Track B: NT & Social Justice Praxis
Group project: minimum two persons, maximum four persons/group
last update: 21 September 2009

Learning Objectives:

  1. Identify key NT attitudes, examples, and teachings with respect to social justice
  2. Identify one critique the NT provokes concerning contemporary U.S./Ohio/Cleveland social structures
  3. Integrate the understanding of the gospel with the actual Praxis of it in addressing a specific, concrete, contemporary social problem
  4. Exemplify how the gospel energizes believers to concrete action to foster social justice (e.g., the traditional "works of mercy," political action)

Assignments:

  1. "Bible Bio" Essay
  2. "Images of Jesus" essay
  3. Learning Contract
  4. Blackboard Pretests
  5. "Slavery" or "Women Apostles" CHP (in pairs; half of group does one, half does the other)
  6. Soteria Essay
  7. Vocation Essay
  8. GNT Social-Justice Praxis Portfolio
    1. Reflection Journal
    2. Research Essay
    3. 8–12 hours of service in an immersion setting, preferably during the mid-semester break
    4. Retrospective Analysis
    5. Class Activity & informational PPT/poster/website

Rationale

One of the hallmarks of Christianity from the very start has been an emphasis on "charity" as a central means of imitating Christ and enacting one's faith (i.e., praxis). The Christian believes that God's reconciliation of the world in Christ is a free gift (charism), and this Divine gift freely-given spills out in the Christian life under the influence of the Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of Christ. The specific way in which "charity" is understood varies according to regional influences and the social location of church members. It includes such varied practices as almsgiving (the charitable donation of money or other material goods), the monastic practice of hospitality to travelers, enacting the corporal or spirititual "works of mercy" in the Catholic tradition, and missionary service. Matthew's gospel in particular has been influential in the development of such practices because of the breadth and specificity of attitudes and behaviors condoned in this version of The Beatitudes (Matt 5:1–12) and the Last Judgement scene (Matt 25:31–46).
      Since the advent of the Social Gospel Movement in the 19th century, "charity" in the US (and now other parts of the Americas) has been viewed more often not simply as the giving of funds or other resources to those in need but also as a means for personal involvement in creating better conditions for those less fortunate than oneself (in liberation theology language, as a means for achieving "solidarity with the poor" and overcoming systemic evil). This view of charity is particularly helpful for students for two reasons. First, giving one's time and energy does not add to the financial burden created by educational costs. Second, and perhaps more importantly, it gives students the chance to meet and work closely with people whose socioeconomic situation is quite unlike their own. This kind of personal experience typically opens students to a new way of looking at the world—which, of course, is the primary object of education.

GNT Social-Justice Praxis

Nota Bene: SJP interviews must be conducted EXACTLY to the specifications indicated in this document; NO SUBSTITUTIONS are permitted without explicit approval from the JCU Institutional Review Board. FEDERAL LEGISLATION concerning research on human subjects explicitly restricts investigations of religious behavior/attitudes and ethical views. This means, for example, that you are PROHIBITED from INTERVIEWING CLIENTS or other VOLUNTEERS at your placement site. As it stands, this SJP has been approved by the JCU IRB. If you are not satisfied with the existing SJP design, we MUST apply for and receive special permission from the IRB before implementing any changes. Consult the Instructor if you need assistance or further clarification.

