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.