UCCI Course Description

Identity Autobiographical Essay:

In order to better understand how aspects of identity interact to shape one's ethical and personal choices, students will be asked to read I am J. This text is about a Puerto-Rican, Jewish teenager living in New York. It is a powerful novel about the intersection of race, religion, and gender identity. The main character, J (formerly Jennifer), is a female-to-male transgender student grappling with complex issues of identity intersection. This book offers insights into the human condition and serves as a model for students' thinking and writing. In the texts, students will be asked to identify different aspects of the main character, J's, identity as a whole group discussion (culture, age, gender identity, religion, sexual-orientation, etc.). In small groups, students will examine one aspect of J's identity and discuss how this aspect of identity affects J's outlook, choices, and ethical development. Groups should then present their analysis to the whole class. Students will consequently be asked to write an independent 5+ page autobiographical essay using effective techniques, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. The essay should consist of a description of at least three different facets of students' identity and how these facets of identity have shaped their position in society, personal choices, and ultimately their ethical viewpoint. Students should draw upon readings such as I am J; Complicating White Privilege: Race, Poverty, and the Nature of the Knapsack; and Tomorrow Will Not Be Like Today in order to inform the writing process and final product. (NOTE: The book I am J could be considered controversial by some--another text, such as Mexican White Boy or American Born Chinese could be substituted).

Ethical Cause and Effect Analysis Essay:

In order to better understand and analyze how human behavior across diverse identities and environmental influences affects human development and choices, students will write a 5-7 page analysis on the following prompt: According to an interview with William Golding, The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. The moral is that the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectable. Write an essay explaining and analyzing to what extent you agree or disagree with Golding, using specific examples from your own experience, observations, and reading from this unit to support your position. It may be beneficial to have students participate in a Socratic Seminar prior to writing to assist them in identifying, understanding, and explaining their opinion on the author's themes and arguments about identity, involvement, and morals as well as understand their peers' points of view .This assignment will encourage students to work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed. This analysis will help students identify and explain the significance of ethical expectations from multiple perspectives and how ethics, morals, and integrity play a vital role in their lives and the lives of others.

Choose one of the following Research Papers:

1. Ethics and Careers Research Paper: In order to strengthen research skills and better understand significance of ethics and careers, students will research aspects of ethics, such as how ethics affect specific career opportunities and expectations, peer pressure on ethical choices, how/why ethics have changed over time, and write a 5-7 page expository/reflective paper on how/why this affects ethics in the workplace using appropriate citation.

2. Careers and Ethics Analysis/Research Paper: In order to better understand connections between ethics and career choices, students will research the ethical requirements and expectations of two (2) careers and write a 5-7 page compare/contrast analysis research paper explaining the careers similarities and differences and how and why ethics, morals, and integrity are significant in those careers referencing research and career-related articles read in this unit, using relevant data and citation conventions. This assignment will enable students to analyze career expectations and career choices and explain their significance and connection to ethics, morals, and integrity. In addition, students will reflect on the potential impact of career and personal choices on one's life and family.

Careers and Ethics Analysis/Research Presentation:

Students will present Career Ethical Research Analysis (based on the research paper described above) in a multi-media format to inform, persuade, and enhance decision making for a target audience. The multi-media presentation prepares students for future internship opportunities by challenging them to engage others in a discussion and the sharing of ideas, assisting them with the advocacy culminating activity in Unit 6.

Having examined the role of ethics in personal identity and one's place in society, students will turn their attention to creating a shared definition of social inequality and how these definitions shape the work and ethical considerations of public service professionals. Through research, discussion, and the process of developing a persuasive argument, students will explore the ways in which social inequality manifests in their communities within institutions and individuals who work in public administration and social services in the community. After examining the systemic causes of social inequalities and potential solutions, they will propose their own ideas about ways to address inequality. They will also connect the ways in which their identity relates to social inequalities, impacts their lives and the lives of community service professionals. Using the text Our America as a case study, students will examine the intersection between poverty and race and be able to define and provide examples of the differences between equity and equality. They will explore the role of service professionals (teachers, social workers, police) in the lives of the two main characters. Students will examine the diverse populations and groups of all sizes within communities and their various social service needs learning to write professional social service reports to communicate these needs. Students will learn to promote change in the individual in his or her environment. Informed by research, students will synthesize their learning to write a research paper as the basis to inform a multi-media presentation defining the community, its social service needs, and potential solutions. They will learn and refine presentation skills to engage and communicate to a community audience.

Community Mapping Research Project:

Following reading and analysis of Our America (or Tortilla Curtain) to examine the realities of poverty within the community of the characters, students will utilize an investigative process to develop an inventory of community resources in their own community to demonstrate available community assets and deficits. Students use mapping tools to explore the contributing factors and effects of poverty and race on their community. Students will also write a 5-7 page research report on poverty from the perspective of a social worker, urban planner, safety officer or public health official, that includes charts and graphs of information about the community resources available and community needs. Given the methodology, interpreting statistical data and charts and graphs, students will understand how to analyze information with a critical eye, synthesizing the relationship between poverty and community challenges and potential solutions.

Media Presentation:

As a final product for the unit, students will create a multimedia presentation such as powerpoint, google site, or a static presentation of a poster or tri-fold to share the data they have collected in their community mapping research project. The presentation will demonstrate understanding of the data and relevant social inequalities discovered in their research and will be presented to a community audience.

Learning about the impact of social inequalities on individuals and communities, students explore the genesis and impact of social movements from these inequalities and how they lead to change in government policy and administration. In addition to synthesizing information about the history of social movements, students examine the impact of literature through The Jungle as it sheds light on social inequalities and prompts individuals to come together to make change in legislation and the public services that serve disenfranchised individuals. Students examine how the effective use of argument in literary and expository texts impact social movements and are the means by which the process of engaging a community through education leads to advocacy at the state and local levels (Unit 6). Students then apply their knowledge and comprehension of specific excerpts from The Jungle to a written draft of a short agenda item for a community board meeting. Finally, students in small groups will analyze and synthesize primary and secondary sources creating an iMovie to present their research of different historical social movements. The i-movie will trace the connections between the movement and the development of a social service agency, public administration, and a change in public policy or law.

Agenda Item for a Board Meeting:

Write and present to the class a one-page item for a board meeting that presents the deplorable working conditions that existed in the meatpacking industry during the early 20th century as depicted in Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle. Students create a persuasive piece that incorporates basic strategies used in the public social services workplace with effective rhetorical strategies as it addresses the absence of relevant social services.

Social Movement Dinner Table:

After writing an agenda item that addressed a given social problem and movement, the students will now research their own social movement chosen from the "topics" below, and fill out a template of key information. In their investigation, students will be required to research and synthesize information from a variety of sources that inform the work that is done in public administration and social services work environments. Once the group has gathered the information, students will adopt to the persona of a community worker within their movement. As this persona, students will then jigsaw to present their movement at the "dinner table." (Six tables comprised of one person from each movement.) Each student will write a final individual synthesis of the information from all perspectives.

Cause & Effect Essay:

Throughout the jigsaw process, students have made the connection between social inequalities and the development of a social movement. As a final assignment, students will write an individual cause and effect essay that discusses the connection between public policy and social services that synthesizes text from the unit and at least three social movements explored by the class. In this paper, students will identify major social and political influences that lead to public social services while recognizing the relationships between these movements and the populations being served. Students will also examine the impact of current events on social services in the present.

Topics:

• Labor Rights The Child Labor Education Project from the University of Iowa Labor Center is a valuable website for students to explore the history and current situations of Child Labor.

• Eight hour work day

• Working conditions

• Unions

• Civil Rights Movement Eyes on the Prize: Civil Rights Reader -- This text is a resource of primary documents to be used throughout the unit to provide examples of speeches, news articles, and other historical and professional documents.

• Women's Rights Movement Not for Ourselves Alone -- A video (and accompanying website) outlining the story of Susan B Anthony and Cady Stanton and the development of the women's suffrage movement leading to the right of women to vote

• Chicano Movement

• Disability Rights

• Anti-war Movement

Through reading, analyzing, and discussing informational and literary texts - such as Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich (about low-wage working conditions) and The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (about a young girl's experience in the foster care system) students will clearly articulate opinions on the value of social services provided to the public. In this unit, students will explore the history of social engagement, public administration, and reform in the U.S., understanding the context in which structures of public administration were created. Close reading of the key ideas and details and analysis of the craft and structure of journalistic, informational, and literary texts will provide students the opportunity to learn about the processes and channels through which public administration provides funding, governance, and oversight to social service agencies at the federal, state, and local levels in addition to the language demands of the texts that drive those organizations. Finally, students will use basic principles of research, including data and information gathering and synthesis, to support both written and oral arguments about social problems and solutions.

Vocabulary / Social Issues Journal:

Students will keep a notebook containing 20 key vocabulary and definitions per week related to class readings and presentations; the notebook will also include other assignments such as a weekly summary/reflection on a current event related to a social service/public administration issue. This assignment will allow students to identify, understand and develop vocabulary that is necessary for college and career through discussion, instruction, and close reading.

Social Reform and Public Administration Presentation:

Student groups will closely read and annotate one section of a reader containing teacher-gathered resources providing a historical overview of social engagement, public administration and reform in the U.S., covering historical moments such as: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, Prohibition, The New Deal, Montgomery/Selma Marches for Voting Rights, and The Great Society. Each group will then develop a lesson plan incorporating key vocabulary, a multimedia overview and review activity for their section and teach it to the rest of the class.

Social Issues Literature Circles:

Using an in-class "book club" discussion format supported by an online collaboration tool (moodle, blog, google drive, etc.), students will collaboratively read and analyze a book that addresses a social problem and how agents of public administration have addressed it. Examples include The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts, Water Wars: Privatization, Pollution, and Profit by Vandana Shiva, Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, and others. Students will then describe and evaluate their book in a 10-minute multimedia presentation that explains the historical context, the book's handling of the subject matter, and the current status of the problem. Through this assignment, students will encounter a variety of complex texts in order to recognize how individuals and groups can use government agencies and systems to change their community and to develop the mature language skills and the conceptual knowledge needed for success in school and life. In addition, they will be asked to examine a set of ideas that are multifaceted or look at a sequence of events and determine how specific individuals, ideas, or events relate to one another and develop throughout the text.

City Council Meeting:

In response to their learning about how social engagement motivates local action, students will participate in a mock City Council meeting on a topic related to social services. (Examples include emergency preparedness of vulnerable populations, foreclosure relief, resources for or community impact of homeless/displaced people, impact of gentrification on low SES neighborhoods, etc.) Each student will assume a role such as council member, city clerk, concerned citizen, consultant, etc.; each participant will have particular responsibilities such as developing agenda, writing and delivering resolutions, etc. This assignment will allow students to respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task. In preparation for this assignment, students will have several opportunities to visit or view videotaped City Council Meetings and debrief what was learned so that this can be applied. Following the mock City Council meeting, students will debrief their own videotape for further reflection. (To further develop student learning, teacher could propose that students apply the city government model to the classroom; for example, teacher could suggest a revision of class rules written in a bylaw format. If a rule were to be added or deleted, a written resolution would be required. A class could hold a meeting using Robert's Rules of Order, and then write specific procedures applying to maintaining order in the classroom.)

Graded Socratic Seminar / Fishbowl Discussion:

This assignment is a performance task wherein students will formally summarize and evaluate opinions argued in readings related to social service issues such as food safety, health access disparities, environmental protection, living wage, juvenile justice, disability/mental health resources, and foster care. These formal dialogues are scored using a detailed rubric, requiring that students come to the discussion well prepared, having read and researched material under study; students will be expected to explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other literature on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.

Societal Challenge Research Paper:

Students will compose a 5-10 page research paper analyzing a societal problem, the factors contributing to that problem, and how a local ordinance or state/federal law creating a social service remedied it. This assignment requires students to synthesize information from various sources and formats; it further promotes college and career readiness in language, by requiring that students understand and apply a strong command of the grammar and usage of written standard English.

Students will examine the different public and private social service agencies and conduct research about agency formation, structure, and benefit for community or communities, through a writing-intensive internship process and a research paper within the scope of the internship. To accomplish the research paper, students will access and utilize agency specific reports and publications. Through an internship process, students will write a proposal, statement of purpose, time-stamped blogs or journal logs, agency-specific technical reports or assessments, and a policy research-based persuasive speech. The internship process will be established by building partnerships with a variety of social service agencies, both private and public, in the local communities. Examples of partnership opportunities could include contact with non-governmental organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club of America, the YMCA, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, local homeless shelters, and the SPCA. Public agency partnership opportunities could include contact with the local Human Services Agency, Child Protective Services, Dept. of Public Health, and Dept. of Child Support Services.

This unit focuses on developing and articulating coherently reasoned and informed persuasive arguments that support specific public policy positions with an emphasis on how public service agencies were created. Examples include agencies that evolved from FDR's New Deal and LBJ's "Great Society." Students internalize what it means to serve, not steer in the social service context.

Internship Proposal:

Students will read "Developing Leadership through Organizational Culture in Public Administration" to gain an understanding of leadership characteristics of individuals in public administration. Topics include organizational culture, motivation, and expectations.Then in a 1-2 page proposal, students articulate their interest in a specific type of public service. Students consider any personal connections, prior experiences in the context, career goals, and volunteer interests.

Internship Statement of Purpose:

This 1-2 page statement is an opportunity for students to explain their decision to partner with a particular organization. Students note the organization's mission statement, briefly describe, in their understanding, what the organization does, and outline their desired contributions.

Daily Internship Blog or Journal Log:

Students post time-stamped blogs or write teacher-verified entries documenting work accomplished, reflecting upon the day's activities, and articulating goals going forward.

Internship Accountability Sheet:

The individual primarily responsible for overseeing the student's internship work signs and dates a sheet to verify hours each time a student presents to the site. The student is responsible for tracking the sheet.

