same.
Caring: By the end of this course, students will be more socially conscious and aware students
who are able to contribute to society by having heightened awareness of social issues facing
citizens.
Learning How To Learn: By the end of this course, students will be able to document and
critically reflect on course understanding and growth as demonstrated through reflection papers
and pre-and post-testing.
III. Format and Procedures:
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This course will follow a mixed format with both lecture and discussion elements.
IV. My Assumptions
As first-year students, I do not expect you to be masters of the material from day one, or else you
wouldnt need this class! However, I do expect that you will be both open-minded and respectful
to ideas that are different from your own, as well as be open to sharing your own views. This
course will touch on subjects which may be very personal and somewhat uncomfortable to discuss
for some. We will operate under an umbrella of mutual respect for one another and utilize a
dialogue contract which is available for you to view at the end of this syllabus. We will discuss this
during our first class meeting together and address any concerns.
V. Course Requirements:
1. Class attendance and participation policy:
a. Because we will only meet once a week, attendance is of the utmost importance. If
you must miss class for an emergency, I understand that sometimes life just
happens. If you are continually missing class, I will set up a meeting with you to
discuss possible issues.
b. More than 3 unexcused absences will result in failure of the course.
c. Participation will be key in progress toward course outcomes. If I notice that you
are using electronics when not required, or clearly on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr,
email, etc. I will kindly ask you to put your laptop, tablet, phone, etc. away.
2. Course readings:
(a) Required text:
Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaeda, R., Hackman, H. W., Peters, M. L., &
Ziga, X. (Eds.). (2013). Readings for diversity and social justice (3rd ed.). New
York: Routledge.
(b) Any additional readings assigned will be provided and made available to you via
Blackboard.
3. Weekly Reflection Papers: Each week you will turn in a one page, double spaced
reflection paper based on the previous weeks class discussion, readings, or personal
reactions to the course material.
4. Individual Media Projects: Using the concepts that we have covered in class, Find 2
examples of at least 3 different social justice issues in current media (ie: 2 examples of
racism, 2 examples of privilege, and 2 examples of power). Copy and paste the photo,
article, or link to the video, and write a short paragraph (5-7 sentences) describing why
you feel that this example is representative of a social justice issue we have covered in
class. You will give a 5-8 minute presentation on 2 of your chosen pieces of media.
5. Social Justice Interviews and Group Presentations: In groups of 3-4 you will interview at
least 4 members of the university staff (faculty, staff, clerical, NOT students) on their views
of social justice and give a 10-12 minute presentation to the class on how their responses
compare to what we have learned in the course and submit a 5-6 page, double-spaced
reflection on your findings. Be sure to include specific examples from your interviews and
quotes from the reading that relates. I will provide you with contact information for
individuals who have agreed to be interviewed for the purposese of this course.
VI. Grading Procedures
a) Attendance and Participation-20 points
b) Weekly Reflection Papers-20 points
c) Media Project-20 points (10pts. for presentation, 10pts. for write-up)
d) Group Project and Presentation-40 points
a. 20 points for interviews and group presentation
b. 20 points for final paper
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i. Group project participation will be evaluated by group members

ii. Students will be graded individually for this project
VII. Academic Integrity
Each student in this course is expected to abide by the University Code of Academic Integrity.
Any work submitted by a student in this course for academic credit will be the student's own work
with the exception of the final group presentation paper which may be written collaboratively.
You are encouraged to study together and to discuss information and concepts covered in lecture
and the sections with other students. You can give "consulting" help to or receive "consulting"
help from such students. However, this permissible cooperation should never involve one student
having possession of a copy of all or part of work done by someone else, in the form of an e-mail,
an e-mail attachment file, a diskette, or a hard copy.
Should copying occur, both the student who copied work from another student and the student
who gave material to be copied will both automatically receive a zero for the assignment. Penalty
for violation of this Code can also be extended to include failure of the course and University
disciplinary action.
During examinations, you must do your own work. Talking or discussion is not permitted during
the examinations, nor may you compare papers, copy from others, or collaborate in any way. Any
collaborative behavior during the examinations will result in failure of the exam, and may lead to
failure of the course and University disciplinary action.
VIII. Accommodations for students with disabilities
In compliance with the University policy and equal access laws, I am available to discuss
appropriate academic accommodations that may be required for student with disabilities. Requests
for academic accommodations are to be made during the first three weeks of the semester, except
for unusual circumstances, so arrangements can be made. Students are encouraged to register
with Student Disability Services to verify their eligibility for appropriate accommodations.
IX. Inclusivity Statement
We understand that our members represent a rich variety of backgrounds and perspectives. The
Social Justice department is committed to providing an atmosphere for learning that respects
diversity. While working together to build this community we ask all members to:
share their unique experiences, values and beliefs
be open to the views of others
honor the uniqueness of their colleagues
appreciate the opportunity that we have to learn from each other in this community
value each others opinions and communicate in a respectful manner
keep confidential discussions that the community has of a personal (or professional) nature
use this opportunity together to discuss ways in which we can create an inclusive
environment in this course and across the community

Week 1

Academic integrity clause adapted from Cornell University.

