Program
Goals
The M.A. in Global Development
and Social Justice was created to educate the generation of the
Third Millennium to become informed, creative and compassionate
leaders and professionals. Students will draw upon their broad
multidisciplinary training to address pertinent issues of global
development and social justice from many international perspectives
including Catholic Social Thought. These future leaders will
recognize and be able to work with diverse sets of individuals from
international organizations, national governance bodies and across
the private sector to arrive at effective and collaborative
solutions to the many problems facing the global community today
and beyond.
Students earning the M.A. in Global Development and Social
Justice will be able to:
1.
Understand and identify the phenomenon of underdevelopment, its
elements and its causes, from a global standpoint
a.
Articulate key principles and models of development from a variety
of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives (including
economics and political science)
b.
Critically examine existing models of development for their
achievements and shortcomings in reducing poverty, hunger, human
inequality, raising the quality of choices available for human
flourishing, and in conserving the environment.
2.
Demonstrate the ability to articulate a normative vision of
human development that is deeply rooted in Catholic Social Thought,
and to situate that perspective in relation to other paradigms of
development.
a.
Appreciate the understanding of the human person and of the common
good that inform Catholic social teaching and its perspectives on
development.
b.
Analyze critically the usefulness of the principles of
Catholic Social Teaching (the common good, universal human dignity,
etc.) for developing public policies that address economic justice
and globalization.
c.
Define key principles of Catholic Social Teaching and employ
those principles as analytical tools in examining specific issues
and cases.
d.
Articulate a well-informed and clear empirical understanding of the
concrete issue(s) of development that they plan to analyze
ethically and theologically.
3.
Identify appropriate resources and assess best practices
toward authentic human development.
a. Identify
and critically evaluate relevant information resources for
investigating issues in development (including, but not restricted
to migration, employment, education, communication, and health
care)
b. Employ
the principles and values of Catholic Social Thought to effectively
analyze and assess current efforts (by governments, nongovernmental
organizations, and international organizations) that address issues
in economic, political, and social development
4.
Construct effective strategies to address emerging forms of
poverty, marginalization, and exclusion.
a. Engage
in critical interdisciplinary thinking about complex
interrelationships involved in development by linking concerns
considered by ethicists, social scientists, demographers,
economists, policy makers, human rights activists, and development
practitioners.
b. Examine
the status of women worldwide in regard to finance, health,
violence, the environment, education, family, and decision making,
and articulate an understanding of the structural forces
involved.
c. Prepare
and present position papers, research studies, and other written
and oral presentations that identify and propose solutions
regarding specific instances of poverty, marginalization, and
exclusion.
d. Present
his/her Capstone Project in the Integrated Seminar, summarizing the
student’s learning in the courses and his/her ability to undertake
in-depth research and apply the knowledge and skills acquired.