Life history research: stories of social justice & change

Abstract

The assessment strategy contains two parts: Summative - Students are asked to select an individual who has been inspirational in acting for social justice and conduct life history research on them. They must write 2,000-word review in response to the following prompts: • Introduce the life history; explain why this person was selected; what is the significance in relation to social policy, social justice and social change? • How was the persons life shaped by social policy? Think about issues such as class, race, gender, sexual orientation, the socio political and historical context. • How did this person in turn shape progressive social policy for justice and change? Think about their contribution to service provision, campaigning, advocacy, changing policy or legislation. • What have you learned from this life history research? Think about the role of social policy in your own life story and reflect on the impact one person can make for social justice and change.