UCOR-1640: Social Problems: Course Analysis

During the first portion of this course our goal has been to analyze different theories on social justice in order to come up with our own theory on what social justice means to us. To start off we discussed the writings of J.S Mills. In his writings he described social justice as independance, stating that if human beings individually developed themselves autonomously and find harmony within themselves without conforming to any social structure than there would be harmony amongst everyone. On the other hand B. Barry offers a very contrary idea of social justice. He believes that although liberty plays a large role in social justice not everyone shares the same level of independence due to the fact that after the moment of conception there are some who have advantage over others. So therefore liberty alone cannot create social justice and it is instead the responsibility

Chapter six of Social Problems by Joel Best was about public reactions. The chapter explains how to measure public opinions in things like polling (166-167). Best then goes on to talk about what affects public opinion (170). Best continues to tell us what public opinion impacts (172). Lastly, Best talks about how public opinion plays a role in the social problems process (191).

For the purpose of this paper, I have read three different articles that all talk about the common theme of being culturally responsive in the classroom. They also touch on the issue of social justice oriented classrooms. From these articles I will share what I have learned and how they tie into my life as I enter into my teaching career and become a culturally responsive teacher that makes sure to follow social justice.

This course included lessons in both written and oral communication to increase the understanding of student diversity. I participated in discussions on the issues of diversity that affect student learning from diverse groups. With the use of Ruby Payne’s book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty and The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, I examined and reflected on the ethnic and economic diversity in schools and students.

The central idea is that all are equals, no matter one’s race, gender, or orientation. Perhaps one of the greatest awakenings in my social justice education came from the book Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson. This powerful book followed the true life of lawyer Bryan Stevenson, who moved to the southern United States in order to mainly represent death-row inmates, along with the poor and disadvantaged in need of legal assistance. Coming from a sheltered community, this book exposed me to ideas about privilege and injustice I never knew existed. The fact that I knew almost nothing about social justice, in itself, was a privilege. I blindly believed the fact that we were living in a post-racial society. In order to understand social justice further, I had to learn my own privileges. Due to my time at Loyola, I was able to develop a more holistic viewpoint of the world. I knew my privileges, and was more keen to see how others do not have my same benefits. Injustices happen all around us, a concept I would further explore in my role as a Peer Advisor at Loyola, and learn about in my

The unequal pay makes life hard for African Americans, but even the government did not support African Americans in their pleas against segregation, and this is important for students to know about in order for them to develop a deeper sense of sensitivity towards the situation. It is hard to grasp the idea that even the government, which is the system that is in charge of the community, does not truly support the community, but instead supports a part of the it—the non-colored people. With all the media coverage of racism and violence today, students are easily desensitized. It is easy for students to think about the present, but it can be beneficial for them to learn about these situations

In Heritage High School, there exists a substantial gap between minority and white students engaging in arduous subjects, as only fifteen-percent of minorities enroll in Advanced Placement courses compared to the staggering seventy-percent of white students participating in ambitious classes. This disparity among students has accelerated the semblance of a marginalized society consisting of minority pupils, who remain futile in pursuit of academics. I seek to tarnish the illusion of inadequateness, as remaining fulfilled causes a person to not accel. To challenge myself is utterly necessary in upholding an inclusive society, which demonstrates that minorities are seeking to improve themselves. To be an exemplar in the standards of a dignified student of color. This perpetual drive of success develops the foundation of an inclusive society. The efficacy of a student's tenacity will propel the urge of prosperity within themselves. Society is solely a spectrum of colors, a pack of crayons, to not pick an choose a colors you are comfortable with, but to include the diverse, plentiful array of colors, to illustrate a painting of opportunity. An illustration of a vivid colors brimming with a rigor is the utter depiction of an inclusive

The greatest issue facing America today is the ongoing battle for social justice among minority groups such as: African-Americans, the LGBT+ community, and Native Americans who've suffered harsh treatment in the present and past. Since the early colonization of America, these minority groups have continuously fought for their rights because of the oppression that society placed on them. They’ve sought justice through non-violent/violent protests, movements, and laws to spark change among an unfair society that has endlessly persecuted them. However, this injustice doesn’t happen entirely from racism or prejudice but from the majority “refusing to take a stand against the problem causing it to grow further” (Thoreau 326).

Much of the literature we have read in this course has been centered around injustice and inequality in society. These ethical questions explored in our literature are inherently tied to public life in that they analyze how communities and societies should handle these injustices. Multiplication is for White People by Lisa Delpit and the episode of the podcast “This American Life: Three Miles” illustrate the systemic inequality ingrained in the educational system of the United States, while Michael J. Sandel’s book Justice explores how communities should deal with the injustice. My service learning as an Adult Homework Helper for the Sumner Library is an attempt to combat the injustice towards disadvantaged people perpetuated by various systems, particularly that of education, in the United States.

Growing up as a minority in a close-knit small town with people of various other cultures around the world, diversity is a topic I am accustomed to. However, in the entirety of my eighteen years on this earth, I had never attended a university-level diversity lecture. Dr. Mindy West’s faculty lecture on Friday the twenty eighth of October at three in the afternoon, in the BAC building was my first university-level lecture on diversity. Dr. West’s lecture on diversity to the half-full room of anxious business students shocked and astonished me on multiple different levels.

Growing up in a diverse community being surrounded with people of different races, sexuality, gender, and socio-economic class has shown me that we all share different experiences. We all go through different events during our lives that add to our experience and shape us to who we become as people. I took a class about social inequalities in the United States, and it helped me realize that many of us are victims of social injustices, whether it is how someone treated because of their race, or being expected to act a certain way because of gender or sexuality, or even recognizing the lack of opportunities because of socio-economic class. Understanding not only my own, but other’s experiences as well is important to me because it has shaped

No matter the grade level, discussing and acknowledging diversity can be one of the most beneficial experiences a student has within the classroom. Not only does it force them to address who they are as individuals, but it also brings forth curiosity for education based topics such as history and literature. However, when speaking with a classroom (especially a classroom of young students), diverse subject matter requires a careful and thoughtful approach. Examples of this approach, as well as proper facilitation, are both outlined by Barbra C. Cruz in her article, The Problem We Still Live With (2015).

rather than the conditions themselves. [5] This examination will often take the form of case

While completing coursework at CSUMB for the Liberal Studies program, the researcher was inspired by its classes to be a Diversity and Multicultural Scholar and a Social Justice Collaborator. By evaluating their own and others’ experiences as influenced by social identities, socialization practices, and societal institutions from both historical and contemporary perspectives it helped the researcher open their eyes in how they want to be in their classroom as an educator. In the researchers LS 380: Teaching for Social Change, LS 394: Multicultural literature , and LS 398: Social Foundations of Multicultural Education classes, the researcher critically examined the value of diversity and multiculturalism which interested her in the teaching

Since I started this class, I have a learned a great deal about cultural diversity in the classroom and abroad. My perspective has changed slightly but my knowledge of this subject has improved. In my family, my father taught me about the civil rights movement and the evils of segregation in the U.S. My parents taught me to be tolerant of all humans, no matter what they look like, how they dress, or their sexual orientation. My family has always been liberal thinkers who taught me the dark history of racism and bigotry in this country. As an educator I would be accepting to all race, creeds, and religious peoples.