Investigating Social Justice in the Writing Center

In this article, I reflect on efforts to revise the instruction and evaluation of an undergraduate writing consultant education course. The revisions are motivated by the desire to adopt practices that reflect the writing center’s commitment to social justice for multilingual/translingual students and by a commitment to provide an effective, flexible, and brave environment for writing consultants to continue their professional development. I argue that grounding understanding of multilingual writers in concepts that explicitly explore linguistic diversity and standardized 1 English ideologies as threshold concepts is essential to reconceptualize writing center practices. I also argue for the necessity of adopting a flexible system for reflection, engagement, and evaluation to support writing consultants’ learning and practice. I share prompts used in the course and some of the responses they generated. The responses suggest that although combining threshold concepts with a portfolio system is successful in supporting inclusive practices, there remains a need to expand more inclusive practices across the university.

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Restructuring Educational Systems and Promoting Social Justice for Young People Involved in Drug Trafficking in Brazil

Zeitschrift für Psychologie ◽

10.1027/2151-2604/a000366 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 227 (2) ◽

pp. 139-143 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Alex Sandro Gomes Pessoa ◽

Linda Liebenberg ◽

Dorothy Bottrell ◽

Silvia Helena Koller

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Social Justice ◽

Young People ◽

Latin American ◽

Drug Trafficking ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Educational Systems ◽

Economic Changes ◽

2030 Agenda ◽

Development Goals

Abstract. Economic changes in the context of globalization have left adolescents from Latin American contexts with few opportunities to make satisfactory transitions into adulthood. Recent studies indicate that there is a protracted period between the end of schooling and entering into formal working activities. While in this “limbo,” illicit activities, such as drug trafficking may emerge as an alternative for young people to ensure their social participation. This article aims to deepen the understanding of Brazilian youth’s involvement in drug trafficking and its intersection with their schooling, work, and aspirations, connecting with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 and 16 as proposed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations in 2015 .

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