ERIC Number: ED208770
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1981-Jun-28
Pages: 16
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
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EISSN: N/A
Linking Faith and Justice: Reflections on Institutional Conditions and Educating for Justice.
Fitz, Raymond L.
Approaches to promoting justice education on a Catholic university campus are considered. A model of experiential learning for the sake of justice, based on the insights of liberation theology and research on cognitive development and style, suggests that there are a variety of instances within campus life where skills of justice can be learned. Another approach is that of programming centers, which can be utilized on campus to educate for justice and to make justice education an integral part of the mission of the university. The conditions for institutionalizing these programming centers, for insuring an appropriate resource base for them, and staffing approaches are examined. The experiential learning model has four major movements: awareness of institutional dilemmas and success (experiences of injustice and justice); critical reflection on dilemmas and successes to understand the social context of these experiences; creative formation of change models; and testing implications of change models in new situations through individual and group action that sustains or modifies the structures of the institution. This model can help understand how students learn the skills of justice in settings such as residence halls, student government, and curriculum development. The approach of programming centers, or justice centers, promotes recruitment and retention of students and faculty committed to justice, and facilitates scholarship and research on major justice issues (e.g., racism, world hunger). Reference is made to the concept of the pastoral circle and Kolb's experiential learning model. (SW)
Descriptors: Catholic Schools, Change Strategies, Church Related Colleges, College Environment, College Role, Conflict Resolution, Ethical Instruction, Experiential Learning, Higher Education, Justice, Models, Moral Development, Religion, Social Cognition, Social Problems, Student College Relationship, Values
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Note: Paper presented at a conference entitled "Education for Justice: A Conference" for the College and University Community," University of Notre Dame (Lafayette, IN, June 28, 1981).