Download Definition of Social Justice Education at Gonzaga

Definition of Social Justice Education at Gonzaga
In keeping with humanistic principles, Catholic social teaching and Jesuit tradition, Gonzaga
University seeks to educate students in the theory and exercise of socially just practices so that they
be impelled by and create hope as men and women for others who form an ever more just world.
Social justice education begins with engaging students in the reality of suffering in the human
condition, including environmental abuse and the violence that both results from and fosters social
injustice; it seeks to awaken a profound empathy and sense of solidarity with those who are victims
of unjust decisions, actions and structures, and to provide the critical disciplinary training necessary
to understand and combat that injustice; and it attempts to inculcate the requisite habits of mind that
lead to appropriate actions in the service of improving the lived experience of all human beings,
locally and globally.
Potential Social Justice Learning Outcomes (SJLOs)
The success of this educational endeavor is seen in graduates who:
…demonstrate self-reflective awareness of themselves and their relationships with others
…demonstrate consciousness to others' distress and a desire to alleviate it
…demonstrate a sense of right and wrong rooted in justifiable ethical principles
... can analyze factors contributing to human suffering and social injustice
…can apply collaborative problem-solving skills to social injustice situations
…can apply disciplinary skills and interdisciplinary knowledge to social justice issues
…are committed to non-violent solutions
…demonstrate a growth in maturity of understanding and actions over the course of their education
Qualitative Assessment for SJLOs The following assessment methods can be employed to measure
student learning in the SJOs.
Reflective writing assignments assessment characteristics
a. How was the student changed?
b. Were connections made with other areas of experience, disciplines, ideas?
c. Are opinions supported by evidence or criteria external to the student?
d. How is the student’s self-consciousness demonstrated:
i. awareness of the experience of others
ii. awareness of own learning process
e. What questions has the student learned to ask?
f. How would the student answer the questions:
i. Who was I at the beginning of this process?
ii. Who am I now?
iii. Who will I be as a result of this experience?