For my exploration of social justice I examined the philosophical aspect. I watched a bit of Michael Sandel's Harvard Lecture Series 'Justice,' the episode that deals with social justice (could be pretty good thing to watch in class). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcL66zx_6No
In that episode, Sandel discusses Rawls and how Rawls determined that social justice would best be achieved through something called Distributive Justice, something that isn't new, but something to which Rawls affects through simple philosophical tweaks to fit contemporary society (Egalitarian Distributive Justice through the Difference Principle). Sandel describes how a lot of factors contribute to an individuals success in society, such as genetics, birth order, or that some people are just naturally gifted and it isn't through anything that they themselves necessarily do to achieve success. There are some practical aspects discussed, such as if higher taxation on the rich to subsidize the poor is just, and overall it is very good. "So why should income, wealth, and opportunities in life be based on factors arbitrary from a moral point of view?"
How does this concept of social justice affect us as teachers? As teachers we won't be able to pound the table in support of a fairer tax system like a politician or philosopher. But by excluding that, I think it highlights the relationship between critical pedagogy and culture and how the last class emphasized exploring the link with lesson planning to make 'distant' (old, abstract) texts like Shakespeare relevant to students today to discuss the social issues that critical pedagogy brings up. Through exposing our students to these issues and critical perspectives we can affect social change ourselves, especially if some of those students continue into society and affect social change themselves.
Overall, it is a entertaining and educational video to watch and the series itself is free on YouTube and good.
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