X. Tentative Course Schedule
Topics
Readings Due
In-Class
th
August 29
No reading due. Come
Un-graded Social
What is Social Justice to
prepared with questions justice pre-test.
you?
from the syllabus.

Assignment
None

Week 2

September 5th
Social Justice

Chapter 7

Lecture and
discussion.

Reflection Paper Due on

Week 1 discussion and
pre-test

Week 3

September 12th
Racism

Pages 57-64 and

Chapter 8

Lecture and
discussion.

Week 4

September 19th
Power

Chapter 3

Lecture and
discussion.

Week 5

September 26th
Privilege

Chapter 116

Lecture and
discussion.

Week 6

October 3rd
Classism

Pages 141-149 and

Chapters 29-31

Discussion and
overview of Individual
Media Project.

Week 7

October 10th

Week 8

October 17th
Pages 317-323 and
Sexism and Heterosexism Chapters 60, 62, 63

Reflection Paper Due on

Week 2 readings and
discussion.
Reflection Paper Due on
Week 3 readings and
discussion.
Reflection Paper Due on
Week 4 readings and
discussion.
Reflection Paper Due on
Week 5 readings and
discussion.
Individual Media
Project Presentations.
Reflection Paper Due on
Week 6 AND/OR 7
readings and discussion,
AND/OR presentations.

Week 9

October 24th
Religious Oppression

Pages Readingpp.373
379andChapters77
79,83
Pages 229-237 and
Chapters 46, 47, 57

Week 10

October 31st
Genderism/Cissexism

Pages 425-431 and

Chapters 87, 89, 93

Week 11

November 7th
Ableism

Week 12

November 14th
How to be an ally.

Pages 461-467 and

Chapters 97, 98, 109,
110
Chapter 131

Week 13

November 21st

Week 14

November 28th

Week 15

December 5th
No Class

Lecture and
discussion.

Small-Groups: Discuss
your progress made
toward understanding
course concepts.
Discussion and
overview of Final
group projects.
Lecture and
discussion.
Post-Test of social
justice core concepts.

Thanksgiving Break No
Class

Reflection Paper Due on

Week 8 readings and
discussion.
Reflection Paper Due on
Week 9 readings and
discussion.
Reflection Paper Due on
Week 10 readings and
discussion.
Reflection Paper Due on
Week 11 readings and
discussion.
NONE
Final Group
Presentations
Final Group
Presentation Paper Due
on Blackboard

None

Schedule is subject to change at any time during the semester. Students will be notified of any changes and
provided with an updated schedule.

The following four agreements are adapted from Don Miguel Ruiz, Robert Nash, and Bridget Turner Kelly.

Contract for Dialogue in the Classroom: Four Agreements

Be Impeccable With Your Word

I agree to speak with integrity, to say only what I mean. I agree to not speak against or judge others or
myself. I agree to take responsibility for my actions. I agree to go hard on ideas and soft on people. I
believe that ideas are always up for challenge, critique and dissection. I believe peoples worth is never up
for question or debate. I agree to respect and listen to all ideas and the authors of those ideas. I agree to
extol the value and worth of ideas before I describe the areas where I oppose them.

Take Things Personally

I agree that someone in this class will say or do something that will hurt or offend me. I agree to share
what it was that hurt/offended me with the person. I believe that my point of view is something personal to
me, based on my own experiences and truths. I believe sharing my point of view is beneficial to me and
others. I agree to try and understand where others are coming from without imposing my beliefs onto
them. I agree to trust myself to ask for what I need from the class.

Dont Make Assumptions

I agree to ask questions rather than make assumptions about what someone is doing or thinking. If I do
not understand something I agree to be courageous and ask questions until I have as much clarity as I can,
and even then I will not assume that I know all there is to know about a particular situation. I agree not to
make the assumption that everyone sees life the way I do, thinks the way I think, or feels the way I feel.

Always Do Your Best

I agree to do my best, no more and no less. I believe that doing my best involves taking action because I
want to, not because I expect a reward (e.g. grade). I believe that my best will change depending on if I
am sick or healthy, happy or sad, tired or wide-awake, well-prepared or not. Under any circumstance, I
agree to do my best.

I agree to honor these for our dialogue in the classroom: