Subverting Resistance to Social Justice and Diversity Education Constructive Approaches With Undergraduate Students - SpringerBriefs in Social Work

This compact book is constructed using psychological theory and research to empower university faculty to facilitate student engagement and address student resistance to diversity and social justice education more effectively. 

In contrast to traditional models that tend to be confrontational in addressing student biases, the new Moving Towards Social Justice (MTSJ), Relational Partnership Development Model (RPDM) and process theoretical models seek to build on appropriate pre-existing strengths, interests,values, and the developmental readiness of students who might otherwise oppose learning about the contexts, lives, and predicaments of marginalized persons living in various intersections of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity and ability/disability status. Emphasis is placed on the development of professional and life skills, such as wisdom and intercultural competence, which provide incentives and remove barriers to learning about social justice and diversity. Project-based learning approaches grounded in a developmental framework to foster the thriving and well-being of diverse students, collaborative partners in the community, and diverse persons served by the community partners are emphasized. The role of empirical assessment, feedback, and program refinement over time is also delineated within the models.