Course Outline

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SOCIAL JUSTICE 12

COURSE OUTLINE

Diane Cacciato

dcacciato@sd63.bc.ca

Welcome to Social Justice 12

Classroom expectations:

I will be expecting the following things from you:

1. I expect you to treat all people in this classroom or any other place we go as a class with respect and courtesy.  This includes being supportive of each other, not swearing or using hate slang (hate slang includes anything that is derogatory to or insulting of any particular group or groups), helping others when they need it, cooperating with others, etc.  Of all the expectations for Social Justice 12, this is the MOST important.
2. I expect you to treat the classroom, or any other place we go as a class, and all the objects in it with respect.  This includes not leaving garbage lying around or in your desks, not writing on the desks or in your textbooks, leaving your space neat and tidy at the end of class.
3. I expect you to come to class prepared to be an active learner.  This includes bringing your notebook, textbook, pen/pencil, arriving on time, bringing finished homework on time, turning off and putting cellphones away, putting ipods away except when you are told you may use them, getting enough sleep the night before so you are awake in class, etc.

You can expect the following things from me:

1. You can expect the same things from me that I expect from you – that I will treat people in our class with respect, that I will treat our space with respect and that I will come to class prepared to be an active participant.
2. You can expect that I will treat you fairly, that I will encourage you, and that I will be flexible in my expectations when it is appropriate.
3. You can expect extra help from me as needed.  I will be available most days at break in the library.  I will also be available after school in the library on most Fridays. 
4. You can expect that I will do my best to answer your questions.  I may not have the answers immediately but I will make every effort to find an answer for you in a reasonable time.
   

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Class Content:

We will be covering the following topics in class:

1. Introduction to Social Justice: setting ground rules, building empathy, defining terms and concepts, examining ethics
   
2. Social Justice Beliefs and Values: examining belief systems
3. Research Skills: devising key questions, locating resources, assessing reliability and bias in resources, note-taking, citations.
4. Racism and Ableism: examining how specific examples have had an impact on the lives of the individuals
   
5. Poverty: examining a situation or reality of injustice, including power imbalance, exclusion, marginalization, etc.
6. Aboriginal Peoples and the Law: uses law as a lens to show students how government sometimes uses it’s power to commit acts of injustice.
7. Examining LGBTQ Issues: challenging homophobia, myths and facts, legal rights.
8. Women and Social Justice: looking at women’s history, understanding feminist movement, oppression of women internationally.
9. Genocide: comprehend the historical significance of genocide
   
10. Globalization: understand social justice as it relates to globalization.
11. Social Justice Action Plan: major project that consists of several integrated activities and extends over the duration of the semester.  It provides students with an opportunity to demonstrate skills such as leadership, organization, and presentation.  This will incorporate the concepts learned over the semester, demonstrate and understanding of the personal and organizational skills required to effect real change, and raise student awareness.

Resources we will be using:
The textbook we will be using are:

• Global Voices: The Compilation Volume 1 (GV)
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
  
• The Better World Shopping Guide
  

You will need one notebook for a personal and learning journal.


You will also create a blog.  You may call your blog whatever you like (as long as it is respectful). You will use this blog to write down thoughts on the topics we have covered.

We will also be using other resources in the library and on the Internet as needed.

Evaluation of Your Learning:

Your skills and knowledge will be evaluated using the following:

• Individual and group classwork
• Homework
• Quizzes, tests and the final exam
• The Social Justice Action Plan
• Blog and personal journal
• Research process
• Self evaluation
• Class discussions
• Discussions between student and teacher

These will determine your final grade in Social Justice 12.