  1. Stage 1 (Weeks 1–2): Design Your Praxis
    1. Choose a contemporary social-justice problem to be the focus of your Praxis. Be sure it will allow you to work in some area where there is a need for your talents and interests.
    2. Register with the JCU Center for Service and Social Action, find a suitable placement that addresses this social-justice concern, and complete any necessary training.
      1. This may either be a weekly placement (involving at least 12 hours of service spread out over the course of 8-10 weeks) or an immersion experience.
      2. The four criteria which must be met by your project design are:
        1. You have the ability to carry out the project
        2. It meets some real social need in the greater Cleveland community
        3. It involves at least 10–12 hours of your personal involvement with the people whom this project is designed to help
        4. It fits one of the traditional Christian "Works of Mercy"
          1. Corporal Works of Mercy:
            1. Feeding the hungry [e.g., staffing a soup kitchen or food bank]
            2. Giving drink to the thirsty
            3. Clothing the naked [e.g., working with St. Vincent de Paul or a clothes distribution program affiliated with a shelter or soup kitchen]
            4. Visiting the imprisoned [e.g., working in a prison ministry or re-entry facility]
            5. Sheltering the homeless [e.g., staffing homeless shelters; rehabbing or building houses for the homeless or those who do not have the resources to buy or repair their homes]
            6. Visiting the sick [e.g., working in a hospital or health clinic]
            7. Burying the dead
          2. Spiritual Works of Mercy
            1. Admonishing sinners
            2. Instructing the ignorant [e.g., tutoring; working with a parish school of religion program]
            3. Counseling the doubtful [e.g., staffing a rape crisis hotline; working with Birthright]
            4. Comforting the sorrowful [helping in a hospital chaplaincy or hospice care center]
            5. Bearing wrongs patiently
            6. Forgiving injuries
            7. Praying for the living and the dead
    3. Create a 75-100 word abstract of this description for your classmates. Create a new thread on the SJP Blackboard Discussion Board (BBDB) and name it after your project (e.g., if Brian Sweeney were helping with tutoring at Gesu School, he would name the thread "Sweeney Gesu Tutoring"). Post your abstract as the first entry under this thread. Make sure the entry presents all the basic facts about your proposed Praxis (topic, site, supervisor's name and contact information, population with whom you will be serving, preliminary training or certification required, and proposed service schedule). Remember, each Journal entry should include your name, the date you wrote the entry, and a consecutive number. This Praxis description, for example, will be entry #1. Journal entries should be submitted by the Thursday of the week in which they were written.
    4. Identify what you hope will be the effects of this Social-Justice Praxis. Why did you choose to highlight this particular issue? What specific behaviors or structural changes do you hope will result from this Praxis? How do you hope it will affect the real world of Cleveland and/or beyond? How do you hope it will foster social justice? What changes do you hope to see in yourself? In your relationships with God and with other people? How do you hope your understanding of Jesus Christ will change? Of Christianity? What criteria will you use to judge whether your Praxis is successful? Be specific and give observable criteria.In what sense could your Praxis be classified as "religious" behavior? [Journal entry #2]
    5. Identify 3–5 NT texts that provide potential resources to address this social-justice issue, and explain how each does (or might) contribute to the discussion. [Journal entry #3] Review the texts listed in the Basileia handout and comment on what each of them contributes. [Journal entry #4]
  2. Stage 2 (Week 3): Orientation to the Praxis
    1. If you are doing a weekly praxis, it is preferable to keep your concurrent Journal by making weekly posts to the thread you created on the SJP BBDB. In your posts, reflect upon your experiences with the other students doing the SJPs. Make an entry each time you work on-site for your project, and interact with at least one other student each week. If you are doing the immersion experience, post the research and reflection aspects of your journal on the Blackboard; the daily reflections during your immersion experience can be kept in a paper journal.
    2. As part of your orientation process, interview your supervisor and one or two other workers at your placement site.
      1. Why did they choose this kind of work?
      2. What kinds of affects do they see from their efforts?
      3. What keeps them coming every day (rather than giving up and getting a different job)?
