The first observation of a social issue can be confusing for a young person. Noticing extremes of wealth and poverty from one neighborhood to the next—or from one country to another—or hearing statistics related to literacy and school dropout rates in developed countries can be shocking. While growing up, how did your community of family, friends, and teachers respond to social disparities? Were they ignored or confronted? Did you perceive a sense of helplessness or responsibility to help? Whether you feel burdened by, or called to address, the myriad of social concerns in the world today, your response stems, in part, from how you see yourself in the world in relation to others.
In this Discussion, you explore the influence of personal values on your concept of social responsibility.
To prepare for this Discussion:
- Review examples of social responsibility presented in the assigned reading from the Loeb (2010) course text.
- Review “The Golden Rule” from this week’s Resources to identify commonalities across quotes and to determine whether any quotes align with your own values.
- Complete the Cultural Genogram: Dimensions of Culture document in this week’s Resources to discover personal values related to social responsibility.
- Think of the community or communities where you grew up. What issue of concern or need in that community(ies) did you see addressed directly or indirectly?
- Think about the elements in your life that might have influenced your definition of social responsibility.
- Did any of your family members choose careers that served the community in which they lived?
- What convictions do you hold that were formed early in life that now influence the way you view social responsibility?
- Read the Discussion Spark topic, question or comment posted by your Instructor in the Discussion thread on Day 1.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post by Day 2 a response to the Discussion Spark post. Your response should contain at least two significant paragraphs. Read the Discussion Rubric as it will inform your writing. Important Note: The Discussion Spark and the weekly Discussion topic below will be graded together. You will see one score in your My Grades area.
Post by Day 4 an example of a socially responsible act that has influenced your life. Explain why this example influenced you and describe how this example and the motivation behind it reflect your personal values regarding social responsibility. For example, are there particular aspects of social change that resonate with you? In addition, define social responsibility in your own words and provide two examples from this week’s Resources that support or influence the development of your definition.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.
Respond by Day 7 to at least two of your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways:
- Validate your colleague’s example of social responsibility by sharing one of your own similar experiences.
- Expand on your colleague’s definition of social responsibility by offering a new perspective or insight.
- Support your colleague’s definition of social responsibility by suggesting additional examples from this week’s Resources.
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Week 1 Discussion Spark : Reflection on Social Change
Think about what “social change” has meant through the ages. Consider social change movements such as the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and1960s and the current lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights movement. Post your thoughts about a social change movement that you admire. What did or do they advocate? What were or are their motivations and outcomes?
