Background/Context: Scholars have long critiqued the antidemocratic forces at work in education, advocating for a more equitable, liberating, and democratic vision of schooling, with teacher education taking on a central role. Mainstream teacher preparation obstructs democratic education, as evidenced by the failure to disavow and dismantle white…

In this essay, we reflect on our experience teaching divisive issues to undergraduates in a required business ethics class. We want to share lessons learned, and what worked and what did not, in hopes that it will help other instructors who are tackling these topics. In particular, we share a list of "guiding principles" we developed…

During the 2016 elections and the Trump administration, the fight against interlocking systems of oppression--from white supremacy, to transphobia, misogyny, and xenophobia--occupied dominant and minoritized cultural imaginaries, on the news, in fictional representations, on social media. As some outlets even denied the existence of these…

International service-learning provides opportunities to explore concepts of social justice with students. In this study, we describe the structure of a summer international, interdisciplinary service-learning experience for undergraduate and graduate students. We describe the ways in which these students engaged in social justice education and…

This case study provides an overview as to how two faculty members co-taught an asynchronous online course with a service-learning component during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Within this paper, the authors recount the adjustments that were made in order to accommodate an online teaching modality while maintaining their commitment to service…

The profession of social work is committed to social justice issues, and part of this mission includes the environment. Specifically, the Council on Social Work Education supports equality in environmental justice, ecological unity among species, and using ecological resources in a responsible way. However, a dearth exists in the literature with…

Lumina Foundation seeks to increase the proportion of Americans who hold a postsecondary credential to 60 percent by 2025, across all racial, ethnic, immigration, and income groups. Recognizing that this goal cannot be achieved through a focus on traditional-age college students alone, Lumina launched the Adult Promise initiative in 2017. Between…

I analyzed student submissions from a photography-based assignment in introductory sociology. In this exploratory study, I discuss the patterns found in student submissions to uncover what sociological concepts students observed in their everyday lives. My primary research question, therefore, was what do introductory sociology students see when…

Students from six countries collaborated on projects promoting social justice and aimed at international diplomacy. The collaboration included social work students in policy courses and international students in English courses. Students explored topics such as human trafficking and poverty. Students identified global strategies for addressing…

College graduates are falling short in oral communication skills, yet these skills are important for employment and for effective civic engagement. Catholic colleges and universities are well suited to revive sustained attention to the development and assessment of oral communication skills in today's higher education context. We can do this by…

Teacher educators have an obligation to prepare preservice teachers with the skills and dispositions necessary to promote a socially just world. Yet the results of this study uncovered that the majority of elementary preservice teachers in a national sample (N = 846) have a simplistic perception of good citizenship consistent with what Westheimer…

The question of how the government can best support access to postsecondary education has become a critical issue for education policymakers around the globe, as the practice of cost sharing for funding postsecondary education has been more widely adopted. In this context, this study explores the approaches to implementing current need-based…

I came to this country with an open mind to pursue the American dream. It did not take me a long to recognize racial disparity as a student and even more so when I became a faculty member in various teacher preparation programs. While I try to evade discussion on race, it is inevitable to talk about it because it seems to be the criteria upon…

Residence life programs play a key role in recruiting students, helping them make a successful transition to a new institution, and in retaining them, whether students are enrolling for the first time, transferring from another institution, or entering graduate school. Chapters in this book address theories of learning and development, new…