Social Awareness
Ties that Bind: Enhanced Social Awareness Development Through Interactions with Diverse Peers
by Shirley R. Greene Mark Kamimura University of Michigan
Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education Portland, Oregon, November 12-15, 2003
The work reported herein is supported under the National Institute for Student Achievement, Curriculum and Assessment program, agreement number R305T990402-00, CFDA/Subprogram No.:84.305T, as administered by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education. The findings and opinions expressed in this report do not reflect6 the position and policies of OERI or the U.S. Department of Education.
Social Awareness INTRODUCTION Social awareness has it roots in the second wave of the feminist movement (Bickford & Reynolds, 2002). It is viewed as one of the key components of consciousness-raising, the other being social action. For many researchers, awareness about issues affecting the community or raising social consciousness has always been a precursor to social movement(Steinem, 1983; Swift, 1990). The internal and external survival of organizations, particularly higher education institutions, requires that they engage their members and encourage them to develop a social awareness that will enable them to reach out to the broader community on these issues. More recent research conducted by Astin (1998), revealed a decline in the percentage of first-year students who voted in a student election and expressed interest in “participating in a community action program,” “promoting racial understanding,” and “becoming involved with programs to clean up the environment” (p. 132) Many traditional college-aged students lack the social awareness that leads to social change (Bickford & Reynolds, 2002). Although they can easily identify the icons of social movements, such as the civil rights movement, they seldom appreciate the needs, impetus, and
by Shirley R. Greene Mark Kamimura University of Michigan
Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education Portland, Oregon, November 12-15, 2003
The work reported herein is supported under the National Institute for Student Achievement, Curriculum and Assessment program, agreement number R305T990402-00, CFDA/Subprogram No.:84.305T, as administered by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education. The findings and opinions expressed in this report do not reflect6 the position and policies of OERI or the U.S. Department of Education.
Social Awareness INTRODUCTION Social awareness has it roots in the second wave of the feminist movement (Bickford & Reynolds, 2002). It is viewed as one of the key components of consciousness-raising, the other being social action. For many researchers, awareness about issues affecting the community or raising social consciousness has always been a precursor to social movement(Steinem, 1983; Swift, 1990). The internal and external survival of organizations, particularly higher education institutions, requires that they engage their members and encourage them to develop a social awareness that will enable them to reach out to the broader community on these issues. More recent research conducted by Astin (1998), revealed a decline in the percentage of first-year students who voted in a student election and expressed interest in “participating in a community action program,” “promoting racial understanding,” and “becoming involved with programs to clean up the environment” (p. 132) Many traditional college-aged students lack the social awareness that leads to social change (Bickford & Reynolds, 2002). Although they can easily identify the icons of social movements, such as the civil rights movement, they seldom appreciate the needs, impetus, and