In thinking about contributing to social and community change, have you ever asked yourself: Are there different approaches to social change? How would I describe my approach to contributing to creating change in communities? Am I making a change, or just perpetuating inequality? Is relationship-building with communities worth investing in? How do I respond to inequality in communities, or even South Africa or on the African continent? How does participating in my local community link to issues of social justice and global citizenship? What does my activism and service work mean for social justice?

What our students have to say (click on the image to see a larger version)

Citizenship & Social Justice: Activism, Service and Social Change (GC2) offers an informal and reflective learning space to think critically about the ‘why’, the ‘how’ and the ‘what’ of social change. It assumes that you are interested in ‘making a difference’ and that you are considering spending some of your time in activist or service work on campus or in communities. Through discussion, debate and critical reflection, the course will also help you to link your interest in social justice to broader debates about citizenship, activism, and service.

Time Commitments/Course Requirements:

  • Completion of a minimum of 10 hours research on a social justice issue of your interest (including a visit to a civil society or a community based organisation)
  • Minimum attendance of 6 (out of 8) 2 hour classroom sessions on Tuesday evenings from 5pm to 7pm
  • Completion of 4 (out of 8) reflective blog or vlog posts (excluding introductory blog/vlog)
  • Completion of 1 final reflection

Weekly Topics

  1. Self and Social Change
  2. Communities in Context
  3. Development and Social Justice
  4. Social Justice, Power and Redress
  5. Activism, Social Movements and Social Change
  6. Who am I as a Change Agent?
  7. Sustaining Insights
  8. Active Citizenship

Note: GC2 is FREE to all UCT students. It is not credit-bearing, but if you fully complete the course it will appear on your transcript as a short course.