college essay about social justice

D istinctive

October 17, 2021
Distinctive College Consulting
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By Nora Lessersohn, A.M.

In the past few years, social, political, environmental, financial, and medical crises have made it abundantly clear that one’s race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or disability status directly affect/s their health, finances, work, education, and ability to live life itself. In response, colleges have started to ask their applicants to reflect on how they themselves have contributed to creating equitable and just outcomes for all. The following three prompts are exemplary:

Villanova : St. Augustine states that well-being is “not concerned with myself alone, but with my neighbor’s good as well.” How have you advocated for equity and justice in your communities?

Princeton : Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals.

University of Richmond : Please share one idea for actions or policies that you think would begin to address an issue of racial or social injustice.

Such prompts may feel difficult for students who don’t consider themselves “political” (or those who simply understand how massive these problems are). But working towards equity and justice doesn’t begin and end with a protest or a social media post. In fact, you’ve probably worked towards these goals without even realizing it! Here are three questions to ask yourself to help you write a social justice essay.

1) How and when have I tried to be inclusive of others? Inclusion is an important element of working towards equitable social outcomes, whether it happens at a policy level, or at school with your peers. Have you made an effort to incorporate people from different backgrounds into an activity or conversation, whether in a sport, a club, or a social setting? This act could form the basis of a solid social justice essay in which you talk about the value of inclusion to your community.

2) How and when have I tried to help others? While not all assistance relates to issues of equity and justice, thinking about the times you have worked to help people will help you reflect on how your actions may have contributed to these goals. Have you worked as a tutor or mentor? Have you volunteered at a hospital? Have you organized a food drive? While you may not have thought about the macro effects of your service at the time, thinking now through the lens of equity and justice, how do you understand the work that you did? Is there something you could have done better (and will do in the future)?

3) How and when have I tried to ask difficult questions? For many, the first step in working for equity and justice is developing the awareness that there is systemic and racial inequality everywhere we look. When have you been most aware of these issues in society, and what questions did this awareness prompt you to ask? Who did you ask, or did you keep those questions to yourself (and why)? Reflecting on your own process of understanding could be a powerful way to engage with the topic of social justice, and a jumping off point for discussing how you would work towards a more equitable social world in college and beyond.

Hopefully, asking yourself these questions will help you realize that, even if you’ve never protested, posted, or even just “talked politics,” you may still have made an important effort to make the world a better place to live.

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8 Tips For Writing A Social Justice Essay

Social justice covers a variety of issues involving race, gender, age, sexual orientation, income equality and much more. How do you write an essay on a social justice issue that’s engaging, informative and memorable? Here are eight tips you should take to heart when writing:

When writing a social justice essay, you should brainstorm for ideas, sharpen your focus, identify your purpose, find a story, use a variety of sources, define your terms, provide specific evidence and acknowledge opposing views.

#1. Brainstorm creatively

Before you start writing your social justice essay, you need a topic. Don’t hesitate to look far and wide for inspiration. Read other social justice essays, look at recent news stories, watch movies and talk to people who are also interested in social justice. At this stage, don’t worry about the “trendiness” of your idea or whether a lot of people are already writing about it. Your topic will evolve in response to your research and the arguments you develop. At the brainstorming stage, you’re focused on generating as many ideas as possible, thinking outside the box and identifying what interests you the most. Take a free online course to get a better understanding of social justice.

You can take a creative brainstorming approach! A blog on Hubspot offers 15 creative ideas such as storyboarding, which involves laying out ideas in a narrative form with terms, images and other elements. You can also try freewriting, which is when you choose something you’re interested in. Next, write down everything you already know, what you need to know but don’t already, why the topic matters and anything else that comes to mind. Freewriting is a good exercise because it helps you decide if there’s any substance to a topic or if it’s clear there’s not enough material for a full essay.

#2. Sharpen your topic’s focus

The best essays narrow on a specific social justice topic and sharpen its focus, so it says something meaningful and interesting. This is often challenging, but wrestling with what exactly you want your essay to say is worth the effort. Why? An essay with a narrow, sharp focus has a clearer message. You’re also able to dig deeper into your topic and provide better analysis. If your topic is too broad, you’re forced to skim the surface, which produces a less interesting essay.

How do you sharpen your essay’s focus? Grace Fleming provides several tips on ThoughtCatalog . First, you can tell your topic is too broad if it can be summarized in just 1-2 words. As an example, “health inequity” is way too broad. Fleming suggests applying the questions, “Who, what, where, when, why and how,” to your topic to narrow it down. So, instead of just “health inequity,” you might end up with something like “The impact of health inequity in maternal healthcare systems on Indigenous women.” Your topic’s focus may shift or narrow even further depending on the research you find.

Writing a human rights topic research paper? Here are five of the most useful tips .

#3. Identify your purpose

As you unearth your topic and narrow its focus, it’s important to think about what you want your essay to accomplish. If you’re only thinking about your essay as an assignment, you’ll most likely end up with a product that’s unfocused or unclear. Vague sentiments like “Everyone is writing about social justice” and “Social justice is important” are also not going to produce an essay with a clear purpose. Why are you writing this essay? Are you wanting to raise awareness of a topic that’s been historically ignored? Or do you want to inspire people to take action and change something by giving them concrete how-to strategies? Identifying your purpose as soon as possible directs your research, your essay structure and how you style your writing.

If you’re not sure how to find your purpose, think about who you’re writing for. An essay written for a university class has a different audience than an essay written for a social justice organization’s social media page. If there are specific instructions for your essay (professors often have requirements they’re looking for), always follow them closely. Once you’ve identified your purpose, keep it at the front of your mind. You’ll produce an essay that’s clear, focused and effective.

#4. Find a human story

The best social justice essays don’t only provide compelling arguments and accurate statistics; they show your topic’s real-world impact. Harvard’s Kennedy School’s communications program describes this process as “finding a character.” It’s especially useful when you’re writing something persuasive. Whatever your topic, try to find the human stories behind the ideas and the data. How you do that depends on the nature of your essay. As an example, if you’re writing something more academic, focusing too much on the emotional side of a story may not be appropriate. However, if you’re writing an essay for an NGO’s fundraising campaign, focusing on a few people’s stories helps your reader connect to the topic more deeply.

How do you choose what stories to feature? Harvard suggests choosing someone you have access to either through your research or as an interview subject. If you get the opportunity to interview people, make sure you ask interesting questions that dig beneath the surface. Your subject has a unique perspective; you want to find the information and stories only they can provide.

#5. Rely on a variety of sources

Depending on your essay’s purpose and audience, there might be certain sources you’re required to use. In a piece for Inside Higher Ed, Stephanie Y. Evans describes how her students must use at least 10 source types in their final paper assignment. Most of the time, you’ll have a lot of freedom when it comes to research and choosing your sources. For best results, you want to use a wide variety. There are a few reasons why. The first is that a variety of sources gives you more material for your essay. You’ll access different perspectives you wouldn’t have found if you stuck to just a few books or papers. Reading more sources also helps you ensure your information is accurate; you’re fact-checking sources against one another. Expanding your research helps you address bias, as well. If you rely only on sources that reflect your existing views, your essay will be much less interesting.

While we’re talking about sources, let’s touch on citations. If you’re writing an essay for school, your teacher will most likely tell you what citation method they want you to use. There are several depending on the discipline. As an example, in the United States, social science disciplines like sociology and education tend to use the American Psychological Association (APA) style. Some places are very rigid about citation styles, while others are more relaxed. If you’re writing an essay where your citation won’t be checked, you still need to give credit to any ideas, thoughts, or research that’s not yours. Proper citation builds trust with your reader and boosts your credibility.

Here are more tips on writing a human rights essay!

#6. Define your key terms

To make your essay as clear and effective as possible, you want every reader on the same page right at the beginning. Defining your key terms is an important step. As Ian Johnston writes, creating an effective argument requires “the establishment of clear, precise, and effective definitions for key terms in the arguments.” You may have to adapt an existing definition or write your own. Johnston offers principles such as adjusting a definition based on the knowledge of who you’re writing for, focusing on what a term is and not just on its effects, and expanding a definition so it covers everything a reader needs to know.

How do you decide which terms are important in your essay? First, never assume a reader understands a term because it’s “obvious.” The most obvious terms are often the ones that need the clearest definitions. If your reader doesn’t know exactly what you’re talking about when you use a term like “health equity,” your essay won’t be as effective. In general, you want to define any terms relevant to your topic, terms that are used frequently and terms with distinct meanings in the context of your essay.

#7. Provide specific evidence and examples

Social justice issues are grounded in reality, so an essay should reflect that. Don’t spend your whole paper being philosophical or hypothetical. As an example, let’s say you’re writing an essay about desertification in Mali. Don’t discuss desertification as an abstract concept. Include real statistics and case studies on desertification in Mali, who it’s affecting the most and what is being done about it. For every argument you make, present supporting evidence and examples.

The strength of your evidence determines the strength of your arguments. How do you find strong evidence? Cite This For Me lists a handful of examples , such as studies, statistics, quotes from subject matter experts and/or reports, and case studies. Good evidence also needs to be accurate and in support of your argument. Depending on your essay topic, how current a piece of evidence is also matters. If you’re not relying on the most current evidence available, it can weaken your overall argument. Evidence should also be as specific as possible to your topic. Referring back to our desertification in Mali essay, that means locating examples of how desertification affects people in Mali , not in Chad or Russia.

Academic essay writing requires specific skills. Here’s an online introductory course on academic writing .

#8. Acknowledge your critics

Not every social justice essay requires an acknowledgment of opposing viewpoints, but addressing critics can strengthen your essay. How? It lets you confront your critics head-on and refute their arguments. It also shows you’ve researched your topic from every angle and you’re willing to be open-minded. Some people worry that introducing counterarguments will weaken the essay, but when you do the work to truly dissect your critic’s views and reaffirm your own, it makes your essay stronger.

The University of Pittsburgh offers a four-step strategy for refuting an argument. First, you need to identify the claim you’re responding to. This is often the trickiest part. Some writers misrepresent the claims of their critics to make them easier to refute, but that’s an intellectually dishonest method. Do your best to understand what exactly the opposing argument is claiming. Next, make your claim. You might need to provide specific evidence, which you may or may not have already included in your essay. Depending on the claim, your own thoughts may be a strong enough argument. Lastly, summarize what your claim implies about your critics, so your reader is left with a clear understanding of why your argument is the stronger one.