      4. How do their view their work (e.g., would they call it a "vocation" or "ministry")?
      5. What else do they think you should know as you begin this praxis?
  3. Journal prompts
    Note, your first Journal posts should answer the questions in #1–2. Later posts may focus around questions #3–4 and other issues that arise as your praxis progresses.
    1. What social problem is its focus?
      1. Why does that problem exist (i.e., what socio-economic, political, or other factors give rise to it)?
      2. How many people are affected by it, and who are they (i.e., what is the demographic)?
      3. What other data can you tell us about this problem?
      4. How do you hope your praxis will help to rectify this social problem?
    2. What changes are you seeing resulting from this praxis—for you, for the group with whom you are working, for the city as a whole?
    3. Which of the corporal or spiritual works of mercy does your praxis enact? How so?
    4. How does your project connect with Matthew's Beatitudes and/or the behaviors commended in Matthew's Last Judgement scene?
    5. What affect is your SJP having upon your understanding of the New Testament?
    6. What affect is your SJP having upon your understanding of Jesus? God? Yourself?
    7. Would you classify your praxis as "religious" behavior? Would Jesus agree with you
  4. Stage 3 (Weeks 4-5): Researching the Problem
    1. Gather 1–3 classmates who are interested in the same or a similar social-justice question and organize a Praxis Group. Together you will be researching the facts about this social-justice concern. Have each person complete the preliminary CAT provided by the Instructor. As a group, go to Grasselli Library and work with one of the reference librarians to find PRINT resources for researching your topic. Except for sites providing government census data, no Internet resources are permitted for this research assignment. Choose a Team Leader and delegate research responsibilities to each group member. Make a group report to the Instructor outlining who is in your group, what responsibilities/roles each person has, and what research strategies you have begun using (based on your Grasselli tutorial). [Group report #1, including the completed CATs]
    2. Research your social-justice problem. Write synopses of the data on each sub-topic, making sure to give full and accurate CMS citations of all your sources. Discuss your synopses in the group and use them to write your research report. [Group report #2: collected synopses] Submit your Research Essay to the Instructor.
    3. Have each group member evaluate your work using the provided CAT, and divide the Research Essay grade among each of the group members. Then discuss as a group: Has anyone done more/less work than the others? If so, come to a consensus about how to allocate this grade, and re-distribute the load for future projects. If an individual is not being responsible, dole out the forty lashes less one or vote him/her out of the group and cast lots for a replacement. [Group report #3, including the completed CATs and grade allocations]
    4. As a group, meet with the Instructor to discuss your Research Essay and plan Stage 3 of your Praxis.
  5. Stage 3 (Weeks 6–7): NT Research & Reflection
    1. In separate journal entries, reflect upon each of the following questions:
      1. Which of the corporal or spiritual works of mercy does your Praxis enact? How so? [Journal entry #5]
      2. How does your project connect with Matthew's Beatitudes and/or the behaviors commended in Matthew's Last Judgment scene? What do you think about that connection (or lack thereof)? [Journal entry #6]
    2. Either with one partner or in your research group, write the Soteria Essay.
    3. Start thinking about and making notes for the Vocation Essay.
    4. Meet with the Instructor to discuss your Praxis thus far and to make sure the stage is set for your immersion experience.
  6. Stage 4 (Week 8): Weekly Praxis Reflection or Praxis Immersion
    1. If you are doing an immersion praxis, do all the following. If you are doing a weekly praxis, skip to the last one.
    2. Immersion track only:
      1. Describe your immersion experience and reflect upon its effectiveness: What changes do you seeing resulting from this PraxisÑfor you, for the group with whom you are working, for the wider community? (NB: This Journal entry #7 should comprise at least approx. 500 words.)
      2. During the week of your Praxis, use separate Journal entries to reflect upon each of the following questions:
        1. What affect is your Praxis having upon your understanding of the New Testament? Of Jesus? Of God? Of yourself? Journal entry #8
        2. In what sense could your Praxis be classified as "religious" behavior? Would Jesus agree with you? Give specific evidence to support your analysis. Journal entry #9
        3. What other questions or observations do you have? Journal entry #10
