Social Justice 12

Life in the 21st Century can be overwhelming. We now have access to more information than at any time in human history, and not all that information is positive. It is true that there is a lot of hardship in the world right now, caused by poverty, climate change, lack of access to food and water, conflict, social inequality, racism, sexism and so on. People are impacted by these issues in different ways every single day. That’s the bad news. The good news is, there are solutions to these problems, and you can be part of those solutions!

In this course, you will learn about the causes of and solutions for many social justice issues that exist today. You will learn how you can help!

The big ideas in Social Justice 12 are:

  1. Social justice issues are interconnected.
  2. Individual worldviews shape and inform our understanding of social justice issues.
  3. The causes of social injustice are complex and have lasting impacts on society.
  4. Social justice initiatives can transform individuals and systems.

For more information on the core competencies and curricular competencies for Social Justice 12, please visit the BC’s Curriculum website: https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/social-studies/12/social-justice

The assessments for this course are a reflection, a discussion, and a project for each module, plus a final major project.  Each Module project has several choices, so you can explore topics that interest you more deeply. The course is designed so that you do Module 1 first, as it gives you the background information you need for the rest of the course. The other modules can be done in any order you choose, although it is recommended you do the Change module last.

Modules/Assignments

First Assignment

Module 1: Definitions, Frameworks, and Interpretations of Social Justice

  • In this module, we will look at definitions, frameworks, and interpretations of social justice. You created your own definition of social justice in the First Assignment. We will dive deeper into what it is in the lessons for this module.

Poverty

  • Poverty affects many aspects of life, including not being able to afford access to education, food, health care and job security. On a deeper level, poverty is not having access to opportunities to improve your livelihood and take control of your future. In this module, you will learn about causes of and solutions for poverty

Gender

  • In this module you will explore different ways gender is expressed, and issues around gender including sexism and femicide. You will also look at strategies for change.

Animal Rights

  • Animals have rights too! We tend to think of humans as separate from and higher than the creature we call animals. However, the truth is, we are merely another species of animal, and many people believe animals are just as entitled to having rights as humans. You will learn all about this in this module

Environmental Justice

  • As you are no doubt aware, climate change and other environmental problems are some of the biggest challenges the planet and all it’s inhabitants currently face. In this module you will learn about the effects of environmental degradation, and some solutions.

Food and Water

  • A large portion of the population of earth do not have access to enough nutritious food, and/or safe drinking water. In this module we look at these issues in depth and explore some possible solutions.

Change

  • In this module, you will look more in depth at what actions can be taken to effect change to the issues you have studied in the course.

Final project

  • The final project for the course is a look at the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, LGBT, Queer and 2 Spirit People. Many of the social justice issues you learned about in the course intersect in the MMIWGLGBTQ2+ crisis. This is an important social justice concept called “intersectionality” – social justice issues are rarely the result of one factor. You will explore this concept while learning about one of the most important issues facing Canadians today.

Assessment

First Assignment 10%
Discussions 20%
Reflections 20%
Module Projects 40%
Final Project 10%

Required Resources: All resources required to complete the course are provided online.

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