Agency-Dependent Technical Report or Assessment:

Students compose a sample report exemplar in current use with the interning agency. This report is supervised and audited by the individual primarily responsible for overseeing the work as well as by the teacher. Students will examine and utilize existing agency specific publications, audits and reports to prepare the report and assessment.

Court Case Conclusion:

Students receive a completed course case with an omitted conclusion. The case chosen must have a significant social service component. Students role play the members involved in the transcript of the case, ultimately concluding the argument of the case with evidence orally and in writing. Students then compare their role-played case to the actual case conclusion and summarize the similarities and differences.

Policy Research-Based Debate Incorporating the Internship Context:

This standard, collaborative policy debate is a scaffold for the persuasive research paper in that students propose change, gather information, give source attributions, construct arguments, and anticipate opposing viewpoints. Since the only speech in standard debate prepared entirely in advance is the first affirmative constructive, students build the ability to listen and extemporaneously respond to opposing viewpoints, a critical skill needed for Unit 6, when students present arguments orally to policy makers.

Persuasive Research Paper:

Students write a 6-8 page persuasive research paper with proper MLA citations, incorporating the internship context. For example, students interning at a food kitchen can propose an idea to local officials for a change in policy that would improve services.

This unit is the culminating unit and the students will be prepared to demonstrate and communicate to diverse populations and community leaders a needs assessment based on a community mapping research project, the research and development of their oral argument skills to advance change in their respective neighborhoods and communities. Students will put in practice skills gleaned from internships, interviews and research to empower parents, community stakeholders and other students in promoting leadership, social action, and social advocacy. Students will defend a proposal, agenda item, or community request through civic engagement and argumentation. Students will employ previous knowledge and understanding of their identity, involvement, ethics, social inequalities, social movements, public administration, social service structures and the constituent groups served to address and communicate continuing community needs. Students will become familiar with the practice of community advocacy and demonstrate an understanding of concentrations of power, negotiation and decision-making processes through the perspective of community advocates, public service workers, and activists. The students will develop teams to plan and implement forms of public address to governmental bodies utilizing data, reports and previous work accumulated in their course portfolio from previous course units.

Advocacy Analysis Essay:

Based on your identity and ethics, write a 5+ page persuasive essay explaining your position on whether Hate Crime Laws are necessary or unnecessary using relevant evidence/example from both informational texts "Hate Crime Laws are Necessary" and "Hate Crime Laws are Unnecessary." Use appropriate in-text citation from both readings as well as examples from your own experience and insightful commentary to support your stance.

Legislative Analysis and Lobbying Letter:

Students will research state senate and assembly bills currently under consideration that are related to social service budgetary allocations; in their speaking and writing, they will convey understanding of legislative process phases and employ skills of argumentation and persuasion; they will demonstrate awareness of purpose and audience to craft an effectively written, 1-2 page persuasive letter to a lawmaker in support of or in opposition to a bill; they will engage in the lobbying process in person (or via conference call) where they will meet with lawmakers and staffers, observe committee meetings, and finally complete the process with follow-up correspondence.This assignment will prepare students to think critically and advocate for or against the designation of hate-crime legislation.

Reflective Paper on Youth Advocates for Social Change (Film: Walk Out):

In order to offer students an example of young people being advocates for social change, students will view the film Walk Out with the following framing questions:

1. What organizing tactics did the students in East LA use to accomplish their goals (i.e. having the right to speak Spanish in school, access to bathrooms, and ethnic studies courses)?

2. What was the role of the individual (Paula) and what was the role of the group (students, Chicanos, Brown Berets) and what was the role of the "leader" (Sal Castillo) in creating change in public schools?

3. What educational equality issues in Walk Out do you still see in California schools today?

Students should be prompted to take notes (in structured fashion such as Cornell) during the film. In order to prepare students for their reflective paper, students should be guided through a structured discussion prior to drafting the aforementioned reflective paper.

Compare and Contrast Analysis Essay:

Students will write a page compare and contrast analysis essay explaining the similarities and differences between them regarding the issues, the process of effective advocacy, and the outcomes discussed in "On Women's Right to Vote?" and "For Six Minutes, Wall Street Was On the Edge of Its Seat" using insightful commentary and in-text citations from both informational texts to support significance of advocacy in compare/contrast analysis. By doing so, students will become familiar with the practice of community advocacy and demonstrate an understanding of concentrations of power, negotiation and decision-making processes through the perspective of community advocates and activists.

Organizing Campaign:

Having evaluated the effectiveness of social movements, and learning about the role of public service and administration in communities, students will apply this knowledge to tailor their campaign to reflect strategies of successful social movements. Working in collaborative teams, students identify an issue they wish to pursue in a public forum (i.e., school board, city hall or county board) and create an organizing campaign consisting of persuasive scripts, media releases, talking points, resolutions, and policy language, targeted at the appropriate agency or governing body.