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About the author, emmaline soken-huberty.

Emmaline Soken-Huberty is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. She started to become interested in human rights while attending college, eventually getting a concentration in human rights and humanitarianism. LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and climate change are of special concern to her. In her spare time, she can be found reading or enjoying Oregon’s natural beauty with her husband and dog.

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Six brilliant student essays on the power of food to spark social change.

Read winning essays from our fall 2018 “Feeding Ourselves, Feeding Our Revolutions,” student writing contest.

For the Fall 2018 student writing competition, “Feeding Ourselves, Feeding Our Revolutions,” we invited students to read the YES! Magazine article, “Cooking Stirs the Pot for Social Change,” by Korsha Wilson and respond to this writing prompt: If you were to host a potluck or dinner to discuss a challenge facing your community or country, what food would you cook? Whom would you invite? On what issue would you deliberate?

The Winners

From the hundreds of essays written, these six—on anti-Semitism, cultural identity, death row prisoners, coming out as transgender, climate change, and addiction—were chosen as essay winners. Be sure to read the literary gems and catchy titles that caught our eye.

Middle School Winner: India Brown High School Winner: Grace Williams University Winner: Lillia Borodkin Powerful Voice Winner: Paisley Regester Powerful Voice Winner: Emma Lingo Powerful Voice Winner: Hayden Wilson

Literary Gems Clever Titles

Middle School Winner: India Brown

A Feast for the Future

Close your eyes and imagine the not too distant future: The Statue of Liberty is up to her knees in water, the streets of lower Manhattan resemble the canals of Venice, and hurricanes arrive in the fall and stay until summer. Now, open your eyes and see the beautiful planet that we will destroy if we do not do something. Now is the time for change. Our future is in our control if we take actions, ranging from small steps, such as not using plastic straws, to large ones, such as reducing fossil fuel consumption and electing leaders who take the problem seriously.

Hosting a dinner party is an extraordinary way to publicize what is at stake. At my potluck, I would serve linguini with clams. The clams would be sautéed in white wine sauce. The pasta tossed with a light coat of butter and topped with freshly shredded parmesan. I choose this meal because it cannot be made if global warming’s patterns persist. Soon enough, the ocean will be too warm to cultivate clams, vineyards will be too sweltering to grow grapes, and wheat fields will dry out, leaving us without pasta.

I think that giving my guests a delicious meal and then breaking the news to them that its ingredients would be unattainable if Earth continues to get hotter is a creative strategy to initiate action. Plus, on the off chance the conversation gets drastically tense, pasta is a relatively difficult food to throw.

In YES! Magazine’s article, “Cooking Stirs the Pot for Social Change,” Korsha Wilson says “…beyond the narrow definition of what cooking is, you can see that cooking is and has always been an act of resistance.” I hope that my dish inspires people to be aware of what’s at stake with increasing greenhouse gas emissions and work toward creating a clean energy future.

My guest list for the potluck would include two groups of people: local farmers, who are directly and personally affected by rising temperatures, increased carbon dioxide, drought, and flooding, and people who either do not believe in human-caused climate change or don’t think it affects anyone. I would invite the farmers or farm owners because their jobs and crops are dependent on the weather. I hope that after hearing a farmer’s perspective, climate-deniers would be awakened by the truth and more receptive to the effort to reverse these catastrophic trends.

Earth is a beautiful planet that provides everything we’ll ever need, but because of our pattern of living—wasteful consumption, fossil fuel burning, and greenhouse gas emissions— our habitat is rapidly deteriorating. Whether you are a farmer, a long-shower-taking teenager, a worker in a pollution-producing factory, or a climate-denier, the future of humankind is in our hands. The choices we make and the actions we take will forever affect planet Earth.

India Brown is an eighth grader who lives in New York City with her parents and older brother. She enjoys spending time with her friends, walking her dog, Morty, playing volleyball and lacrosse, and swimming.

High School Winner: Grace Williams

Apple Pie Embrace

It’s 1:47 a.m. Thanksgiving smells fill the kitchen. The sweet aroma of sugar-covered apples and buttery dough swirls into my nostrils. Fragrant orange and rosemary permeate the room and every corner smells like a stroll past the open door of a French bakery. My eleven-year-old eyes water, red with drowsiness, and refocus on the oven timer counting down. Behind me, my mom and aunt chat to no end, fueled by the seemingly self-replenishable coffee pot stashed in the corner. Their hands work fast, mashing potatoes, crumbling cornbread, and covering finished dishes in a thin layer of plastic wrap. The most my tired body can do is sit slouched on the backless wooden footstool. I bask in the heat escaping under the oven door.

As a child, I enjoyed Thanksgiving and the preparations that came with it, but it seemed like more of a bridge between my birthday and Christmas than an actual holiday. Now, it’s a time of year I look forward to, dedicated to family, memories, and, most importantly, food. What I realized as I grew older was that my homemade Thanksgiving apple pie was more than its flaky crust and soft-fruit center. This American food symbolized a rite of passage, my Iraqi family’s ticket to assimilation.

Some argue that by adopting American customs like the apple pie, we lose our culture. I would argue that while American culture influences what my family eats and celebrates, it doesn’t define our character. In my family, we eat Iraqi dishes like mesta and tahini, but we also eat Cinnamon Toast Crunch for breakfast. This doesn’t mean we favor one culture over the other; instead, we create a beautiful blend of the two, adapting traditions to make them our own.

That said, my family has always been more than the “mashed potatoes and turkey” type.

My mom’s family immigrated to the United States in 1976. Upon their arrival, they encountered a deeply divided America. Racism thrived, even after the significant freedoms gained from the Civil Rights Movement a few years before. Here, my family was thrust into a completely unknown world: they didn’t speak the language, they didn’t dress normally, and dinners like riza maraka seemed strange in comparison to the Pop Tarts and Oreos lining grocery store shelves.

If I were to host a dinner party, it would be like Thanksgiving with my Chaldean family. The guests, my extended family, are a diverse people, distinct ingredients in a sweet potato casserole, coming together to create a delicious dish.

In her article “Cooking Stirs the Pot for Social Change,” Korsha Wilson writes, “each ingredient that we use, every technique, every spice tells a story about our access, our privilege, our heritage, and our culture.” Voices around the room will echo off the walls into the late hours of the night while the hot apple pie steams at the table’s center.

We will play concan on the blanketed floor and I’ll try to understand my Toto, who, after forty years, still speaks broken English. I’ll listen to my elders as they tell stories about growing up in Unionville, Michigan, a predominately white town where they always felt like outsiders, stories of racism that I have the privilege not to experience. While snacking on sunflower seeds and salted pistachios, we’ll talk about the news- how thousands of people across the country are protesting for justice among immigrants. No one protested to give my family a voice.

Our Thanksgiving food is more than just sustenance, it is a physical representation of my family ’s blended and ever-changing culture, even after 40 years in the United States. No matter how the food on our plates changes, it will always symbolize our sense of family—immediate and extended—and our unbreakable bond.

Grace Williams, a student at Kirkwood High School in Kirkwood, Missouri, enjoys playing tennis, baking, and spending time with her family. Grace also enjoys her time as a writing editor for her school’s yearbook, the Pioneer. In the future, Grace hopes to continue her travels abroad, as well as live near extended family along the sunny beaches of La Jolla, California.

University Winner: Lillia Borodkin

Nourishing Change After Tragedy Strikes

In the Jewish community, food is paramount. We often spend our holidays gathered around a table, sharing a meal and reveling in our people’s story. On other sacred days, we fast, focusing instead on reflection, atonement, and forgiveness.

As a child, I delighted in the comfort of matzo ball soup, the sweetness of hamantaschen, and the beauty of braided challah. But as I grew older and more knowledgeable about my faith, I learned that the origins of these foods are not rooted in joy, but in sacrifice.

The matzo of matzo balls was a necessity as the Jewish people did not have time for their bread to rise as they fled slavery in Egypt. The hamantaschen was an homage to the hat of Haman, the villain of the Purim story who plotted the Jewish people’s destruction. The unbaked portion of braided challah was tithed by commandment to the kohen or priests. Our food is an expression of our history, commemorating both our struggles and our triumphs.

As I write this, only days have passed since eleven Jews were killed at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. These people, intending only to pray and celebrate the Sabbath with their community, were murdered simply for being Jewish. This brutal event, in a temple and city much like my own, is a reminder that anti-Semitism still exists in this country. A reminder that hatred of Jews, of me, my family, and my community, is alive and flourishing in America today. The thought that a difference in religion would make some believe that others do not have the right to exist is frightening and sickening.

This is why, if given the chance, I would sit down the entire Jewish American community at one giant Shabbat table. I’d serve matzo ball soup, pass around loaves of challah, and do my best to offer comfort. We would take time to remember the beautiful souls lost to anti-Semitism this October and the countless others who have been victims of such hatred in the past. I would then ask that we channel all we are feeling—all the fear, confusion, and anger —into the fight.

As suggested in Korsha Wilson’s “Cooking Stirs the Pot for Social Change,” I would urge my guests to direct our passion for justice and the comfort and care provided by the food we are eating into resisting anti-Semitism and hatred of all kinds.

We must use the courage this sustenance provides to create change and honor our people’s suffering and strength. We must remind our neighbors, both Jewish and non-Jewish, that anti-Semitism is alive and well today. We must shout and scream and vote until our elected leaders take this threat to our community seriously. And, we must stand with, support, and listen to other communities that are subjected to vengeful hate today in the same way that many of these groups have supported us in the wake of this tragedy.

This terrible shooting is not the first of its kind, and if conflict and loathing are permitted to grow, I fear it will not be the last. While political change may help, the best way to target this hate is through smaller-scale actions in our own communities.

It is critical that we as a Jewish people take time to congregate and heal together, but it is equally necessary to include those outside the Jewish community to build a powerful crusade against hatred and bigotry. While convening with these individuals, we will work to end the dangerous “otherizing” that plagues our society and seek to understand that we share far more in common than we thought. As disagreements arise during our discussions, we will learn to respect and treat each other with the fairness we each desire. Together, we shall share the comfort, strength, and courage that traditional Jewish foods provide and use them to fuel our revolution.

We are not alone in the fight despite what extremists and anti-semites might like us to believe. So, like any Jew would do, I invite you to join me at the Shabbat table. First, we will eat. Then, we will get to work.

Lillia Borodkin is a senior at Kent State University majoring in Psychology with a concentration in Child Psychology. She plans to attend graduate school and become a school psychologist while continuing to pursue her passion for reading and writing. Outside of class, Lillia is involved in research in the psychology department and volunteers at the Women’s Center on campus.

Powerful Voice Winner: Paisley Regester

As a kid, I remember asking my friends jokingly, ”If you were stuck on a deserted island, what single item of food would you bring?” Some of my friends answered practically and said they’d bring water. Others answered comically and said they’d bring snacks like Flamin’ Hot Cheetos or a banana. However, most of my friends answered sentimentally and listed the foods that made them happy. This seems like fun and games, but what happens if the hypothetical changes? Imagine being asked, on the eve of your death, to choose the final meal you will ever eat. What food would you pick? Something practical? Comical? Sentimental?

This situation is the reality for the 2,747 American prisoners who are currently awaiting execution on death row. The grim ritual of “last meals,” when prisoners choose their final meal before execution, can reveal a lot about these individuals and what they valued throughout their lives.

It is difficult for us to imagine someone eating steak, lobster tail, apple pie, and vanilla ice cream one moment and being killed by state-approved lethal injection the next. The prisoner can only hope that the apple pie he requested tastes as good as his mom’s. Surprisingly, many people in prison decline the option to request a special last meal. We often think of food as something that keeps us alive, so is there really any point to eating if someone knows they are going to die?

“Controlling food is a means of controlling power,” said chef Sean Sherman in the YES! Magazine article “Cooking Stirs the Pot for Social Change,” by Korsha Wilson. There are deeper stories that lie behind the final meals of individuals on death row.

I want to bring awareness to the complex and often controversial conditions of this country’s criminal justice system and change the common perception of prisoners as inhuman. To accomplish this, I would host a potluck where I would recreate the last meals of prisoners sentenced to death.

In front of each plate, there would be a place card with the prisoner’s full name, the date of execution, and the method of execution. These meals could range from a plate of fried chicken, peas with butter, apple pie, and a Dr. Pepper, reminiscent of a Sunday dinner at Grandma’s, to a single olive.

Seeing these meals up close, meals that many may eat at their own table or feed to their own kids, would force attendees to face the reality of the death penalty. It will urge my guests to look at these individuals not just as prisoners, assigned a number and a death date, but as people, capable of love and rehabilitation.

This potluck is not only about realizing a prisoner’s humanity, but it is also about recognizing a flawed criminal justice system. Over the years, I have become skeptical of the American judicial system, especially when only seven states have judges who ethnically represent the people they serve. I was shocked when I found out that the officers who killed Michael Brown and Anthony Lamar Smith were exonerated for their actions. How could that be possible when so many teens and adults of color have spent years in prison, some even executed, for crimes they never committed?

Lawmakers, police officers, city officials, and young constituents, along with former prisoners and their families, would be invited to my potluck to start an honest conversation about the role and application of inequality, dehumanization, and racism in the death penalty. Food served at the potluck would represent the humanity of prisoners and push people to acknowledge that many inmates are victims of a racist and corrupt judicial system.

Recognizing these injustices is only the first step towards a more equitable society. The second step would be acting on these injustices to ensure that every voice is heard, even ones separated from us by prison walls. Let’s leave that for the next potluck, where I plan to serve humble pie.

Paisley Regester is a high school senior and devotes her life to activism, the arts, and adventure. Inspired by her experiences traveling abroad to Nicaragua, Mexico, and Scotland, Paisley hopes to someday write about the diverse people and places she has encountered and share her stories with the rest of the world.

Powerful Voice Winner: Emma Lingo

The Empty Seat

“If you aren’t sober, then I don’t want to see you on Christmas.”

Harsh words for my father to hear from his daughter but words he needed to hear. Words I needed him to understand and words he seemed to consider as he fiddled with his wine glass at the head of the table. Our guests, my grandma, and her neighbors remained resolutely silent. They were not about to defend my drunken father–or Charles as I call him–from my anger or my ultimatum.

This was the first dinner we had had together in a year. The last meal we shared ended with Charles slopping his drink all over my birthday presents and my mother explaining heroin addiction to me. So, I wasn’t surprised when Charles threw down some liquid valor before dinner in anticipation of my anger. If he wanted to be welcomed on Christmas, he needed to be sober—or he needed to be gone.

Countless dinners, holidays, and birthdays taught me that my demands for sobriety would fall on deaf ears. But not this time. Charles gave me a gift—a one of a kind, limited edition, absolutely awkward treat. One that I didn’t know how to deal with at all. Charles went home that night, smacked a bright red bow on my father, and hand-delivered him to me on Christmas morning.

He arrived for breakfast freshly showered and looking flustered. He would remember this day for once only because his daughter had scolded him into sobriety. Dad teetered between happiness and shame. Grandma distracted us from Dad’s presence by bringing the piping hot bacon and biscuits from the kitchen to the table, theatrically announcing their arrival. Although these foods were the alleged focus of the meal, the real spotlight shined on the unopened liquor cabinet in my grandma’s kitchen—the cabinet I know Charles was begging Dad to open.

I’ve isolated myself from Charles. My family has too. It means we don’t see Dad, but it’s the best way to avoid confrontation and heartache. Sometimes I find myself wondering what it would be like if we talked with him more or if he still lived nearby. Would he be less inclined to use? If all families with an addict tried to hang on to a relationship with the user, would there be fewer addicts in the world? Christmas breakfast with Dad was followed by Charles whisking him away to Colorado where pot had just been legalized. I haven’t talked to Dad since that Christmas.

As Korsha Wilson stated in her YES! Magazine article, “Cooking Stirs the Pot for Social Change,” “Sometimes what we don’t cook says more than what we do cook.” When it comes to addiction, what isn’t served is more important than what is. In quiet moments, I like to imagine a meal with my family–including Dad. He’d have a spot at the table in my little fantasy. No alcohol would push him out of his chair, the cigarettes would remain seated in his back pocket, and the stench of weed wouldn’t invade the dining room. Fruit salad and gumbo would fill the table—foods that Dad likes. We’d talk about trivial matters in life, like how school is going and what we watched last night on TV.

Dad would feel loved. We would connect. He would feel less alone. At the end of the night, he’d walk me to the door and promise to see me again soon. And I would believe him.

Emma Lingo spends her time working as an editor for her school paper, reading, and being vocal about social justice issues. Emma is active with many clubs such as Youth and Government, KHS Cares, and Peer Helpers. She hopes to be a journalist one day and to be able to continue helping out people by volunteering at local nonprofits.

Powerful Voice Winner: Hayden Wilson

Bittersweet Reunion

I close my eyes and envision a dinner of my wildest dreams. I would invite all of my relatives. Not just my sister who doesn’t ask how I am anymore. Not just my nephews who I’m told are too young to understand me. No, I would gather all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins to introduce them to the me they haven’t met.

For almost two years, I’ve gone by a different name that most of my family refuses to acknowledge. My aunt, a nun of 40 years, told me at a recent birthday dinner that she’d heard of my “nickname.” I didn’t want to start a fight, so I decided not to correct her. Even the ones who’ve adjusted to my name have yet to recognize the bigger issue.

Last year on Facebook, I announced to my friends and family that I am transgender. No one in my family has talked to me about it, but they have plenty to say to my parents. I feel as if this is about my parents more than me—that they’ve made some big parenting mistake. Maybe if I invited everyone to dinner and opened up a discussion, they would voice their concerns to me instead of my parents.

I would serve two different meals of comfort food to remind my family of our good times. For my dad’s family, I would cook heavily salted breakfast food, the kind my grandpa used to enjoy. He took all of his kids to IHOP every Sunday and ordered the least healthy option he could find, usually some combination of an overcooked omelet and a loaded Classic Burger. For my mom’s family, I would buy shakes and burgers from Hardee’s. In my grandma’s final weeks, she let aluminum tins of sympathy meals pile up on her dining table while she made my uncle take her to Hardee’s every day.

In her article on cooking and activism, food writer Korsha Wilson writes, “Everyone puts down their guard over a good meal, and in that space, change is possible.” Hopefully the same will apply to my guests.

When I first thought of this idea, my mind rushed to the endless negative possibilities. My nun-aunt and my two non-nun aunts who live like nuns would whip out their Bibles before I even finished my first sentence. My very liberal, state representative cousin would say how proud she is of the guy I’m becoming, but this would trigger my aunts to accuse her of corrupting my mind. My sister, who has never spoken to me about my genderidentity, would cover her children’s ears and rush them out of the house. My Great-Depression-raised grandparents would roll over in their graves, mumbling about how kids have it easy nowadays.

After mentally mapping out every imaginable terrible outcome this dinner could have, I realized a conversation is unavoidable if I want my family to accept who I am. I long to restore the deep connection I used to have with them. Though I often think these former relationships are out of reach, I won’t know until I try to repair them. For a year and a half, I’ve relied on Facebook and my parents to relay messages about my identity, but I need to tell my own story.

At first, I thought Korsha Wilson’s idea of a cooked meal leading the way to social change was too optimistic, but now I understand that I need to think more like her. Maybe, just maybe, my family could all gather around a table, enjoy some overpriced shakes, and be as close as we were when I was a little girl.

Hayden Wilson is a 17-year-old high school junior from Missouri. He loves writing, making music, and painting. He’s a part of his school’s writing club, as well as the GSA and a few service clubs.

Literary Gems

We received many outstanding essays for the Fall 2018 Writing Competition. Though not every participant can win the contest, we’d like to share some excerpts that caught our eye.

Thinking of the main staple of the dish—potatoes, the starchy vegetable that provides sustenance for people around the globe. The onion, the layers of sorrow and joy—a base for this dish served during the holidays. The oil, symbolic of hope and perseverance. All of these elements come together to form this delicious oval pancake permeating with possibilities. I wonder about future possibilities as I flip the latkes.

—Nikki Markman, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, California

The egg is a treasure. It is a fragile heart of gold that once broken, flows over the blemishless surface of the egg white in dandelion colored streams, like ribbon unraveling from its spool.

—Kaylin Ku, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, Princeton Junction, New Jersey

If I were to bring one food to a potluck to create social change by addressing anti-Semitism, I would bring gefilte fish because it is different from other fish, just like the Jews are different from other people. It looks more like a matzo ball than fish, smells extraordinarily fishy, and tastes like sweet brine with the consistency of a crab cake.

