John.Tiedemann@du.edu Keelie.Sorel@du.edu

T 4:005:50 Margery Reed 217

Blog: sjus.blogspot.com

social justice 2030

Johns office hours: W 12:004:00 Johns office: Anderson Academic Commons 380U

Keelies office: Driscoll South Suite 1

THE CLASS

In this final installment of the three-course SJUS sequence, we will execute the service project we began planning last term, share our work with the wider community via the Social Justice Colloquium and the LLC Presentations of Learning event, and well explore our own, personal social justice commitments and how these causes have been advanced via digital media.

Students will divide into service groups to carry out the three-part project we planned last term. This service project is largely self-directed. With the help of a coordinating committee, the three groups will independently plan and execute their portion of the service project. Well devote the second half of each class to group meetings.

Students will also carry out individual projects, via the Living Our Learning blog. On the blog, each student will create a conversation about a social justice issue, movement, or person that s/he really cares about by sharing, writing about, and leading discussion on a digital artifact of your choosing. The artifact might be a video, a song, a website, a series of photos, a piece of writing, etc. anything goes, so long as it s manageably sized (e.g., videos should be under 10 minutes; writing under 10 pages). Students will start the conversation by posting the artifact to our blog and writing about it: What issue is it connected to? How is it connected? Why do you care deeply about this issue? What questions does the artifact raise that youd like to discuss with your classmates? The people who posted will lead a small group discussion in class.

In May, we will attend an LLC Presentations of Learning event, and well put on a Social Justice Colloquium. At the colloquium, well welcome members of the social justice community, on campus and off, to join us for a day of class presentations, group conversations, and artistic display. Part of your work in class this term will consist in preparing your colloquium presentation, getting ready to participate in a colloquium conversation, and preparing to display your own creative work.

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GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS Goals

SJUS 2030 is the third of three courses taken by the students in the Social Justice Living & Learning Community. The course has three goals. First, by critically examining ideas, figures, and texts from the social justice tradition, students will acquire a deeper understanding of the broad philosophical and historical context in which their own efforts on behalf of social justice are taking shape. Second, in order to grow as social justice scholars and activists and to work effectively with the broader community, we must learn how to organize ourselves as a community, one that embodies the social justice values we hold in common. And third, in order to grow as agents of social justice and of their own learning, students will take responsibility for co-creating the class, co-leading class meetings, and carrying out a service project.

Expectations

The experience of taking part in the Social Justice Living & Learning Community differs from more traditional classroom experiences in important ways. Each SJLLC student has a great deal of autonomy in shaping his or her learning experience and thus a high degree of responsibility for contributing to the experience of the group. Whats more, the learning experience includes not only the work that is officially part of SJUS classes but also other, unofficial learning opportunities that the SJLLC sponsors, such as service opportunities, guest speakers, retreats, and symposia. Finally, the work that SJLLC students do in the classroom is directly relevant to the work they do in the community outside it, and vice versa. In short, the SJLLC learning experience does not consist of completing a compartmentalized series of discrete tasks that you can tick off on a checklist. Rather, it consists in collaborating with one another and with the wider community to create and sustain an ongoing, open-ended process of active intellectual engagement.

That said, some of the expectations for this course can be stated in conventional academic terms: In addition to class time, students can expect to devote four or more hours a week to reading, writing, group work, and community work. In short, SJUS classes are designed to be every bit as intellectually rigorous and rewarding as any other class on campus.

GRADES, ETC.

Grades

Grades will be calculated as follows:

o 25%: This is meaningful to me assignment o 25%: How Ill live my learning assignment o 25%: Group participation grade (Each service group will evaluate the contribution of its

members) o 25%: Overall participation grade (by John)

Engagement and attendance

I expect you all to be active, involved learners and thoughtful, helpful collaborators. Your participation is made manifest in a number of ways. It includes preparing for and contributing to in-class discussion, taking part energetically and responsibly in community work, and in your efforts to improve not only your own learning experience but that of the entire class. I will assess your engagement as follows:

o Superior engagement means that the student is always prepared, often adding additional insights to class discussion and participating fully in our community activities. S/he demonstrates active learning via consistently thoughtful and energetic engagement with the material, his or her peers, John and Catherine, and our community partners.

o Average engagement means that the student generally seems prepared and willing to take part. Is or her engagement in class and out of it seems to encourage and support others. The students presence is generally productive.

o Weak engagement means that the students participation in and out of class is listless, lackluster, or only intermittent.

Civility, Tolerance, and Inclusive Excellence

The Social Justice LLC is committed to fostering a diverse learning community that is inclusive and respectful. We encourage and appreciate expressions of different ideas, opinions, and beliefs, so that conversations and interactions that could be potentially divisive instead turn into opportunities for intellectual and personal growth. Respecting what others say, their right to say it, and listening to each other are the ways that we all can further thoughtful and enlightening dialogue. Because our course relies heavily on interactions between all members of the LLC, we must all act in a manner that not only respects but actively supports different positions, perspectives, cultures, heritages, and gender, racial, ethnic, class, sexual, and other identities. This means that we strive to include one another fully in all of our interactions, and perhaps especially with respect to the ways we talk with one another. We aim to use inclusive language. We aim always to listen to one another, never to interrupt, and always to respond thoughtfully and respectfully. And, because civility also means not distracting other participants or checking out of the conversation. So no internet surfing, no phone checking, and so no side conversations.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

The Social Justice LLC will provide reasonable accommodations to every student who has a disability that has been documented by The University of Denver Disability Services Program (www.du.edu/disability/dsp or 303.871.2455).

CONFERENCES

John is available for conferences in his office between 12:00 and 4:00 on Wednesdays and by appointment. You can make an appointment by going to http://www.meetme.so/Tiedemann and following the instructions.

Keelie has office hours from 11:00-12:00 on Mondays and Tuesdays. Her office is in Driscoll South Suite 1, below the bookstore.

CALENDAR

T March 24 Setting the stage and planning the course

T March 31 Discussion leaders: Devin, Jesus, Jack, Nick 2nd part of class: Group work

T April 7 Discussion leaders: Brandon, Erik, Bridget, Sami 2nd part of class: Group work

T April 14 Discussion leaders: Tazmae, Jamilex, Alex, Aaron 2nd part of class: Group work

*SJ retreat is on the 18th and 19th!

T April 21 Discussion leaders: Sungmin, Conor ODonnell, Caitlin, Emily Rowe 2nd part of class: Group work

T April 28 Discussion leaders: Reilly, Sam, Conor Rodihan, Cheyenne 2nd part of class: Group work

T May 5 Preparing for the Presentations of Learning * Presentations of Learning are on the 7th!

T May 12 How well live our learning

T May 19 How well live our learning

T May 27 How well live our learning

T May 28 How well live our learning

The final draft of the How Ill live my learning essay is due on Google Docs by noon on Friday, June 5.