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Builds on guiding theoretical and practice frameworks (including child rights, child and family welfare, child health, child protection, etc.) used currently, both nationally and by the international community in order to shape interventions to address the challenges that exist for children and youth, with a specific focus on protecting children working with families and communities. Deconstructs colonialist practices, Eurocentric perspectives, using anti-oppression frameworks and Indigenous ways of knowing. Encourages understanding of the community and cultural systems of support for children and families that exist in many ways parallel to the more formal systems of support. Guides students to explore and navigate important tensions (such as the tension between immediate and long-term care; universal and local values; autonomy and safety) through critical reflection and discourse and questions who frames the problem and what impact this has on children, youth, and families.
Having developed a solid theoretical foundation of child wellbeing (inclusive of child and family welfare and child protection), explores the programmatic implications of guiding theories. Guides students to assess existing systems at the national and community level, with a lens to examine the impact on children’s wellbeing. This situates the child within broader ecological systems. Uses this deconstruction as a way to explore what reforming child protection systems might look like across different levels and contexts. Participates in critical discourse across multiple case studies.
Examines leadership theory, research, and practices that support resilience and adaptive planning, addressing concerns related to ill-structured, complex, and inter-related problems, and working in a range of threat environments and contexts.
Evaluates a variety of evocative static and moving images of justice (broadly defined) throughout our social history in photos, videos, literature and other media. Draws on concepts of justice that transect theology, philosophy, sociology, criminal justice, the humanities and even popular culture to deconstruct various societal concepts of justice, fairness, culture, and communication.
Introduces students to the distinctions between multi and interdisciplinary conceptions of justice and transdisciplinary studies of justice. Traces the origins of transdisciplinary studies and examines the integration of natural and social sciences toward the development of holistic approaches to problems in justice. Provides a critique of current discipline-based approaches to the study of justice-related problems through the development of transdisciplinary models of justice within a democratic context.
Compares approaches to understanding and addressing injustice through analysis of case studies representing real events. Bridges the theoretical and practical perspectives on justice. Draws on a range of changing topics gathered from current societal issues which may include Aboriginal rights, health, disability, housing, poverty, racism, gender inequality and environmental issues or other topics as appropriate.
Examines the underlying and historic constructs of, and approaches to, social justice. Explores the critical theories and work of key thinkers across a range of disciplines to unpack issues of power, poverty, equity and social injustice based on individual and collective characteristics (e.g. gender, race, power, ethnicity, socioeconomic standing, religion, or sexuality). Highlights social activism and social movements designed to affect social change, and asks students to reflect on their own impact and relationship to issues of social justice.