The University’s commitment to social justice will take on global proportions this spring with the addition of community service-based sociology classes at several study abroad locations. The program will help students learn about both social justice and local cultures, according to Department of Sociology Chair Sam Marrullo.
The Office of International Programs hopes to pilot the new program this spring in Dakar, Senegal, according to Lucienne Jugant, the advisor for the Senegal program. They plan to expand the program to England, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Chile and Turkey in the future.
The course, “Social Justice Practicum”, was designed by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, in conjunction with the Center for Social Justice and the Office of International Programs. It is part of the newly created Social Justice Analysis concentration in the sociology major.
The course will combine hands-on community service with the academic study of social justice. The service projects, which will be organized by local nonprofit organizations, will vary based on the needs of the area, according to Kathleen Maas Weigert, the director of the Center for Social Justice.
This program differs from the service-learning credit offered at Georgetown, which allows students to get credit for simply doing community service work. Marullo said that this is instead a social justice analysis program, in which service will be an integral part of the course.
The course fulfills both the academic goals of the sociology department and the cultural goals of the Office of International Programs. In addition to introducing students to international social justice theory, working in underpriveleged communities will allow students a greater level of cultural immersion. “It’s a win-win-win for everybody,” he said.
While the new course is part of the sociology department, it will be available to students from all schools and majors and may be used to fulfill the College’s social science requirement, according to Weigert. “The Department of Sociology and the Program in Justice and Peace are the natural places for this,” she said. “But they are just the starting points.”
Marullo said students have already expressed a great deal of interest in the program. “At the first two information sessions, the response from students was enthusiastic and terrific,” he said.
Joe Sciarrillo (SFS ‘06), who plans to study abroad in Senegal next fall, is excited about the prospect of formal study of social justice issues abroad. “That’s why I want to go to Senegal, to learn about social justice in Africa, issues of poverty and war,” he said.
Jessica Snyder (SFS ‘04), who spent last spring in Senegal, agreed that this was a positive step because it forces students to interact with more disadvantaged parts of the population. “Adding that component would make it clear that service is an important part of your stay in Senegal,” she said.