—Noah Glassman, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, Bronx, New York

I would not only be serving them something to digest, I would serve them a one-of-a-kind taste of the past, a taste of fear that is felt in the souls of those whose home and land were taken away, a taste of ancestral power that still lives upon us, and a taste of the voices that want to be heard and that want the suffering of the Natives to end.

—Citlalic Anima Guevara, Wichita North High School, Wichita, Kansas

It’s the one thing that your parents make sure you have because they didn’t. Food is what your mother gives you as she lies, telling you she already ate. It’s something not everybody is fortunate to have and it’s also what we throw away without hesitation. Food is a blessing to me, but what is it to you?

—Mohamed Omar, Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Missouri

Filleted and fried humphead wrasse, mangrove crab with coconut milk, pounded taro, a whole roast pig, and caramelized nuts—cuisines that will not be simplified to just “food.” Because what we eat is the diligence and pride of our people—a culture that has survived and continues to thrive.

—Mayumi Remengesau, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, California

Some people automatically think I’m kosher or ask me to say prayers in Hebrew. However, guess what? I don’t know many prayers and I eat bacon.

—Hannah Reing, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, The Bronx, New York

Everything was placed before me. Rolling up my sleeves I started cracking eggs, mixing flour, and sampling some chocolate chips, because you can never be too sure. Three separate bowls. All different sizes. Carefully, I tipped the smallest, and the medium-sized bowls into the biggest. Next, I plugged in my hand-held mixer and flicked on the switch. The beaters whirl to life. I lowered it into the bowl and witnessed the creation of something magnificent. Cookie dough.

—Cassandra Amaya, Owen Goodnight Middle School, San Marcos, Texas

Biscuits and bisexuality are both things that are in my life…My grandmother’s biscuits are the best: the good old classic Southern biscuits, crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. Except it is mostly Southern people who don’t accept me.

—Jaden Huckaby, Arbor Montessori, Decatur, Georgia

We zest the bright yellow lemons and the peels of flavor fall lightly into the batter. To make frosting, we keep adding more and more powdered sugar until it looks like fluffy clouds with raspberry seed rain.

—Jane Minus, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, Bronx, New York

Tamales for my grandma, I can still remember her skillfully spreading the perfect layer of masa on every corn husk, looking at me pitifully as my young hands fumbled with the corn wrapper, always too thick or too thin.

—Brenna Eliaz, San Marcos High School, San Marcos, Texas

Just like fry bread, MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat) remind New Orleanians and others affected by disasters of the devastation throughout our city and the little amount of help we got afterward.

—Madeline Johnson, Spring Hill College, Mobile, Alabama

I would bring cream corn and buckeyes and have a big debate on whether marijuana should be illegal or not.

—Lillian Martinez, Miller Middle School, San Marcos, Texas

We would finish the meal off with a delicious apple strudel, topped with schlag, schlag, schlag, more schlag, and a cherry, and finally…more schlag (in case you were wondering, schlag is like whipped cream, but 10 times better because it is heavier and sweeter).

—Morgan Sheehan, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, Bronx, New York

Clever Titles

This year we decided to do something different. We were so impressed by the number of catchy titles that we decided to feature some of our favorites.

“Eat Like a Baby: Why Shame Has No Place at a Baby’s Dinner Plate”

—Tate Miller, Wichita North High School, Wichita, Kansas

“The Cheese in Between”

—Jedd Horowitz, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, Bronx, New York

“Harvey, Michael, Florence or Katrina? Invite Them All Because Now We Are Prepared”

—Molly Mendoza, Spring Hill College, Mobile, Alabama

“Neglecting Our Children: From Broccoli to Bullets”

—Kylie Rollings, Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Missouri

“The Lasagna of Life”

—Max Williams, Wichita North High School, Wichita, Kansas

“Yum, Yum, Carbon Dioxide In Our Lungs”

—Melanie Eickmeyer, Kirkwood High School, Kirkwood, Missouri

“My Potluck, My Choice”

—Francesca Grossberg, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, Bronx, New York

“Trumping with Tacos”

—Maya Goncalves, Lincoln Middle School, Ypsilanti, Michigan

“Quiche and Climate Change”

—Bernie Waldman, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, Bronx, New York

“Biscuits and Bisexuality”

“W(health)”

—Miles Oshan, San Marcos High School, San Marcos, Texas

“Bubula, Come Eat!”

—Jordan Fienberg, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, Bronx, New York

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Social Justice in Education Essay

Justice in every contemporary society is a matter of concern. Social justice as advocated by the human rights is focused towards ensuring that human rights are equally available to all persons regardless of their ethnic origins, religions, social status and gender (Gigacz, 2007). Religious institutions and schools are then mandated to ensure that schools have included social justice education in their curriculum. The purpose of teaching justice in schools is deeply rooted in the religious teachings (Mananzan, 2002).

The education pertaining to justice subsists to promote and encourage fairness both in schools and in the community. In the New Testament, the Bible through the Christ teachings emphasises on the agape love as justice that goes beyond mere relationship with our friends but with our enemies (Groome, 1997).

Therefore, by maintaining a clear distinction between the education about justice in the classroom and offering various channels of justice execution in the wider school environment is a crucial step towards realizing social justice in the school environment and the community as a whole.

With a clear distinction between justice taught in class and justice allowed to thrive in the school environments, teachers can be able to observe how their students perceive and response to social injustices in the society and within the school set up. Through this, students’ behaviours and responses to ethnicity, religions, social status and gender can be closely monitored. This practise then mandates that the school administration provides channels and means through which social justice and fairness can flourish.

They are then expected to put relentless effort to counterbalance all tendencies trying to sideline all the marginalized members within the school environment. As such, the school policies and strategies should be, free of gender, religious, social status and ethnic biases. This approach will ultimately lead to better appreciation of the minority students.

In mono-cultural education, the fellow students and teachers usually look down upon minority students (Mananzan, 2002). However, by clearly differentiating between educating about justice in the classroom and offering the establishment of justice, teachers will promote the acceptance of cultural diversity.

Tuohy in his writings illustrates how the catholic teachings promote and advocate thoughts and actions in their social teachings (Tuohy, 2005). Similarly By outlining the distinction between the forms of justice in the classroom set-up and offering the execution of justice in the wider school environment, students should not only depend on their teachers’ opinions, but also equally develop their own opinions in this regard.

Tuohy suggest that the world of thought inspired from class work introduces the students to values, principles and ideas that guide them in their daily activities. Likewise the world of actions demands that the principles and ideas learnt in class must be translated practically into the students lives (Tuohy, 2005).

By doing so, students will demonstrate that they are respectable thinking beings. Through their class-derived knowledge on social justice, they can examine their own identities in the environment in a just manner. Similarly, by allowing students to learn on their own, we let them to have multiple viewpoints in solving different issues affecting them.

Therefore, through the effective appreciation of social justice by students and their teachers, we not only differentiate between the justice taught in class and the justice formed within our settings, but also understand that every person can on their own develop and engage with others in a free and just society.

With a clear distinction, teachers and the school staff will not only teach their students, but will also serve them by acting as role models. This implies that teachers must demonstrate to students through words and actions the importance of being just by respecting, caring and loving them. Through these acts, teachers will initiate and spark critical thinking and curiosity among their students.

The failure to differentiate between the justices taught in the classroom and practiced justice means that we have introduced academic aspects in the social justice education (Mananzan, 2002). With a clear distinction between the two, students would not only put into practice what they have learnt in class, but would also have the chance to understand their real world challenges.

Some teachers only focus on teaching their students the social education without emphasizing on the practical justice experiences challenging students such as gender and racial discrimination. With such teaching methodologies, students will only major on cramming their class work for passing their exams. Normally student under the guidance of such teachers adopt poor social skills (Mananzan, 2002).

All types of education including social justice are geared towards making a difference in students’ lives both in school and outside the community (Mananzan, 2002).

It must engender transformative approaches by students, teachers and the community at large. To achieve this cause, social justice education should not only be taught in class, but also be allowed to thrive through practical actions in classrooms, school environment and in the society. This calls for students to be critical, analyze the world from their own perspective, and take actions as per their insights (Mananzan, 2002).

As Tuohy suggest, School religious education aims at promoting ethical thinking and actions in the society. In this regard, students are introduced to ethical ideas, values and principles aimed at promoting just behaviours both in school and in the society (Tuohy, 2005). By actions, these students are supposed to demonstrate practically what they have learnt in class. The school as a centre where concepts are develop and conveyed means that religious teachings through clear distinction of forms of justice will be refined.

By clearly differentiating between the educations about justice in the classroom and offering the formation for justice in the wider school environment, we encourage students to embrace both Bibliotherapy and case studies (Ferreira, 2008). The Bibliotherapy process allows students to solve their problems through reading class books and other relevant articles. There are several religious books and articles available in our schools.

When students assess these articles, they are encouraged to become more morally upright and just as the religious education permits. Similarly, through case studies, students stimulate and initiate their own critical thinking to help them in solving their day-to-day problems.

In this regard, teachers encourage their students to collect data about social injustices in the society. This data, relative to their moral issues, undergoes critical examination and analysis. Like the previous method, this method permits students to learn acceptable morals and encourages them to uphold justice in their daily endeavours. Thus, the two methods equally contribute to the refining of the religious education in our schools.

To highlight the concept taught in the Bible and other religious books, religious education aims at instilling favourable behaviours and habits in students’ lives through teachings of peace and social justice (Groome, 1997). Social justice education permits just and fair environment in our society.

This implies that through the learning and application of social justice between the students and school workforce, students are moulded into morally upright and just individuals. All these attributes as advocated in religious education imply that students are not only going to enjoy their religious lessons, but also comprehend the message passed by these lessons and employ it bettering themselves.

In addition, the emphasis of actions and reflection in these teaching approaches such as need for a critical reflection is eminent as constituted by several religious teachings and ministries (Mananzan, 2002). To ensure the continuation of the work on justice, teachers will conduct further research to understand the background culture of their students hence unmasking their personal insights and prejudices against other cultures and religions.

As a result, the teachers will have a preview of those who suffer from injustices including their minority students. In the course of this process, our instincts and guilt are going to convict us to live morally upright and justified lives as advocated by the religious lessons in our schools.

