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**What Does Social Change Mean?** Hg Ed 615C-1: Current issues in Higher Education Social Justice and Social Change in American Higher Education Laura B. Travis C.  Kristin M.  Iowa State University September 23, 2008


 * Presentation
 * References

//Bestler’s Reflection// Attempting to synthesize anything can be an exhausting task. To summarize, and present something as vast as social change in today’s world, was in a word exacerbating. In order to help gather the information in various formats, I created http://sjamerica.wikispaces.com/. This format provided a way to share knowledge and enable each of our team members to contribute to the overall content. The Wikispace is by no means in a static format. As all Wikispace, it may be contributed to by members, maintained, and updated. Whereas, papers seemingly stop, a Wikispace may continue to grow and synthesize into its own.
 * Reflection of the Synthesis of Social Change **

The Wikispace permitted us to show hyperlinks to the various social change issues, as well as demonstrate how oppressed communities pasts are revealing social change today. The oppressed communities all were striving to have a voice at the status quo table. Each oppressed community reaching out to become equal in the eyes of those people in power. Through action the Wikispace hyperlinks provide a very limited view on the plethora of issues, challenges, and injustices. To be honest, I personally was overwhelmed by the extent to which one can find the information. The key was I was looking for it. Those in power are avoiding it.

I found the hourglass to serve as the most inclusive way to show a visual symbol for social change. Oxford English Dictionary (2008) referenced an hourglass as, “1. a. A contrivance for measuring time, consisting of a glass vessel with obconical ends connected by a constricted neck, through which a quantity of sand (or sometimes mercury) runs in exactly an hour; a sand-glass that runs for an hour.” In many ways, the hourglass represented many of the attributes associated with social change: time, fragility, weight, power, oppression, depth, adaptation, funneling, etc. It takes something or someone to tip the hourglass over to create the change. Even when the change occurs, in order to keep up with time, the hourglass would be turned over again, and again. Unless the status quo does not allow the change to happen for the greater good, creating oppression of the sands in the bottom half of the hourglass. Social change would be unable to synthesize. The fragility of the glass hourglass confirmed social change may shatter suddenly and impact all parts of society. When this catastrophic change would occur the status quo would look to everyone to work together to maintain society. Where are they when the oppressed communities were coping with the same issues? They were just waiting in the top of the hourglass, recognizing as long as they were on top, change could not occur to society.

//Cox’s Reflection// What I have learned in researching this project is that there are two main ways of viewing social change, one uses critical theory while the other uses traditional academic theories—usually from sociology. There may be other ways of analyzing social change, for instance, Michelene Pesantubbee, in the book Native Voices, encourages her students to participate with the oppressed community when formulating a theory of social change but we are never given an example of what those theories might look like. Having perused many sources, the lack of a critical consciousness when it comes to the “academic” theories of change is frightening. For instance, in the annotated bibliographical guide titled Social Movement Theory and Research, I had to do an entry by entry search for critical theories, whereas the book itself was neatly divided into sections concerning Populism, Environment, The Left, etc. and the book was published in 1997!

When researching specific disciplines, one of the most interesting books I found was Brain and Culture and discussed the neurobiological aspects of social change. It advocated for a symbiotic relationship between the brain and culture throughout an individual’s life. Initially, the baby’s brain development is dependent upon her relationship with her mother as well as her environment. But when she is an adult, her brain actually dictates how information from the environment is processed. I find this theory to be similar to my understanding of social change, where social change is constituted by individuals as well as overarching forces: without individual change social change can’t take hold, but when successful, the social change has a broad impact that touches people not overtly associated with the initial impetus for change.

This research confirmed an earlier idea of mine…that no one really knows how social change happens. Not to say that we can’t work for social change and make some headway, but to predict the specific forms and tools of social change or the exact moment that social change will occur is a futile as trying to determine the exact moment that water will boil. This tendency towards prediction and control is the obvious outgrowth of the more academic theories. The critical theories seem to be more comfortable with analyzing the roots of oppression and the current forces of domination and then giving individuals and groups frameworks to operate within while struggling for liberation. “The Cycle of Liberation” is a good example of the latter, while the Noble reading is a good example of the former.

Finally, I appreciate both Hawken and Yair readings. The Yair reading helped to illustrate the point that social change isn’t just this series of happenings but is based in the real decisions of individuals with values and that is where I find my leverage point. Hawken, then, gives me a beautiful metaphor to use as the lever, to bring people into the movement and help to change, or at the very least revision, their values. This is where I find my work to be.

//Mauro’s Reflection// In researching the topic of social change for this presentation, I have learned that the themes throughout the literature are consistent and that if groups of people would unite, social change would occur. The option of keeping it the same would no longer exist because the status quo would be challenged to the point of tipping the scales in the direction of equality for all people regardless of their position within society.

I have also learned that the oppressions facing non-white people are the same regardless of which oppressed group an individual belongs to. The themes weaving through the various articles, book and websites I reviewed indicate that each oppressed group is facing the exact same discrimination. While the discrimination is real, the level of discrimination facing different oppressed groups varies from group to group.

Lastly, I have learned that the forces we all struggle with perform a function in our current society which is what makes it difficult to have one correct answer in how social change occurs and also how society should be changed. There is no one right answer for how to create one large harmonious utopian society where everyone is treated equally and embraced for their differences. However, it is possible to create small social changes that eventually will lead to one large shift at the societal level.

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