Curriculum Design Sample

Course: Introduction to Social Justice Frameworks

Instructor: Stephanie Jean-Baptiste, Ph.D.

Time: MWF

Course Description

This course introduces students to critical race theory, decolonial theory, and critical class analysis as main Social Justice Frameworks. Through case studies, media, and community-based examples, students examine the roots of inequality and explore strategies for collective liberation. By the end of the course, learners will be able to apply these frameworks to real-world social issues and articulate pathways toward equitable social change.

Course Objective

In this course you will be introduced to social justice frameworks that will allow you to analyze contemporary social issues and identify underlying structures of power and inequality. You will create a written or visual project that applies social justice principles to propose a concrete, evidence-based strategy for advancing equity within a chosen community or institution.

Course Structure (8 Modules / 8 Weeks)

Each module follows a consistent structure to support usability and cognitive load:

Welcome & Overview (short video + written roadmap)

Core Concepts (10–15 minute micro-lectures with captions)

Interactive Learning (discussion boards, scenario-based activities, polls)

Applied Practice (short reflections or case studies)

Knowledge Check (auto-graded quiz or interactive prompt)

Excerpt from Schedule:

Week 1: What Is Social Justice?

• Interactive timeline: historical roots of social justice movements

• Video lecture with embedded reflection prompts

• Discussion post: defining justice across different cultural contexts

Week 4: Power, Identity & Social Justice Across the Americas

The goal of this week is to understand how race, gender, class, and migration produce layered experiences of inequality across the Caribbean and Latin America. We will analyze how colonial histories, racial formations, and gendered dynamics shape inequality in Haitian, Brazilian, and Colombian contexts. We will then apply a comparative social justice framework to evaluate structural power across the Americas.

• Ulysse, Gina Athena. “Why Haiti Needs New Narratives.” In Why Haiti Needs New Narratives: A Post-Quake Chronicle, 1–23. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 2015.

• Ribeiro, Djamila. “O Lugar de Fala.” In O Que É Lugar de Fala?, 11–38. São Paulo: Letramento, 2017.

• Vergara-Figueroa, Aurora. “Black Women’s Activism in the Colombian Pacific: Between Racialization and Violence.” Latin American Perspectives 41, no. 1 (2014): 39–58.

Sample Assessment

Critical Framework Analysis Paper (30%)

Write a 1,200–1,500 word essay comparing two social justice frameworks (intersectionality, decolonial theory, critical race analysis, or feminist theory). Identify the strengths and weaknesses of using one in comparison to another in order and offer up to two solutions to a contemporary social issue of your choice (e.g., policing, sex work criminalization, migration, housing insecurity). The paper must identify the power structures, explain how each framework interprets the You will be evaluated based on clarity, depth of analysis, use of course readings, and the ability to connect theory to lived experience.