Religious education emphasizes on social justice, and a moral society implies that social justice should be design in such a manner as to promote and allow justice to prevail among school set-ups. Likewise, religious lessons and most religious articles encourage readers to maintain a healthy and good relationship with the authorities (Tuohy, 2005).

Thus, through the clear distinction of the taught form of justice and the created justice, students learn and foster good relationships among themselves, teachers and the community members. In this regard, the students will have refined their religious lessons teachings and values.

Ferreira, J. (2008). Today’s Catholic Teacher, Essential teaching strategies that facilitate student moral development (pp. 78-83.). no city of publication: no puplisher.

Gigacz, S. (2007). “’See, judge, act’ more than truth by consensus” in Eureka Street . No city of publication: no puplisher.

Groome, T. (1997). The church’s ministry of justice and peace. In Sharing faith . San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco..

Mananzan, M. (2002). Globalisation and the perennial question of justice. In Spiritual questions for the Twenty-first century . New York: M.H. (Ed), Orbis.

Tuohy, D. (2005). Catholic social teaching in action. Tuohy, D. (2005). Catholic social teaching in education. In Molloy. C. (Ed) (pp. 113-127 ). Dublin: Columba Press..

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50 Social Justice Topics | Best Essay Writing Ideas

The phrase social justice may sound simple, but it covers a pretty diverse scope of issues affecting our society. These include religion, income equality, race, sexual orientation, and gender, among many others. Since these are issues we encounter every day, you will, on countless times in your student life, get assigned a social justice project. Note, this is regardless of what course you may be taking. Therefore, it’s wise to equip yourself with a selection of great social justice topics, and also know how to go about the writing process beforehand. Fortunately, you happen to be at the right place. Check out the roundup of great social justice research topics, as well as a few tips to guide you through the process below.

A List of Social Justice Topics

The key to writing an exemplary social justice research paper is equipping with a list of good social justice topics you are both interested in and that have plenty of information sources. On that note, check out the list below

General Social Justice Topic Ideas

What impact does diversity have on social justice?
Define social justice
How a corporate policy can affect the staff’s mental health
What is your take on fundraisers? Are they real charities or money laundering projects?
Explain the background and reasons that often lead to employee riots
What should immigrating foreigners expect? A better life or condemnation?
Explain the connection between globalization and the increase in substance abuse rates
Describe the political side of most modern wars.
Obesity as an obstacle to one’s social life
Increasing unemployment as the direct consequence of economic recessions
The impact of global warming on small island nations such as the Maldives
History and the progression of the idea in Western political thought
Globalization on international hospitality and tourism and how it impacts the local population
Non-governmental organizations, are they positive activists of change?
LGBTQ + pride movement
Describe the negative impact of societal beauty standards
What is the extent of abuse and neglect in orphanages, care homes, and orphanages

Good Social Justice Debate Topics

Can peace exist without war?
Define the relationship between social media and the increased cases of suicide
Reverse discrimination- a myth or reality?
A world of peace- is it real, or is it just a far-fetched fantasy?
Is the issuing of green cards a privilege or a necessity?
Should we perceive it as sex work or paid rape?
The church and the state- is it possible for them to remain separate?
Will gun control laws help reduce mass shootings?
Is consent a valid concept in the porn industry?
Building a wall between the US and Mexico? Logical or racist?
The immunization debate; should vaccination be mandatory?

Social Justice Speech Topics

Who pays the price of war and terrorism?
Talk about white privilege in the media
Can social media help society overcome the problem of illiteracy?
Talk about child abuse prevention strategies in the US
The societal impact on teenage smoking
Dating violence among university and college students
The effect of TV on infant child development
The issue of discrimination; do existing policies adequately protect citizens?
Problems brought about by illiteracy
Economic issues in developing countries and their link to the US economy
Address discrimination in sports

Social Justice Topics in Education

Why is peace education rare than shooting classes
Describe the mistreatment or abuse of autistic kids in elementary schools
Should our educational system be flexible enough to accommodate the evolving world, or is it a much wiser idea to retain the old standards?
Discrimination against the female gender or non-citizens in our education system
The impact of illiteracy on our community today
The impact of bullying and anxiety development in teenagers
Social media as the new form of bullying
How accessible is our educational system, the poor, migrant works, refugees, and other minority groups?
Mandatory uniform as a means to wipe out student identity
Can social media help our society overcome the problem of illiteracy?
Free education for everyone, will it ever become a reality

Thoughts On Social Justice Essay Writing

Writing an essay on social justice is not only a regular part of your student life but is meant to train you into a functioning adult in society. Writing on different social justice research topics will also help you keep up with the trends and changes taking place in our society. Therefore, to write the perfect social justice essay ensure you

Choose Social Justice Topics Wisely

When it comes to writing on social justice, it’s wise to choose a topic relevant to the community at that time. For instance, all social justice topics on our list directly impact society today. Therefore, choosing to write on any of them will cause controversy because not everyone has the same opinion as you. Hence, your audience, in this case, your professor, will be curious to see how you handle a particular social justice issue.

But other than being relevant, good social justice topics usually have plenty of research material. So apart from choosing a topic related to 2023, make sure whatever you opt to write about won’t leave you all drained.

Invest in Research

Social justice topics such as bullying in school usually have plenty of press. In that breath, you want to make your essay on social justice as unique and as memorable as possible. Therefore, instead of writing what everyone knows, go the extra mile in doing your research. For instance, if your social justice topic of choice is bullying, choose to address the psychological part of it, instead of the regular effects most students do.

Support Your Stance with Examples

As noted earlier, social justice mainly focuses on issues that affect our everyday lives. It is all about things that take place in our community regularly. Therefore, read the relevant college essay examples to help your audience relate to the social justice topic you’ve chosen to write about on a personal level. For instance, if you are talking about climate change, use examples that will hit close to home, such as increased energy costs. This way, your audience understands just how critical climate change is and why they should take action!

Keep your social justice essay very simple. Once you are done, revise and edit it to confirm that it is flawless. To make sure you submit a plagiarism-free paper and excellent grades, we advise you to hire our essay writers .

It’s your lucky day! Use promo “ custom20 ” – we’ve prepared a 20% discount off your social justice writing assignment from the best academic writers!

Roosevelt Review (Archives, 2014-2018)

Archives of roosevelt review: the roosevelt university alumni magazine, faculty essay: what is social justice.

May 14, 2015 by Susan Torres-Harding, associate professor of psychology 2 Comments

Susan Torres-Harding is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology. Her research interests include understanding the impact of sociocultural factors on physical and psychological health and assessing the development of social justice attitudes and social activism. She earned her PhD in Clinical Child Psychology from DePaul University in 2001.

Social justice has always been an important value to me and a foundation for my career aspirations. Therefore, in 2006, I was pleased to join the faculty at Roosevelt University, a university founded on inclusivity and one with a strong focus on social justice and social action. I quickly realized that this was a friendly “home” where I could continue to discuss the impact of societal inequalities and discrimination in health care, my own area of research.

At the same time, I was intrigued by the reactions of friends and colleagues when I told them that I was now at Roosevelt. Invariably, I would meet people who had been at Roosevelt in those early years, and they would tell me stories about what a special place Roosevelt is. They described Roosevelt as a school where people of all races came together—a college unlike others. The pictures hanging on the walls of the Auditorium Building from those early years are visual reminders of this truly unique integration of people from diverse racial groups at a time when racial segregation was the norm. Today Roosevelt continues to be ethnically and racially diverse, but the world has changed since Roosevelt came into being in 1945. In addition to racial injustice, which regrettably remains prevalent in our society, we now truly confront other forms of discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, social class and disability status.

As a Roosevelt psychology professor, I often talked in my classes about social justice as a key value for the Roosevelt community, but I found students grappled with the meaning of social justice. What is social justice? Whom is it for? Many students talked about social justice as if it were a high-minded ideal, unrealistic or impractical to do in real life. While we often discussed the need to use our knowledge and skills to work for a more fair and just society, I wondered if students had become overwhelmed with the amount of injustice in society and whether they believed they could actually make a difference in the world.

This led me to ask myself, what do students think social justice is all about? More importantly, I wanted to know what I could do to empower them to take action and strive to make a difference while at Roosevelt and after.

In response to these questions, I started a series of studies to investigate how students understood social justice and how, if at all, they were learning about our social justice message and integrating it into their own lives. What did all of this talk of social justice mean to the students? And, how could we, as educators, facilitate the goals of students who had the sincere desire to promote social justice, but who also had the notion that it was too hard, impractical, unrealistic or idealistic? As an educator, I had a personal stake in these questions. I wanted to know if integrating social justice concerns into my classes was actually making a difference in how students viewed themselves, their communities, and their own personal and professional actions. In other words, were we living up to the Roosevelt University mission of educating “socially conscious citizens”? Does talking about social justice make a difference, or is it all a lot of feel-good talk that is disconnected from reality?

Students Define Social Justice

To begin answering some of these questions, my research team and I embarked on a study to first understand how students defined social justice. In textbooks, researchers and educators define social justice as “involving the recognition of the existence of social injustices based upon being a member of a non-dominant or marginalized social group.” These marginalized social groups can include people who live in poverty, women, people who are LGBTQ, people who are disabled, people from racial and cultural minority groups, and people who have severe mental illness or have a substance abuse disorder. Researchers also defined social justice as “a value or desire to increase access of power, privileges and socioeconomic resources to people from socially marginalized groups.”

But is this how students thought about social justice? I believed it unlikely that most students would think about social justice in such abstract terms. So we conducted a study with Roosevelt students simply asking how they defined social justice. We found that students were relatively consistent in their definitions. They tended to describe social justice as addressing injustices in equality and promoting opportunity, rights, fairness and acceptance of everyone, including people from diverse backgrounds. Interestingly, a significant proportion (44 percent) of the students said they engaged in some activity that promoted social justice.

Additionally, we asked students to describe what they were actually doing to promote social justice. In most academic papers, social activism is defined as political activism: marching in protests, attending rallies, writing legislators or voting in order to promote policy or legal changes.

They tended to describe social justice as addressing injustices in equality and promoting opportunity, rights, fairness and acceptance of everyone, including people from diverse backgrounds.

Interestingly, there was a tremendous range of responses to our question. In addition to political activism, we identified many different categories of social justice activities, including conducting social-justice-related research, being a member of or volunteering for an organization that focused on social activism, seeking out educational opportunities to learn more about social justice, engaging in advocacy on behalf of people from disadvantaged or marginalized groups, and talking to family and friends about social justice.

