CAP DSJ Resources

As a Marianist university, the University has a special concern for the poor and marginalized and a responsibility to promote the dignity, rights and responsibilities of all persons and peoples. The University curriculum is responsible for contributing to this effort and does so throughout the Common Academic Program, but in a more focused way through a Diversity and Social Justice component. Every student will investigate human diversity issues within a sustained academic context by taking at least three credit hours of course work that have a central focus on one or more dimensions of diversity that are relevant to social justice. The course must have a central focus on one or more dimensions of human diversity on the basis of which systems, institutions, or practices that obstruct social justice have functioned. The dimensions may include, but are not limited to, race, gender, socioeconomic class, and sexual orientation. Courses may address diversity within the United States, in a global context, or both.  Since the course uses a social justice framework, it will consider constructive responses to such injustice.

From the UD Institutional Learning Goals:

Diversity: All undergraduates will develop and demonstrate intellectually informed, appreciative, and critical understanding of the cultures, histories, times, and places of multiple others, as marked by class, race, gender, ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, and other manifestations of difference. Students’ understanding will reflect scholarly inquiry, experiential immersion, and disciplined reflection.

Courses approved to satisfy the Diversity and Social Justice component will build on earlier CAP courses addressing diversity including the First-Year Humanities courses, the Second-Year Writing Seminar, and the Social Science, Arts, Natural Science, and Oral Communication courses. The Diversity and Social Justice component may not double count with these courses, but may double count with courses taken to satisfy other CAP components or courses taken in the student’s major.

The resources contained in this guide are organized by concept and level of proficiency, with each concept having a section for Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced resources. The four concepts are:

• Intersectionality is a framework for conceptualizing interlocking oppressions based on the interconnected nature of historically and systemically oppressed, underrepresented and underserved groups. As identities do not exist independently of each other, intersectionality makes the complex convergence of overlapping and interdependent systems of privilege and oppression visible.
   
• Social Justice is the work to eliminate historic and systemic oppression and to build systems and cultures of human dignity where rights, accountability, equity, inclusion and access to the common good create conditions for people and communities to realize their full potential.
   
• Bias is prejudice in favor of or against a person or group that affects our perspective on how we view others, influencing our ability to interact with them via the assumptions that have been internalized during the process of socialization. Such beliefs can manifest themselves in multiple ways, including but not limited to implicit bias, stereotypes, and microaggresions.
   
• Intercultural Competence is the process of listening, learning and reflecting to develop knowledge, skills, attitudes and commitments to engage across diverse groups in open, effective and socially responsible ways.

These domains are articulated in greater detail in Diversity ILG Learning Continuum (Domains/Dimensions).

The resources in each section include an icon designation to help you find the right kind of resource.

•  - Physical Books, with a link to the item in the UD Catalog wherever possible.
•  - Electronic Books, or scanned chapters of physical books.
•  - Electronic Journal Articles, with links to the PDF wherever possible.
•  - Electronic Video, typically a link to YouTube.
•  - External Link, to an activity, website, or other resource.
•  - Internal Resources, typically found on the University of Dayton website.

Resources: