Assessment 2: Case study (1500 words)

Assessment 2: Case study (1500 words)

Evaluate the effectiveness of community practices to create social justice in the cases studies provided with reference to national law and policy on gender equality.

Due May 8th 11.59pm

References: Use the American Psychological Association 7th edition (APA 7)

Read the case studies and highlight areas of concern or interest

Write 500 words in response to these questions for each case study;

Identify the social justice issue/issues in the case study.

Why is this a contemporary social justice issue?

Analyse the issue with reference to national law and policy on gender equality.

How can we improve issues such as this through community practices? Reference national law and policy on gender equality.

3. Follow the rubrics

Answers expressed in a rational, compelling and convincing manner.

Extensive integration of research findings to broader context.

Excellent understanding of the question.

Excellent evaluation of concepts, issues and information.

Evidence of extensive research

The writing is academically rigorous, succinct and engaging

Written in formal language.

Significance of examples and quotes clearly stated.

Excellent use of language and expression.

Excellent citations and references.

Excellent critical analysis of selected references.

Case study I- Samantha

Samantha, a vivacious seventh grader at Hillside School, a middle school in the predominantly low-income mountainous outskirts of northern Virginia, loves science class. By all apparent accounts, Samantha has a gift for the sciences, too. She aces all of her quizzes and tests and regularly helps classmates who are struggling with experiments.

This makes it particularly difficult for Ms. Grady to understand why Samantha rarely turns in her science homework. Wondering whether there was an issue at home, Ms. Grady has touched base several times with her colleagues who have Samanthas younger siblings in their classes to see whether they were noticing similar patterns. To the contrary, she learned that her younger siblings always turn in their homework.

Ms. Grady has reached out to Samantha every way she knows how, from pleading with her to offering to give her more advanced work that might engage her in new ways. On several occasions she has asked Samantha why she rarely turns in her homework.

Its nothing, Samantha typically responds. Ill do it next time. I promise.

Regardless of how often she calls Samanthas parents, nobody answers. Imagine how successful Samantha could be if only her parents cared enough to support her education, Ms. Grady has often thought to herself.

As a conscientious teacher, Ms. Grady wants to support Samantha. On the other hand, she has roomfuls of other students who also need her attention. And, when it comes down to it, Ms. Gradys grading policy is clear: students are allowed to turn in one homework assignment one day late without penaltyshe calls this her life happens rule; but in every other instance, failure to turn in homework results in a grade of 0 for that assignment.

One day after school Ms. Grady approaches Mr. Burns, a social studies teacher at Hillside who had taken a particular interest in Samantha during the previous academic year.

I know, Mr. Burns says. Brilliant young woman. I had the same experience with her. I didnt know what to think until I decided to pay her family a visit at home. Having grown up in the area and attended Hillside as a low-income student, Mr. Burns bristled at some of his colleagues deficit-laden perceptions of the local community.

It never occurred to Ms. Grady to visit Samanthas home. Wow! she responds, taken aback by her colleagues direct action approach to student success. What did you learn?

A lot, he answers, explaining that Samanthas father finally found a steady job four months after the local mill shut down. As she has done for years, Samanthas mother continues to piece together multiple jobs. She usually sneaks in the door around 11 p.m., an hour or so after her husband, trying not to wake the kids, Mr. Burns explains.

From the moment she gets home from school until her dad returns from work, shes babysitting Francis and Kevin, her younger siblings. Shes busy taking them to the playground, cooking them dinner, helping them with their homework.

Well, Ms. Grady reflects, that explains why her siblings homework is always in on time and how well Samantha does helping her classmates with their work.

Now all I have to do is figure out what to do about Samanthas grade. And I wonder how many of my other students are in similar situations, Ms. Grady says.

Case study II- Janet

Janet worked in a male-dominated workplace. On numerous occasions, Mark whispered comments to the Janet about a new female employees appearance including: Why does she wear those tight pants, what does she want? Mark also commented about another new female appointment, I dont have a problem with womenbut they cant work in the trade industry because, you know, they have families and they have to give that priority, thats what they do right? He also made comments about ironing being a womans job, and said the Janet was less of a pussy than that other pussy, referring to another female.

When Janet complained about the ongoing behaviour, she was told by HR We have to accept some of this behaviour, given the industry and type of people we work with. Janet resigned when her complaints were not addressed.

Mark answered the complaint by saying the allegations had been investigated and not substantiated, however Mark had not been interviewed during this investigation. Mark also argued that Janet had resigned due to not getting on with female colleagues, and not because of the behaviour she was alleging.

Case Study III- School uniform

A mother lodged a complaint on behalf of her 10-year-old daughter who attended a private religious co-educational school.

The girls mother said the school principal had removed long pants from the winter uniform choices for female students, and that the school provided no option for girls to wear shorts during the summer. She claimed that the lack of uniform choice for girls meant that girls were hampered in their physical activity, sometimes subject to comments about their underwear, and lacked warmth in winter. She claimed that boys were not subjected to the same restrictions with their uniform options.

The reason given by the principal for the change was to address concerns that the uniform standards at the school had slipped recently.

It was noted that some girls felt uncomfortable wearing dresses and preferred to have gender neutral uniforms and the option to wear what made them comfortable as long as it was still official school uniform

On top of this, a lesbian female teacher was recently fired after a colleague discovered she was in a same sex relationship. The school justified this as part of the religious discrimination act.

The girls protested one day by wearing casual clothes to school and wrote a letter to the principle asking for changes to the uniform and to allow the beloved teacher to return. The school sent 34 students home that day and suspended 5 students for a week who had instigated this. This caught local media attention who then had a feminist academic and the previously fired teacher write an opinion piece regarding the restriction of girls uniforms, sexism and homophobia. The school has now begun discussions with a parents committee on addressing the uniform and LGB teachers.