What was most impressive to me was the creativity displayed by students as they sought to promote social justice, as well as the diversity of issues addressed by their actions. Many students reported participating in marches, protests and other direct social actions for economic or racial change. One participant was working to promote social justice by acting in a short film that aimed to foster acceptance of LGBTQ youth during the coming out process. Some students were using a social justice approach when providing clinical services to children with developmental disabilities. A few reported that they were engaged in youth mentoring or were working on behalf of youth within the juvenile justice system. Others were working to promote racial justice, women’s empowerment and awareness around diversity-related justice. Still others described being LGBTQ allies or serving as advocates for women who have endured domestic and sexual violence. We also had students who volunteered at community or religious organizations to help individuals around issues of poverty and food security.

A significant number of students indicated that they spoke with family or friends about these issues. I think that these kinds of actions are more quiet forms of activism. Discussing issues of social justice with significant others might have the impact of changing attitudes or gaining support from them. In turn, this might ultimately increase awareness of social issues and might influence others to take action in some way in their own lives.

Many of the students’ efforts involved using resources available at Roosevelt University. These included engaging in social-justice related research, attending lectures, being part of student groups and organizations that promoted social justice such as RU PROUD (a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and ally organization) and Students for a Sensible Drug Policy , engaging in social justice as part of their professional clinical training and volunteering as part of service learning. Although less than half of the students we surveyed reported engaging in activism, those who were active appeared to take advantage of the resources and opportunities available at Roosevelt, and many sought to integrate these experiences with their academic studies.

Connecting With The Mission

The second study that my research team and I conducted focused on the role of the University mission in promoting positive attitudes toward social justice. I wanted to understand whether students who felt more involved at the University and agreed with its mission were in fact more likely to engage in social activism. Interestingly, I found that students who reported having a high sense of community—that is, feeling as if they belonged to the “Roosevelt family”—said they valued the social justice mission more.

Students who respected the social justice mission were much more likely to state that they intended to work for social justice in the future and felt that they possessed the skills to effect positive change. These students were also more likely to report having engaged in social activism, talk about social justice issues with family and friends and personally identify as social activists. It seems that Roosevelt’s social justice mission influenced students by impacting both positive attitudes toward social justice and facilitating the integration of social justice concerns into their personal and professional lives. Feeling a part of the Roosevelt community mattered because it allowed them to share in this core community value.

Thus, the mission and values of Roosevelt University are having an impact on our students’ actions. We are currently conducting additional studies where we hope to follow undergraduate students over time to see how their ideas and views of social justice might change as they move from freshman to senior year. We are also interviewing student activists to learn from their unique experiences, motivations and perceptions of their own work.

Indeed, it has been a pleasure to be able to assess and document the amazingly diverse and creative activism that is going on at Roosevelt. In addition to the examples listed above, Roosevelt students have participated in walk-outs and rallies in Grant Park, lobbied at the state capital, made videos to help educate others about traditionally marginalized groups, conducted interventions to promote health and wellness in our communities, and organized programs that give our students and people in the community a voice. We have so much to learn from our students!

An important part of social justice education is to trust that students are able to evaluate the information we provide and use it in a way that is valid, realistic and relevant to their own lives. Because students are able to come up with so many unique and creative ways to address injustices in their interpersonal and professional lives, professors should not provide answers, but rather should pose questions to help students recognize the real challenges in our society. We can encourage them to critically evaluate their own views and the views of others and provide them with a range of interventions and interpersonal skills that they can then use to confront a range of social problems and issues in their own ways. We also need to recognize that this is hard, risky work.

An important part of social justice education is to trust that students are able to evaluate the information we provide and use it in a way that is valid, realistic and relevant to their own lives.

Working for social justice is, by its nature, “radical” because it focuses on changing the status quo, challenging existing policies and can involve breaking rules. As educators, it is important that we not only talk about social justice but provide students with the skills they need to take action and be effective. Promoting favorable attitudes and teaching interpersonal intervention and activism skills will have a positive impact on students and help them fulfill the Roosevelt mission of creating “socially conscious citizens” who change the world.

Contact Susan Torres-Harding at [email protected]

November 23, 2018 at 10:53 am

extremely nice one……..

[…] Faculty Essay: What is social justice? – Roosevelt Review – Faculty Essay; Scholarship Spotlight; Issue. Fall 2015; Spring 2015; Fall 2014; Faculty Essay: What is social justice … assessing the development of social justice … […]

Essay on Social Justice

Students are often asked to write an essay on Social Justice in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Social Justice

Understanding social justice.

Social justice is the fair treatment of all people in society. It’s about making sure everyone has equal opportunities, irrespective of their background or status.

Importance of Social Justice

Social justice is important because it promotes equality. It helps to reduce disparities in wealth, access to resources, and social privileges.

Role of Individuals

Every person can contribute to social justice. By treating others fairly, respecting diversity, and standing against discrimination, we can promote social justice.

In conclusion, social justice is vital for a balanced society. It ensures everyone has a fair chance to succeed in life.

Also check:

Paragraph on Social Justice

250 Words Essay on Social Justice

Social justice, a multifaceted concept, is the fair distribution of opportunities, privileges, and resources within a society. It encompasses dimensions like economic parity, gender equality, environmental justice, and human rights. The core of social justice is the belief that everyone deserves equal economic, political, and social opportunities irrespective of race, gender, or religion.

The Importance of Social Justice

Social justice is pivotal in fostering a harmonious society. It ensures that everyone has access to the basic necessities of life and can exercise their rights without discrimination. It is the cornerstone of peace and stability in any society. Without social justice, the divide between different socio-economic classes widens, leading to social unrest.

Challenges to Social Justice

Despite its importance, achieving social justice is fraught with challenges. Systemic issues like discrimination, poverty, and lack of access to quality education and healthcare are significant roadblocks. These challenges are deeply ingrained in societal structures and require collective efforts to overcome.

The Role of Individuals in Promoting Social Justice

Every individual plays a crucial role in promoting social justice. Through conscious efforts like advocating for equal rights, supporting policies that promote equality, and standing against discrimination, individuals can contribute to building a just society.

In conclusion, social justice is a fundamental principle for peaceful coexistence within societies. Despite the challenges, each individual’s conscious effort can contribute significantly to achieving this noble goal. The journey towards social justice is long and arduous, but it is a path worth treading for the betterment of humanity.

500 Words Essay on Social Justice

Introduction to social justice.

Social justice, a multifaceted concept, is often described as the fair and equitable distribution of resources and opportunities, where outside factors that categorize people into social strata are irrelevant. It encompasses the idea that all individuals should have equal access to wealth, health, well-being, justice, privileges, and opportunity irrespective of their legal, political, economic, or other circumstances.

Origins and Evolution of Social Justice

The concept of social justice emerged during the Industrial Revolution and subsequent civil revolutions as a counter to the vast disparities in wealth and social capital. It was a call for societal and structural changes, aiming to minimize socio-economic differences. The term was first used by Jesuit priest Luigi Taparelli in the mid-19th century, influenced by the teachings of Thomas Aquinas. Since then, the concept has evolved and expanded, encompassing issues like environmental justice, health equity, and human rights.

The Pillars of Social Justice

Social justice rests on four essential pillars: human rights, access, participation, and equity. Human rights are the fundamental rights and freedoms to which all individuals are entitled. Access involves equal opportunities in terms of resources, rights, goods, and services. Participation emphasizes the importance of all individuals contributing to and benefiting from economic, social, political, and cultural life. Equity ensures the fair distribution of resources and opportunities.

Social Justice in Today’s World

In the 21st century, social justice takes many forms and intersects with various areas such as race, gender, sexuality, and class. It is increasingly associated with the fight against systemic issues like racism, sexism, and classism. The Black Lives Matter movement, for instance, is a social justice movement fighting against systemic racism and violence towards black people. Similarly, the #MeToo movement is a fight for gender justice, aiming to end sexual harassment and assault.

Despite the progress, numerous challenges to social justice persist. Systemic and structural discrimination, political disenfranchisement, economic inequality, and social stratification are just a few. Moreover, the rise of populism and nationalism worldwide has further complicated the fight for social justice, as these ideologies often thrive on division and inequality.

Promoting social justice requires collective action. Individuals can contribute by becoming more aware of the injustices around them, advocating for policies that promote equity, and standing up against discrimination. Education plays a crucial role in this process, as it can foster a deeper understanding of social justice issues and equip individuals with the tools to effect change.

In conclusion, social justice is a powerful concept that advocates for a fairer, more equitable society. While significant strides have been made, numerous challenges remain, necessitating a continued commitment to promoting social justice. Through education and advocacy, individuals can play a crucial role in this ongoing effort. The pursuit of social justice, therefore, is not just a societal or institutional responsibility, but an individual one as well.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Essay on Justice
Essay on Journalism
Essay on Job Experience

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

64 Examples of Social Issues Topics for 2024

May 21, 2024

Writing assignments asking students to engage with social justice/social issues topics target skills vitally important to success in college and beyond. They require writers to demonstrate critical, ethical, and dynamic thinking around demanding topics that present no quick and easy solution. Often, they will call for some amount of research, building textual and media literacy and awareness of the research process. In other words, these kinds of essays can be valuable in teaching students how to think and learn for themselves. But another, underappreciated learning outcome of these essays has to do with their function as communication.

This last feature can be easy to overlook in the context of writing assignments. Questions of audience, authority, and impact seem less significant when you know your teacher must read your essay. However, taking these questions seriously can not only enhance your odds of writing an excellent essay, but could also foster skills instrumental to real-world writing situations.

This article provides a list of social justice topics carefully selected to demonstrate the range and scale of available subjects. It also explains how you might approach writing about these issues with an eye for defining them and understanding the audience. Identifying a great topic that interests you enough to write about is an important early step. But what’s equally or even more important is to understand how to write about it clearly, directly, and persuasively.

