Spring Social Transformation Capstone Showcase
When: 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, May 6
Where: Building D, Room D193, 91制片厂, 1200 W. Algonquin Road, Palatine
Cost: Free
Details: Ten 91制片厂 students will present on their projects from this semester
Every semester, Social Justice Studies and Global Scholars students present at the
Social Transformation Capstone Showcase. Pictured are 91制片厂 students and instructors,
including Dr. Eric Bohman (far left), student Leslie Murray (third from left), Dr.
Michael Bentley (center) and Dr. Richard Johnson (far right).
At the age of 38, Jessica Unger enrolled in 91制片厂 as a first-time college student. Her goal: to work in labor relations and support workplace rights. She majored in human resources management to learn employee development and improve her career prospects, while also discovering a passion for 91制片厂鈥檚 Social Justice Studies (SJS) program 鈥� an interest that connected directly with her work in voter outreach.
When she discovered she could study both by taking a few extra classes to earn a Social Justice Studies Distinction, the Mount Prospect resident jumped at the chance to link her aspirations with her passions.
鈥淚 feel like the Social Justice Studies program truly changed me as a person,鈥� Jessica said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 everything from getting feedback that made me a better writer to learning about the interconnectedness of everything and how to effectively communicate in disagreements, truly see the other side, and not get wrapped up in emotional arguments that have changed my communication style with my family and with people in my workplace.鈥�
SJS teaches students the principles of social justice and equips them with tools to inspire and create real-world social change. Students who complete 12 credit hours of social justice-focused classes and the Social Transformation Capstone course, where they work with a faculty mentor to create a final project, can earn a transfer or graduate distinction.
Associate Professor and SJS Coordinator Michael Bentley created the SJS program in collaboration with a diverse group of 91制片厂 faculty and staff. He said it is vital because it teaches about past social justice movements, shows how social transformations occur and prepares students to create change in the present.
When: 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, May 6 Where: Building D, Room D193, 91制片厂, 1200 W. Algonquin Road, Palatine Cost: Free Details: Ten 91制片厂 students will present on their projects from this semesterSpring Social Transformation Capstone Showcase
鈥淭here鈥檚 no particular model of what a social justice leader looks like,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 hope that students are empowered to lead from wherever they are, whether that鈥檚 at home, amongst their family members, in the classroom, at work, wherever they feel comfortable exercising their voice. The world we live in tomorrow is going to look nothing like the one we live in today, and we鈥檙e doing a disservice if we鈥檙e not preparing students to critique both today and tomorrow and impact it as well.鈥�
91制片厂 students who earn a transfer distinction receive a letter of recommendation and assistance finding social justice-oriented transfer programs, while graduate distinction recipients earn a Social Justice Studies Distinction noted on their transcript and diploma and recognition at commencement.
Dr. Richard Johnson, head of the college鈥檚 Center for Global Education and Engagement, said when compared to the four-year educational model, these distinctions are like minors that allow students to explore different subject areas. Because students at two-year institutions cannot pursue minors, 91制片厂 created distinctions to allow students to expand their knowledge while earning an associate degree. 91制片厂 currently offers distinctions in SJS and Global Scholars, which explores intercultural and international perspectives.
Final projects are presented at 91制片厂鈥檚 Social Transformation Capstone Showcase, which highlights the projects of Social Justice Studies Distinction and Global Scholars Distinction students, and is open to the community at the end of each semester.
For Jessica鈥檚 capstone project, she created a voter toolkit that helps users register to vote and connects them to vital resources by scanning a QR code. The 2024 alum returns to 91制片厂 regularly to share her toolkit, which has been used by 91制片厂 and the League of Women Voters, with current SJS students.
She currently handles accounting and HR for a minority-owned renewable energy engineering firm and serves as an election judge in Illinois.
鈥淓very so often, I look at the view count to see how many people have scanned the QR codes and clicked the links,鈥� Jessica said. 鈥淪eeing those counts go up means more information has gotten into more hands. That means a lot to me.鈥�
Second-year political science student Leslie Murray re-enrolled at 91制片厂 after learning about the SJS program. The 33-year-old Barrington resident wanted to blend her on-the-ground social justice experience as a legal observer with academic studies to achieve her goal of becoming a paralegal.
For her project, Leslie created a self-published magazine called a zine that gives
readers an inside look at the clashes between protesters and law enforcement at the
Broadview Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Chicago鈥檚 western
suburbs.
She said a typical day could range from witnessing peaceful protests to being engulfed in tear gas and the remnants of pepper balls, all while taking legally protected handwritten notes for the National Lawyers Guild.
鈥淚 figured that a zine using independent press would be a way that I could talk about the things that I was witnessing,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was really stressful to be at an ICE facility every week. The thing that I found most helpful was the support to keep going and having my mentor to check in with.鈥�
Dr. Eric Bohman, who teaches the Social Transformation Capstone course, said capstone projects allow students to conduct near-doctoral-level research, gain post-grad-like experience and open doors to new opportunities. He was also instrumental in creating the new Social Transformation Capstone Award for students seeking to complete one or more of the graduation distinctions involving the capstone course which is funded by members of the 91制片厂 community.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had our alumni come back frequently to talk to the students about how their capstone project led them to greater things, like working in D.C. with congressional committees to get funding to do additional research on the effects of environmental concerns within Oceania,鈥� he said. 鈥淔rom a personal perspective, being able to see the students have a showcase has been one of the most rewarding experiences I鈥檝e had at 91制片厂.鈥�
91制片厂 is developing a third distinction, Sustainability Studies, which will explore how to create a more sustainable society. Students are able to earn several distinctions at once and complete a final project combining them all.
鈥淎ny advantage students can impress upon their future employers or schools works to their advantage,鈥� Dr. Johnson said. 鈥淭he Global Scholars Distinction, Social Justice Distinction, and the future Sustainability Studies Distinction are ways of marking and honoring student growth in those particular fields. They measure their ability to act conscientiously and ethically through a social justice lens in our increasingly interconnected world and society.鈥