The Social Justice Practicum (SJP) is a non-clinical practicum that focuses on providing support to nonprofits who have put social justice work at the forefront of their mission.
The SJP was inspired by Alfred Adler’s groundbreaking concept of social interest – that our health resides within our community life and connections. By participating in the SJP, students receive on-the-ground experience, working alongside community organizations to support community wellbeing and policy transformation.
Socially responsible practice places an emphasis on individuals in the context of society and on social justice defined in terms of equity of resources. The social context in which individuals live often determines their health and well-being. Socially responsible practitioners account for this contextual influence, address it in their interactions, and strive to affect it personally and professionally. The SJP allows students to acquire some of these skills employed by professionals to advance social change.
The Community Action & Engagement Manager and the registrar administer the SJP, and students will work with both to receive credit.
After registering for the SJP course based on their program of study, the Community Action and Engagement Manager will send you instructions on selecting a placement site.
You will then have an opportunity to review the projects that sites have submitted, and rank your top choices. After all students have ranked their top choices, you will be directed to a placement site for next steps.
Students should be attending their site for 8-10 hours each week. We recommend either attending in one full day, or split your time in two half-days per week.
The SJP spans two semesters. Students must complete a minimum of 200 approved hours at their SJP site. If students complete 200 hours before the end of the second term, they are to stay on at their site until the conclusion of the term.
Yes, an important part of the SJP are the accompanying workshops. Additionally, the Center for Diversity & Inclusion facilitates SJP-specific workshops.
Your site supervisor will be evaluating your performance to provide both a midterm and final evaluation of either high pass, pass, remediation, or fail. You will also complete a final self-evaluation, as well as an evaluation of your site, project,
and supervisor.
Yes, students who have completed their SJP will present at a campus-wide event to demonstrate what they have learned and accomplished. Students are graded by their evaluators.