LDST 205: Justice and Civil Society Spring 2011 Instructor: Kerstin Soderlund Office Location: Jepson Hall Room 122 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 804-287-6082 Office Hours: Wednesdays 10-11:30 a.m. and by appointment Purpose This course will enable students to think about contemporary social problems in systemic terms. We will consider “What is justice? Should we regard justice as a personal virtue, an attribute of an entire society, or both? What specific qualities characterize a just society? What do we mean in terms of ‘fairness,’ ‘equal opportunity’ and ‘liberty?’ We will consider instances of social dysfunction, poverty and suffering and whether these are the products of individual choice and behavior or products or larger social forces. We will consider the impact of ‘difference’ and how it affects the way in which one experiences ‘justice.’ This course includes a community-based component in which students engage with the lives of those served by approved community partners in the greater Richmond area. This community component is designed to help students integrate what they are learning in the class with practical, hands-on experience of working with agencies and organizations that serve to remedy social inequity. The community component of the course will give students the opportunity to develop relationships with people of difference outside of the University and ‘test’ the theories and concepts related to justice that are discussed in the classroom. Learning Objectives As a result of this course, students will:  analyze social issues and problems in light of theories of justice;  understand the needs of others in the context of social systems and problems;  provide a service to persons in need through specific and tangible tasks;  develop strategies to create relationships across lines of difference;  explore and develop personal values and goals; and  reflect on career and personal opportunities to serve society and work for justice. Required Texts Kahane, Adam. Solving Tough Problems: An Open Way of Talking, Listening, and Creating New Realities. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2004. Newman, Katherine S. and Chen, Victor T. The Missing Class: Portraits of Near Poor in America. Boston: Beacon Press, 2007. Sandel, Michael J. Justice: A Reader. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007 Sandel, Michael J. Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009.Schwalbe, Michael. Rigging the Game: How Inequality is Reproduced in Everyday Life. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. Tyson, Timothy B. Blood Done Sign My Name. New York: Three Rivers Press. – this is the 2010-11 One Book, 2004. Additional readings will be provided throughout the course via Blackboard. Class Requirements Class participation includes attendance at each class session and active participation. Contributions to class that advance the class discussion are valued more than sheer quantity of participation. Advancing the class discussion can take several forms, from calling attention to something important in the reading we haven’t talked about yet, to answering a question posed by the instructor, to asking a factual or interpretive question of relevance to the discussion, to stating (and giving reasons) why you think you disagree with another student or the instructor. Students are allowed one unexcused absence; any unexcused absences after that will impact your final participation grade and multiple unexcused absences will have a negative impact at an exponentially increasing rate. The week before Spring Break I will post to Blackboard midterm participation grades so you have some feedback. Class Participation (10% or course grade) Working with a small group, you will be assigned a class (in late March/early April) for which you are responsible. Your group will select a reading about a contemporary issue of justice that the class will be assigned to read prior to your session. Your group will then facilitate class on your assigned day, leading discussion and/or activities related to the reading you selected and the way in which it relates to the themes/concepts discussed in the course. Further details will be provided in regards to this assignment during the second week of class. Class Facilitation (10% of course grade) Community Based Component (20% of course grade) The community based component of this course includes 26 hours of active service at designated partner agency in the greater Richmond area and 4 hours of observation (police ride-along or court observation). The active service should all be completed at the same site unless you get special permission (and have a good reason for doing your hours at more than one site). All service hours must be completed by December 3. Information about approved sites, all required forms, and a “To Do” list are available at: http://jepson.richmond.edu/academics/practice/justice.html Community-Based Learning Assignments:  “Community Based Learning Contract” – Due by Friday, January 21st (If you plan to serve at a Build-It or Richmond Families Initiative site learning contract is due on Friday, January 28, 2011.)  Journal Entry 1 – Due Tuesday, February 8th Write a journal entry that describes the agency in which you work through the eyes of one of those whom it serves. Write this entry in the first person in the voice of someone that the agency service. It may reflect the thoughts and feelings of someone you observe/interact with or someone you invent based on various persons you have met. Does this person consider himself or herself to be a full member of the community?Does the person believe he or she experiences injustice? Reflection should be 2-3 pages.  Journal Entry 2 – Due Class Following Observational Experience Following your police ride-along or court observation you should submit a 2-3 page reflection describing your experience and how it informed (or did not inform) your understanding of justice. This reflection should combine some element of the experience; some element of reading and class discussion from this course; and some element of personal introspection.  Journal Entry 3 – Due Tuesday, April 12th Write a journal entry that assesses what you have learned from the community-based component of the course. Have you changed from this experience, and if so, in