Social and Ethical Responsibility is a big complex idea, and there are so many ways to look at and understand this concept. As a group we recognized this and therefore broke it down into the parts we felt were at the core of its definition. The following are the parts we choose: Assumption, Privilege, Individual & Collective, and Value Systems.
Assume Much?Keegan Elliott
Most all of us would likely agree that we all make assumptions. It's very probable too, that most would agree that assumptions can be positive or negative, healthy or unhealthy--to put it another way. When we make assumptions about others that are tied to views about an person's integrity, character or motivation, we would be wise to guard our thinking patterns. Ways to Guard our Thinking Patterns Concerning our own Assumptions A lot of our assumptions tied to that of other individuals and groups can be traced back to our own tendency to want to understand, or presume upon, one's motivation. Therefore, asking questions, when relevant, being patient and allowing things "to play out" can often prove useful for protecting ourselves and others from forming potentially harmful assumptions. Something (fun?) to Think About The first week of our class each person was called upon to say their name but first add a descriptive word in front of it, also beginning with the same latter as our name. The picture above is the actual notepad on which I jotted down each person's name, as they said it. It might be interesting to review the list again now, at the conclusion of the course. Adventurous Alicia Nuclear Nathanial Backwards Beau Motivating Monet Malleable Melissa Tenacious Tom Keen Keegan Helpful Heather Kind Kasey Joyful Jenn Nice Nirvana Doubtful Darius Witty Warren Enthusiastic Erick Jolly Josh Alluring Aleris |
Examining Privilege
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privilege-beads-exercise__1_.pdf |
Privilege Exercise, based on an exercise by: Gerakina Arlene Sgoutas and colleagues, Metropolitan State College; Denver, CO
Brenda J. Allen, Differencematters.info
Brenda J. Allen, Differencematters.info
Discussion
As a group, we discussed individual perspectives, nuances and complexity of privilege, and the importance of practicing awareness.
Awareness, motivation, commitment, nervous, born into it, saddened, negative connotations, also positives.
Age, Pragmatism.
Considerations when having a discussion about privilege:
- Lead with empathy
- Understanding relativity of privilege
- Systematic injustice is good for no one
- You don't need to feel guilty or defensive when discussing privilege, "refuse to live with unchecked or unacknowledged privilege."
- Consider ways in which to equalize power, "by framing dialogue on action and steps toward liberation, the conversation is more accessible and powerful."
Individual & Collective
Melissa Palavecino
Change happens everyday in all kinds of ways. I wanted to explore where change starts and how it grows.
activity
Each student was given the three pipe cleaners and asked to make the best leaf they could. After this was done we examined and compared each others leaf. I then asked each student to attache the leaf to a base i had created in the form of a bare tree. At the end i showed them what our tree looked like with all of our unique leaves. It was a hodge podge of funky awkwardly place leaves, but it was what we created together. That was the point.
discussion
My idea behind this activity was that i wanted to explore social and ethical responsibility and how it had to be defined by the individual. It all has to start there, someone must decide what they value so that they can move to take action. Therefore i opened the discussion to the class to see what they thought on the matter.
Systems of Value
Beau Rappaport
Where do values come from?
Below Indigenous Values:
Below Indigenous Values:
U.S. American Values from theory and philosophy of CD:
-Liberty and Freedom. Capital and social mobility
-Progress. Manifest Destiny, Futrue oriented
-Race, Housing values in contrast to indigenous housing
-Individualism, materialism. Self Made
-Science, academic intelligence, “Big Words”, expertism
-Class have any others?
Compared to Indigenous Systems of Values:
-Liberty and Freedom. Capital and social mobility
-Progress. Manifest Destiny, Futrue oriented
-Race, Housing values in contrast to indigenous housing
-Individualism, materialism. Self Made
-Science, academic intelligence, “Big Words”, expertism
-Class have any others?
Compared to Indigenous Systems of Values:
-Value of “Mitakuye Oyasin” knowledge of interconnected system.
Introduce values of CD:
-First Three of ISCD (International Sustainable Community Development)
-First, We must Listen, We dont know what we dont know
-Never do something for someone they can do themselves
-We must leave, Enter with an exit plan, What are we leaving behind?
-Dr. Richard L.White, Associate Professor. PSU
-CD values:
-To promote social justice. Promoting social justice means to empower the oppressed people. To give a voice to the voiceless invisible people while simultaneously restraining the voice of the powerful elites for long enough to hear the voiceless. This can't be done by simply providing opportunity. The opportunity has to be provided with the capacity to use the opportunity and there has to be a safe place created where push back can be blunted and mitigated for the empowerment and opportunity to be utilized. Many people from the private sphere, especially women, have models and tactics for creating large change in the public sphere towards social justice.
-Think Critically. Developers should be able to apply theoretical frameworks in real world communities. Plenty of research should be done prior to entering the community and throughout work in the community. This can be implemented using sustainable feedback loops and monitoring and evaluation processes. A developer needs to possess the ability to observe a community and think about what they are observing. To be able to look beyond the visible traits and see behind the scenes. To find and give voice to the "unseen members" of the community.
-Commit to civic engagement and civic responsibility. To be able to help the community in facilitating a safe place which will mitigate push back so the voiceless and invisible oppressed people will be able to speak and utilize new opportunity. To create an awareness and acknowledgment of oppression and enable community members to be able to heal from the oppression through engagement and responsibility toward the shared place the community inhabits. This shared place identity will change interactions and stimulate growth from the ground up. It will create a commitment and new sense of unity as long as invisible oppressed people are acknowledged and heard. Sometimes the commitment will show in the private sphere first with radical conscious building and community organizing techniques used to create the type of social justice mentioned above.
Play!
Introduce values of CD:
-First Three of ISCD (International Sustainable Community Development)
-First, We must Listen, We dont know what we dont know
-Never do something for someone they can do themselves
-We must leave, Enter with an exit plan, What are we leaving behind?
-Dr. Richard L.White, Associate Professor. PSU
-CD values:
-To promote social justice. Promoting social justice means to empower the oppressed people. To give a voice to the voiceless invisible people while simultaneously restraining the voice of the powerful elites for long enough to hear the voiceless. This can't be done by simply providing opportunity. The opportunity has to be provided with the capacity to use the opportunity and there has to be a safe place created where push back can be blunted and mitigated for the empowerment and opportunity to be utilized. Many people from the private sphere, especially women, have models and tactics for creating large change in the public sphere towards social justice.
-Think Critically. Developers should be able to apply theoretical frameworks in real world communities. Plenty of research should be done prior to entering the community and throughout work in the community. This can be implemented using sustainable feedback loops and monitoring and evaluation processes. A developer needs to possess the ability to observe a community and think about what they are observing. To be able to look beyond the visible traits and see behind the scenes. To find and give voice to the "unseen members" of the community.
-Commit to civic engagement and civic responsibility. To be able to help the community in facilitating a safe place which will mitigate push back so the voiceless and invisible oppressed people will be able to speak and utilize new opportunity. To create an awareness and acknowledgment of oppression and enable community members to be able to heal from the oppression through engagement and responsibility toward the shared place the community inhabits. This shared place identity will change interactions and stimulate growth from the ground up. It will create a commitment and new sense of unity as long as invisible oppressed people are acknowledged and heard. Sometimes the commitment will show in the private sphere first with radical conscious building and community organizing techniques used to create the type of social justice mentioned above.
Play!