How to Write a Successful Essay Grappling with Social Issues Topics

Writing about social issues topics is best improved through asking questions about purpose, context, and outcome. Why this topic and not another? Who is the audience, what do they know, and where might they stand on an issue? What are the typical ways others address the issue? What knowledge, perspective, or plan of action has been missing from that conversation? Why is this topic important to think about? Why is this essay important to read? These questions are crucial to delimiting which social justice topics to focus on and the strategy for writing about them. Answering them in the process of selecting a topic and developing a writing plan can help achieve the following components of good essays:

1) Defining the Issue

A frequent problem with student writing involves tackling questions or issues that are overly broad or vaguely defined. When selecting from social issues topics, it’s actually a smart strategy to think small. Rather than purporting to solve world peace, essays work better when drilling down into more localized and easily defined issues. This will help to communicate clearly what the issue is, convince the reader of its relevance, and successfully indicate that a short piece of writing could meaningfully contribute to the conversation around the issue.

2) Finding and Using Evidence

In many cases, essays on social issues topics will require some amount of research. When incorporating secondary evidence, it’s vital to find sources that are relevant to the topic and signal their credibility. However, even if research is not formally required, it can help toward establishing the purpose of a piece of writing within a larger discussion. Looking toward how others typically address an issue can help toward understanding whether an essay should aim to fill a gap in knowledge, supply a missing perspective, or outline actions that have not been proposed.

Successful Essay Grappling with Social Issues Topics (Cont.)

3) understanding audience.

Student essayists are not overly incentivized to think about questions of audience. However, understanding audience can help toward both defining an issue and acknowledging the purpose of writing. The most important thing to reflect on is the audience’s reason for reading a piece of writing. Why should they care about this social issue and what the essay will say about it? Understanding the reason for reading will help toward envisioning the ideal reader. Then, the essay’s language and arguments can be tailored to what that ideal reader already knows about the topic and their likely attitudes and beliefs.

4) Making an argument

This step follows the others and builds upon each. After clearly defining an issue that is appropriate in scope, an essay should clearly state its purpose or position. It should then interpret relevant evidence to support that position or fulfill its purpose. Then, it should aim to convince the audience by organizing evidence and reasoning into paragraphs structured around topic sentences that support the purpose or position. As these steps make clear, the argument is the essay. Making an argument entails justifying the act of writing itself, as well as the reader’s decision to follow the writer in focusing on an issue from a unique vantage point.

The following list of examples indicates some of the range of social issue essay topics. When considering these or other examples, writers should consider how they can foster purposive essays that understand how they are entering and changing the conversation around the issue.

Example Social Issues Topics – Tech and Labor

Artificial intelligence and digital technology.

The environmental impact of emerging AI technologies and industries.
Whether AI is a paradigm-shifting revolution or part of a long, gradual history of technology-assisted creative or technical work.
The biases that exist in AI systems and data and ways of redressing them.
The emergent use of AI tools in modern warfare.
How a specific political movement or group of activists has embraced digital communication technologies to advance a cause.
How digital self-publishing has affected trends and systems in the publishing industry.
How social media algorithms promote addictive behaviors and their effect on minors.
A surprising or disturbing effect of government and corporate digital surveillance practices.

Social Issues Topics (Continued)

Economic and labor issues.

Causes and effects of unionization in industries connected to the gig economy.
Disparities in wages between men and women affecting a key industry like tech.
How changes in minimum wage policies affect other wage earners.
The impact of globalization on labor rights and standards in the film industry.
Comparing the outcomes of universal basic income and guaranteed minimum income as novel social welfare programs.
How faculty and graduate student unionization movements respond to shifting labor and ideological conditions at universities.
What geographical factors and/or trends in property ownership shape income inequality within a select area?
Job fields under threat by automation and AI and strategic responses to the prospect of job replacement.

Example Social Issues Topics –Education and the Environment

The effects of the COVID pandemic on textual and media literacy in children and young adults.
How educators are responding to the challenges and opportunities of generative AI.
Areas of learning affected by bans on “critical race theory” and LGBTQ-related topics in schools.
How digital culture has affected the attention spans of young learners.
The sources of increased student debt and its effects on the culture of higher education.
The history and educational role of political protest on college campuses.
How the end of affirmative action could affect the role colleges have played in promoting wide social mobility.
The source of debates around “school choice” and how it is changing the face of education.

Environment and Sustainability

Geopolitical tensions salient to the transnational effort to combat climate change.
Protest and advocacy strategies adopted by environmental advocates and different ways of measuring their effectiveness.
Solutions for the disproportionate environmental burdens on marginalized communities.
Whether mass consumer behavior or the practices of the economic elite are most responsible for climate crises.
Comparing the effectiveness of political optimism and pessimism in efforts to redress climate change.
Environmental challenges that result from destructive practices of modern warfare including ecocide.
Global meat consumption, its contribution to climate change , and proposed solutions.
The benefits and drawbacks of green capitalist and “de-growth” movements as radically contrasting approaches to combatting climate change.

Example Social Justice Topics – Human Rights and Geopolitics

Human rights and equality.

How the end of Roe v. Wade has changed the political landscape around women’s reproductive rights.
Whether cultural or legal solutions could work best to prevent violence against women.
The alliance between feminists and political conservatives that has emerged in the clash over LGBTQ rights.
How news media outlets have influenced widespread political efforts to curtail the rights of transgender people.
Tensions between private corporations and governments around diversity and inclusion efforts.
The effect of enhanced police oversight by civilians on the disproportionate use of force against minority communities.
Barriers to housing, employment, or health services faced by people with disabilities.
How exploitative work practices affecting minors exist despite legal efforts to curtail them.

International and Geopolitical Issues

How migrant crises have influenced new border and immigration policies.
How contemporary proxy wars differ from earlier methods of international conflict.
Tensions that exist between global humanitarian aid agencies and actors in Global South countries that receive aid.
How efforts to ensure affordable access to medicines across the world were affected by the COVID pandemic.
How globalization has changed the world distribution of wealth inequality.
Weighing the humanitarian costs of solar and electric energy production against those of the oil industry.
How cultural differences around gender and sexuality influence global movements for women’s equality and LGBTQ rights.
How authoritarian and/or religious political movements have become internationalized.

Example Social Justice Topics – The Legal System and Government

Justice and legal system.

Restorative justice alternatives to traditional carceral approaches in the legal system.
Efforts to eliminate cash bail and their potential effect on disparities in pretrial detention and bail practices.
Legal challenges that new technologies have created in terms of defining or prosecuting crime.
Methods of preventing and prosecuting police brutality and harassment.
How the locations of prisons affect local communities and economies.
Ways to combat mass incarceration through rethinking policing and sentencing standards.
Academic, professional, and legal services in prisons and their effect on imprisoned populations.
Mental health challenges present in the legal and carceral systems.

Politics and Governance

Methods of global governance that have emerged to address transnational challenges like climate change and public health.
Questions related to freedom of speech principles that have emerged in the digital age.
Mutual aid efforts that address areas of public need that have been unaddressed through traditional political methods.
How participatory media encourages broader civic engagement and government transparency.
Political solutions for addressing the phenomena of food deserts or food apartheid.
Responses of local governments to sharp increases in homelessness after the COVID pandemic.
The internationalization of culture wars and political polarization around issues relating to race/ethnicity, gender, and sexuality.
Philosophies about the conflict between ideals of multicultural openness and respect for cultural differences.

Final Thoughts – Social Issues Topics

The above social justice topics provide a sense of the large range of urgent issues an essay might topic. However, it’s best to reflect on how a piece of writing can define an issue so as to make clear that it is capable of doing something meaningful with it. That could entail looking for similar, more niche issues to address. Or it could mean deeper thought about an issue for which the writer anticipates they could provide missing information, perspectives, or plans of action. While many readers care about many topics, it’s vital to understand how an essay can create a tangible relationship with an ideal reader. Only then can a writer spur others to think or act in novel and potentially transformative ways.

Additional Resources

Good Persuasive Speech Topics
Debate Topics
Argumentative Essay Topics
60 Senior Project Ideas for High Schoolers
101 Topics for the Science Fair
100 Creative Writing Prompts
High School Success

Tyler Talbott

Tyler holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Missouri and two Master of Arts degrees in English, one from the University of Maryland and another from Northwestern University. Currently, he is a PhD candidate in English at Northwestern University, where he also works as a graduate writing fellow.

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Social Justice

Essays on Social Justice

One of the most important concepts that regulate human relations is the concept of justice, so make sure the social justice essay reflects upon the meaning of justice for people. Justice, along with good, is the most ancient social ideals. The idea of justice is fundamental in the legislation of modern democratic society, in which law is considered as a normative embodiment of justice. Many samples of social justice essays below will help you understand the correlation between law and justice better. Social justice, however, stands for fair relationships between the individual and society and involves the equal distribution of wealth, equal opportunities in society, and equal social privileges. Copious essays on social justice explore this topic in further detail. Look through the social justice essay samples we prepared if you want your essay to be top-notch.

Social Justice: Promoting Equality and Well-being Social justice may be looked at as a reflection of equal and fair distribution of basic human rights, political freedom, fair living conditions, and distributive economic resources among the societal members. In essence, it is basically aimed at promoting equality and societal well-being. For example,...

Social justice and Human rights are interrelated, and they are working together towards a common goal of promoting the well being of all human beings. Human rights are essential to the social justice advocacy because they both foster compliance with attributes like dignity, respect, and self-determination. Just like human rights...

Words: 1818

Through the perspective of social justice, the study examines the subject of Huck Finn from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The protagonist of Mark Twain's book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is Huckleberry. The book takes place in a period of racism and slavery. Huckleberry's journey is one of societal...

The right to a fair trial The right to a fair trial is the first basic justice principle. According to this right, a fair and certain procedure must be followed when a person is being tried. Priority should be given to the proper administering of justice before, during, and after a...

Equality and Marriage Equality is a topic that has received a lot of attention recently. This is one of several concepts that characterize social justice and its relevance to people's desire of a happy life. Murkowski, one of Alaska's senators, wrote an article about the necessity of equality in marriage. Murkowski...

The Problem of Global Justice Thomas Nagel argues in his paper The Problem of Global Justice that global socioeconomic justice assumes a sovereign world state. The purpose of this dissertation is to question his thesis and to give specific voice to a frequent tendency in political philosophy to assign disproportionate weight...

Words: 1677

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Human rights theories appeared as early as after World War II (Rawls 1999). The debates centered on inequities among people of the same country. However, a strong emphasis on social justice began to emerge in the nineteenth century. John Rawl made significant contributions to ideas of social injustice. Recently, a...