      3. Ask your Praxis supervisor to write a brief evaluation of your performance during the immersion experience, including how much time it involved, whether any preparatory meetings were required, the effort she/he thinks you put into the Praxis, and the quality of your reflections with the immersion group. This should be sent directly to the Instructor via surface mail or fax (216-397-4518).
    3. Everyone:
      Either alone or with one partner, write the Vocation Essay. Reflect on your experience writing this essay; relate its contents to your Praxis. [Journal entry #11]
  7. Stage 5 (Weeks 9–11): Reflect upon the Praxis
    1. Either alone or with one partner, write the Slavery or Women Apostles CHP. Reflect on your experience writing this essay; relate its contents to your Praxis. [Journal entry #12]
    2. Write a Retrospective Analysis of your Praxis, considering the following questions:
      1. To what extent was your Praxis successful/unsuccessful in dealing with the social-justice issue you identified at the beginning of the semester? What would be some further avenues for addressing it?
      2. How has/has not your Praxis actually made the real world a more just place in which to live?
      3. As you ponder what you have learned in this course about Jesus' proclamation of God's Basileia and his enactment of the soteria that accompanies God's reign, in what sense could one classify your Praxis as "salvific" (i.e., behavior that brings soteria)? Explain.
      4. Assuming Jesus' understanding of religion, in what sense could your Praxis be classified as "religious" behavior? Explain.
      5. How has this Praxis affected your understanding of the New Testament? Of Christianity? Jesus? God? Yourself?
      6. What other reflections would you like to add?
    3. Submit your Retrospective Analysis to the Instructor. Then, meet with the Instructor to discuss it and to evaluate your Praxis thus far.
  8. Stage 6 (Weeks 12–13): Synthesis
    1. Collect and review your journal entries. Write a final entry surveying How my mind has changed (through this Praxis) and how it has stayed the same. (NB: This Journal entry #13should comprise at least approx. 500 words.) Add all the journal entries to your Portfolio.
    2. Return to your research group to plan your PowerPoint or website mounted on the class Blackboard, and your class engagement activity (10 minutes)
      1. The Blackboard-based presentation should basically be an "illustrated guide" to your Retrospective Analysis, although you probably will also want to sketch such points as those raised in the opening questions for your Journal. You might also include one or two questions for further reflection.
      2. The class activity should not bea talking-heads presentation, but a process by which the class can become involved in this social-justice question and experience some of the key existential features of it. It should focus on the theological questions raised in your Retrospective, and might include one or two questions for class discussion. The more actively you involve the "audience" in your presentation, the better the grade.
    3. Take into account any Instructor comments on your Research Essay or Retrospective Analysis. Draft the lesson plan for your 10-minute time slot and submit it to the Instructor. To help the class prepare for your activity, create a poster, PPT, or web site presenting the results of your research and highlighting key concepts you learned about NT interpretation by doing this Praxis.
    4. Have each group member evaluate your work using the provided CAT. Then discuss as a group: Are there any group members who are doing more/less work than the others? If so, re-distribute the load. If an individual group member is not being responsible, cast him/her into the outer darkness and, if possible, recruit an eleventh-hour replacement. [Group report #4, including the completed CATs and grade allocations]
    5. As a group, meet with the Instructor to discuss your class activity plan and any other issues that the group needs to resolve.
  9. Stage 7 (Weeks 14–15): Class Engagement
    1. As a group, publish your poster, PPT, or web site. Finalize plans for your class engagement activity, rehearse it with your group, and then carry it out with the class.
    2. Compile one Portfolio for the group, including all the components of the Praxis from the beginning of the semester. As a Preface to the joint portfolio, write a final review of the project summarizing what you have accomplished in your research, immersion placements, and reflection journals; evaluating the success of your class engagement plan; and reviewing what each of you has learned over the course of this Praxis, especially with respect to the NT kerygma. Have each group member complete the final evaluation of your group work using the provided CAT, and delegate proportional grades to each of the group members. Then discuss as a group. [Group report #5, including the completed CATs and grade allocations]
    3. As a group, meet with the Instructor to discuss your group portfolio and evaluate your Praxis.