SOCIAL JUSTICE PROJECT

Social Justice is the commitment to ensuring that each and every human being
has the material, economic, political, educational, psychological, social,
spiritual and health resources necessary to live a fully human life.

SEE, JUDGE/REFLECT, ACT! THREE PARTS

PART I: SEE—How do I SEE my chosen issue as a social justice issue?

Due OCTOBER 19, 2017

In NO more than two pages typed answer the following questions in essay form
on the topic you have chosen for your presentation.

What is the issue I SEE? Where does it take place? Who is involved? Who is
affected? What actually is happening/or happened? How does the situation
influence how human beings receive or have access to resources necessary to
live a fully human life? How do I feel in the face of this issue? Does it touch me
personally?

PART II: JUDGE/REFLECT—Social Analysis/Theological Reflection

Due November 2nd, 2017 an annotated bibliography of three articles you are
reading.

It is important to engage in social analysis when trying to understand or

examine a social problem.

The word judge is used here in a positive sense: to analyze the situation by
exploring its historical and structural relationships. In this step, we attempt to make
sense of the reality that was observed in Step I.
1. Why are things this way?
2. What is the root cause?
3. What social institutions are interplaying?

Social Analysis helps us to obtain a more complete picture of the social situation by
exploring the historical and structural relationship. In this step, we attempt to make
sense of what is observed in step one. (SEE)

Any social issue can be “dissected” or analyzed according to the various systems
that affect it.

Example 1. Economic factors? 2. Political factors? 3. Social factors? 4. Historical

factors? 5. Cultural factors? 6. Spiritual/theological?
READ SHEET CALLED SOCIAL ANALYSIS for further clarification

BENEFITS OF SOCIAL ANALYSIS

It leads us beyond the interpersonal level to think systemically. Systems are

interrelated parts that form a whole. Social and economic systems act and react
with other systems to produce social conditions in which we live. By using social
analysis, we begin to see the connections between the social institutions and we
begin to get a fuller picture of the social, economic and political forces at work in the
world.

THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION

Analyze the situation in light of Scripture and the Church’s social justice teaching?
What biblical values or social teaching help us to see this situation in a different
way? (If you prefer to use the social teachings of another Religion you may.

PART III ACT—What do we do? What can we do or what is being done to

transform the social structures that contribute to the suffering and injustice?

INCLUDE THIS IN YOUR PRESENTATION

PART IV PRESENTATION TO CLASS

November 16th, November 30th, and December 7th

Put this information together in a class presentation that should be 20 minutes in

length. Keep in the mind that the presentation has three parts; SEE, JUDGE, ACT.
Be creative. Use song, video, poster board or MS Power Point Poster Template.

How do I evaluate if I did a good job on this presentation?

COVERAGE: Have you provided all the obvious information about the issue? Are
you major findings evident? Are the three areas covered: see, judge, (social and
theological) act

CLARITY: Is the key information evident? Is the content communicated clearly?

How well is your summary presented?

PICTURES/VIDEO/MUSIC: Are they appropriate and cited/referenced?

ENGAGEMENT: Will a listener (your class) learn enough and be engaged

enough to ask a question?
GUIDELINES ON PRESENTATION

Task:

1. To present an analyzed social justice issue.

2. To show reflection on the root causes of this issue
3. To acknowledge what is being done to resolve this issue
4. To present your issue to the class and invite class discussion

Presentations should last no more that 20 minutes including the discussion.

Introduce yourself: Name, major, year in school and topic

Each presentation should include:

One media piece ie. Video, song, pictures, posters etc. that is relevant to the social
justice issue.
All presentations should show evidence of research and an understanding of the
topic.

There are three parts:

SEE: Describe the issue. What is the social justice issue you SEE? Where is it
evident? Who is affected?

REFLECT: This is the analysis. Pick three or four of the factors; economic, political,
social, historical, cultural, spiritual and show how these systems affect the issue.
Include the interplay of social institutions where applicable.

ACT: What is being done? By whom? What can be done? How?

How can social justice principles be applied to solve this challenge?

All presentations should show evidence of research.

All presentations should include one way to engage the class so the students can
offer input and reflection (questions for discussion, quiz, survey, brief game, etc.)
TOPICS
GLOBAL ISSUES
1. Human Trafficking
2. Use of drones in war
3. U.S. involvement in Afghanistan
4. Policy to deal with North Korea
5. Syrian refugees
6. Education for women world wide (Sheryl Wu Dunn, Malala Yousafzai)
7. Corporate responsibility to workers overseas

IMMIGRATION ISSUES
1. AFP Arizona concentration camps
2. DARCA and its implication for the Dreamers

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
1. The increasing Use of paper over time
2. Fracking
3. Clean water
4. Protection of our Oceans

LOCAL ISSUES
1. Inequality of educational resources on Long Island
2. Gangs on Long Island
3. Homelessness on Long Island
4. One in ten NYC schools are homeless
5. Affordable housing on Long Island

PRISONS AND JUSTICE SYSTEM

1. Privatizing prisons
2. Use of solitary confinement in prisons
3. Wrongfully accused and what went wrong (ex. the Central Park Five)
4. Militarization of police departments

HUMAN RIGHTS
1. Fake news
2. Sexual assault on compasses (Betty De Vos, Obama)
3. What are the qualities of a good leader?
4. People who are transgendered