Gender and sex discrimination at workplace

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Final Project: Social Justice Action Project Proposal (SJAPP)

Purpose: The Social Justice Action Project Proposal (SJAPP) assignment requires you to propose an activism project that’s designed to address a social justice issue and that relates to a significant issue or topic addressed during the semester. You will select a social justice issue and develop a proposal that addresses your goals for social transformation related to the specific issue you’ve selected. You will produce a proposal that provides your rationale for the project, based on concepts discussed in required course readings. However, you will not actually implement the project (although you may do so in the future if you’d like). We recommend that you focus on a social-justice action that is local and manageable, something that you would actually be able to implement in the near future.

Requirements:

1. Propose either (a) a personal act of activism involving only yourself, or (b) a collective act that involves more people than yourself.

2. Focus on a creative product, an activist organization, or an activist event.

a. For example, if you choose a collective social justice proposal, you can propose a creative product (e.g., an art exhibition, an informational anthology, a poetry collection, fashion show, music CD, or film), an activist organization (e.g., a nonprofit organization or association), or an activist event (e.g., a political march or demonstration).

b. Personal social justice projects should also focus on a creative product (e.g., creating an informational resource that can be shared on social media; creating a YouTube video regarding your social justice issue), an activist organization (e.g., giving a presentation or volunteering at a local organization that already addresses your social justice issue), or an activist event, which would be some other kind of activism you can engage in alone (e.g., giving an educational presentation about your issue to an group you are a member of or have access to, volunteering individually in some way to address your social justice issue).

3. Aim to improve or address a specific social justice issue addressed during the semester in our class. For example, a creative project proposal might propose propose to develop a series of murals representing diverse families for Denton or another local city, or a proposal for an organization might involve starting a nonprofit birthing center in a local city for low-income mothers. The opportunities are endless, so be creative!

4. Connect your project to course readings and research. After selecting a social justice issue to serve as the focus for your activism, you should identify and analyze specific course readings that can be related to your topic. Your proposal must carefully discuss your project in relation to at least three specific passages from different required readings in the course. You should also research existing creative products, activist organizations, or activist events that already address your issue in some way, so that you can explain how your project is similar to and/or different from others. You may also, if you wish, do additional research in library databases of journal articles.

5. Explain the need for this project. In your proposal you will carefully explain your proposed project and give a thoughtful rationale for it. With reference to your personal experience or observation, a current event, or your analysis of a social problem, explain why you selected your topic and what you hope to accomplish with your proposed project. Explain how you would want your project to enhance social justice.

6. Discuss intersectionality. The description and rationale for your proposed project must also incorporate careful discussion of how your proposal addresses “intersectionality,” a key concept covered in this course. Your proposal should explain how your proposal addresses at least two of the following in relation to each other: race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, dis/ability, size, age, religion, or nationality. Please seek approval in advance from your instructor for any topics that may not readily address these categories.

7. Express yourself well. Your proposal should be well-written according to academic standards, and it must cite your sources according to the most recent edition of the MLA Handbook (8th edition).

8. Use the project proposal form. To fulfill this assignment, please carefully follow the instructions below and complete the proposal form provided to you on Blackboard with the numbered subheadings listed on the form. Your proposal should be submitted on the form that we have provided you.

9. Be honest. If you previously completed this assignment for another course, you may not submit the same assignment. Submitting the same assignment will result in a “0” for this course. You also may not submit the work of another student who previously completed this assignment. We reserve the right to check for plagiarism using “Turn-it-in,” which maintains a database of completed assignments.

Social Justice Action Project Proposal: Instructions and Proposal Form

(1) Social Justice Action Project Title: Here you should give the title or name of your proposed activism project. If you plan to create an organization this would be its name; if you plan to produce a creative project this would be the name of your product or concept. Your title should not be the same name of an existing organization or project. If you are proposing an individual act, your title may simply be descriptive (e.g., Addressing Women’s Poverty by Volunteering at Giving Hope, Inc.) If you wish, you may include one to two sentences explaining the name you have chosen.

(2) Detailed Description: Here you should carefully describe the concept of your project (100-250 words).

· For creative projects: Describe your project clearly by addressing the following questions as specifically as possible:

· What topic or issue are you bringing awareness to? How does this social justice issue occur on the local level you will be addressing?

· What will you be making or producing? Be as specific as possible. For example, if you are producing a CD, what songs will you include? Or if you are producing an informational video, what topics will you cover?

· How are you addressing the topic or issue in innovative ways?

· For an activist organization or event: Describe your project clearly by addressing the following questions as specifically as possible:

· What topic or issue will your organization or event address or advocate for? How does this social justice issue occur on the local level you will be addressing?

· What will happen during your organization or event? What kinds of activities will it be involved with? In other words, if someone were to observe your organization or event in action, what would they see?

· Will your organization or event have a specific location, and who will lead it?

· What kind of services/insights/ideas/awareness will be offered?

(3) Target Group/Audience: Describe the types of people whom you hope to impact with your project (e.g., youth in Denton, women of color at TWU, North Texas survivors of domestic violence, etc.).

(4) Purpose and Rationale: Here is where you make your case for the need and importance of your project (400-600 words). Explain the purpose of your project, why you are proposing it, and why your project is important to you and to society. Explain the kind of change or impact you hope for your project to have on the people in your intended target group or audience. Your explanation of the purpose and rationale must include the following:

· A brief discussion of a personal experience or observation, a current event, or your analysis of a social justice problem that leads you to make this proposal;

· A careful discussion of how your project is informed by at least three specific required readings from the course. Refer to specific passages in each of the three readings that you select. In addition, if you wish, you may also refer to journal articles and/or websites that were not assigned to the class; and

· A careful discussion of how your proposal addresses the concept of “intersectionality,” a key concept covered in this course. Your proposal should explain how your proposal addresses at least two of the following in relation to each other: race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, dis/ability, size, age, religion, or nationality. Please seek approval in advance from your instructor for any topics that may not readily address these categories.

(5) Propose Three Steps to Initiate Your Plan: List three potential steps that you can make to initiate your plan; provide reasons why these steps are necessary to accomplish your goal.

(6) List of Works Cited: List your works cited according to the guidelines of the most recent edition of the MLA Handbook. You should cite your sources according to the most recent edition of the MLA Handbook (8th edition).

Note: This project may be used for university-wide assessment of the undergraduate core curriculum. Thus, for this purpose, it may be reviewed by university-wide faculty and staff outside of our department.

Please Insert Project in this Form/ Format (Do not submit as an essay) Point Distribution is for the Final Project, which is worth 30 points

Social Justice Action Project Title 3 pt
Detailed Description (100-150 words) 5 pt
Target Group/ Audience 3 pt
Purpose and Rationale (400-600 words) 10 pt
Propose Three Steps to Initiate Your Plan 6 pt
List of Works Cited 3 pt