Words: 2652

The Criminal Justice System in the United States The criminal justice system in the United States is a complex structure designed to punish and prevent criminal criminals while also ensuring victims receive justice. The trials, prosecutors, convicts, and suspects are all part of an interconnected network that makes up the scheme....

Words: 1052

Criminal Justice and Reconciliation Criminal justice authorities are responsible for ensuring social control by reducing violence and punishing criminals. However, the organizations struggle to ensure societal stability by establishing mechanisms for reconciliation between the survivor and the accused. As a result, the mechanisms of justice provision foster hatred between the two...

Some social injustices ranging from racial inequality to pay equality have been faced by the US. The current paper will concentrate on pay equality as social inequality, evaluating the essence of the gender pay gap in the US. Research reveals that in the US, a woman receives 80 percent of...

Economic Disparity Impacts Communities A high degree of economic inequality is characterized by the current economy, with most citizens falling at the base of the continuum, the lower and middle classes. Economic Disparities and Factors in Social Terms Economic disparity has an impact on numerous social factors, such as access to healthcare and...

Unity and instability are known to be significant causes of the fall of civilizations and states across the globe. Civilians end up losing their lives and wealth because of the consequences of these struggles. Yugoslavia is no longer a democracy after many shocks from local and foreign sources, and the...

Words: 1609

Tag: Social Justice Essay

How to Write the 2021 University of Texas Application Essays Part 1

My hook for this post is the University of Texas application for 2020-2021, but I am also going to take a look at reusing essays selectively in your other applications, which can save a lot of time and work. There are a couple of venues for applying to the University of Texas, and in discussing these I will introduce (briefly) and compare several important application portals used in Texas, but also nationally. Lesson one: to write a great University of Texas essay, you actually start by taking a look at the alternative of using either the Texas application site or the Coalition Application site.

Like the University of California, Texas runs its own college application portal . But in addition to the Coalition and UT/Apply Texas portals, the good news is that you can write a great University of Texas essay and turn around to reuse it for some of the 800-plus colleges using the Common Application portal, with little or no reediting–if you watch your word counts and choose your prompts wisely.

Different Application Portals: Apply Texas

Goal #1 for applying to college in 2020-2021 is to look for ways to reuse essays. Which brings us to those application portals.

Apply Texas is the foundation of all Texas applications, but universities determine which prompts to use. Assuming you are applying to the University of Texas, you could go directly to the UT website, which shows a single prompt fo the longer personal essay. This prompt is also up as the “A” prompt on the Apply Texas portal, and it is the Apply Texas system that handles all the data and that stands behind the various Texas public university applications–it’s a bit like the way the University of California is set up as a single portal, but there is more variation in the application requirements for Texas. Technical and state colleges are included in Apply Texas, whereas in California, the Cal State university system has a portal that is entirely separate from the University of California system.

For an example of how the Apply Texas requirements can vary from school to school, UT Austin requires a full set of the Texas application essays, including using option A for that longer essay and several shorter essays of about 250 words. In contrast, Texas Tech “strongly suggests” that you write at least one of the required essays but does not require it.

Of course, if you are a serious applicant to Texas Tech: write all of the essays. When offered the chance to do more, you want to do more. It demonstrates commitment.

And this year, in particular: if you did not take the SAT or ACT before the Covid rules came into play, or want to retake because your scores are below the mnidle 50%, but don’t end up getting one of the limited seats available before apps are submitted (or you just don’t want to risk your own or your family’s health for another test) you will want as much positive material for that holistic application evaluation as possible, to make up for missing data from standardized tests.

The Next Portal: The Coalition Application

Next portal: That longer essay prompt for UT Austin, which is Prompt A for Apply Texas is actually shared with the Coalition Application . “ Coalition ” is the short name for The Coalition for College Access .This might seem odd until you look at the UT Austin site, where it tells you that you can use the Coalition portal to apply, and skip the UT/Apply Texas portal.

To clarify: you only use one portal to apply–you will apply either through the UT portal, which is supported by Apply Texas or you will apply to UT through the Coalition App portal, which also allows you to apply to other schools listed on the Coalition portal, both inside and outside of Texas. So the Coalition is accepted by UT but is not limited to Texas schools. The question then, is whether it covers all or most of the colleges you want to apply to.

How to choose? See if all the colleges you want are among those listed on the Coalition App–if they are, you will save a lot of time by filling out all that basic data from name and personal information through activities only once, instead of using diferent sites and pasting in and tinkering with the same basic information, data and short responses over, and over. Using a more national portal like the Coalition Application offers efficiency. But the Coalition Application itself is not the biggest of the portals available.

A Comparison to the Common Application

A big drawback of the Coalition App is its relatively short list of participating colleges. The Coalition has 151 schools participating for 2020-2021. Compare this to the Common Application, which will be used by 884 universites . Sadly, the Common Application is not accepted by UT, among many others, but the Common App’s reach does make it a portal you are likely to use at some point this year.

To be very clear: though the Common Application is indeed the most commonly used app portal of all, its not an option for Texas public colleges (e.g. Texas Tech, UT Austin, et al). Outside of the University of California system, however, most of the big-name colleges that might come to mind do use the Common Application.

This is why you want to look at it now, and another reason: the Common Aplication essay prompts are up, so you can compare them, to the UT main essay. And there are other good schools in Texas among the Common App’s 800-plus clients, including Baylor, Rice, and TCU, not to mention those dozens of schools you have heard of and likely want to apply to outside of Texas.

So our focus on the Common App in this post is aimed at the possibility of reusing an essay on two or more portals.

Why You Should Look at Reusing Essays

The typical person applying to 10 colleges will generally use at least one main, longer essay of 550-650 words, and a series of supplementals. This means that you could easily write 20 essays for 10 apps–or 30. Most of these supplemental essays will be shorter than the 550-650 word main essays, but still–the more chance you have to reuse material, the more efficiently you can move through the work. And the workload, once school starts, can be quite extreme. With all the variables up in the air for this year, saving some labor on essays is a good idea.

I want to add before you go on to the rest of this post, and taking a look at the essay prompts, that there is one caveat–the various essay checking software programs, like Turnitin, will flag repeat uses of essays, and the use of such software is becoming more widespread–either through the adoption of Turnitin or other options, like in-house algorithms at some schools. Noting that it’s not really possible to plagiarize yourself, the focus here is on being sincere in your appeal to your target schools, and crafting the majority of supplemental essays carefully to suit your targets. But you need to balance this with the knowledge that, in the contemporary application scene, most students applying to selective and super selective colleges apply to ten or more universities, and they almost all reuse some degree of material. I will discuss fine tuning strategy on this in a later post.

Pay Attention to Word Count Limits in Essays

In addition to looking at the essay prompts, you should note that there are some differences in the word counts allowed–if you use the Coalition site, they suggest no more than 550 words; the Common Application allows no more than 650 words , and that is a firm limit; and for U Texas, I suggest 550 to no more than 650 words. (I’ve seen essays of up to 700 plus words accepted through the UT section of the Apply Texas application portal in the past, but suggest shooting for 550 as your max in your Texas main, which of course is the max word count suggested on the Coalition App.)

Many Application Essay Prompts Will Be The Same As Last Year

Whether they have reached perfection or just can’t get a revision done in this Covid-disrupted year, all three of the portals we have discussed will be using the essay prompts they had up last year. Please don’t take this as a green light to imitate your older sibling’s essays from last year, however–that essay scanning software I discussed is one reason. Being yourself and doing your own thing is another.

Let’s take a look at Texas first, then I will compare Texas prompt A to the current Common Application prompts to show you how to save a lot of work by reusing an essay or two–

2020 through Spring 2021: University of Texas Essay Prompt A

ApplyTexas Essay Prompt A

Guidelines for Essay Topic A—350-ca. 750 words, recommend aiming for 550 words.

Texas Essay Topic A (For U.S., applicants, as well as Transient, Readmit, and Transfer International applicants) : Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today?

This is the definition of a “personal” essay question , and it overlaps with a range of essay prompts required by other universities. It also overlaps with most of the Common Application prompts, depending on the angle you take–and when you can use one essay for two applications, that is a must-do opportunity. Just take a look at the Common Application prompts, which in the main define a more specific angle on the same broad prompt for how your experience has shaped who you are .

You just want to be sure your focus is on the last few years/high school, but keeping the focus on ongoing and recent experience is a rule of thumb in college essays anyhow–as opposed to writing about that deeply felt experience in elementary school. Generally skip those, unless they initiated or motivated activities that are still ongoing in high school, particularly if they continue today.

A Few Words About Social Justice Topics

One specific comment on topics at this point: Most college counselors advise against putting controversial, editorial-page topics at the center of college essays, but in my opinion, this year is different. Social justice, a perennial but undervalued subplot in American life, has come to the fore as the main focuses in recent months for most of you, for reasons I do not need to review here.

If you are genuinely engaged in the movement for equality and social change, this could be a good topic. Just be sure this is a real commitment for you personally, with some roots, as no doubt quite a few people will choose to write about this as the challenge or experience they faced, or the belief (system) they challenged in college essays in 2020-21. This is a challenging topic, and you need to avoid preaching to the converted (as well as the unconverted) and you really want to be wary of name calling and oversimplification, particularly of solutions. And of course, eschew cynicism. Click my tag for Social Justice at either the top of bottom of this post to see some other discussions of social justice topics over the years.

Now let’s take a look at how closely the Common Application overlaps with the focus of the Texas main essay.

Comparing the University of Texas and Common Application Essay Prompts

In addition to the quick comparison of prompts below, I have recently posted on how to brainstorm/start the Common Application Prompts for 2020-2021 . I have also looked compared the Common Application Prompts to the Coalition Application, here: Coalition App Versus Common App Essays.

Common Application Prompts for 2020/2021–compare these with the U Texas Essay A–

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. Note that you would put the majority of the focus on your high school experience, with some background or lead-in, and this prompt is a match for the UT application essay A.

2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? If your high school experience included a challenge or setback you had to overcome, bingo. Also a match for the Texas application essay, option A.

3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? If this challenge occurred during your high school years, even it it did not happen on campus, just connect it the the person you are or have become and link it to some reference to your high school experience, and you are set.

4. Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma – anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. Notice that this offers you an opportunity to look at the past or the future. For UT you’d need to background the essay in the past, but then you could always turn from that past experiene to the future, to how your education will be shaped by this and what you plan to do with that education–which is a nice way to wrap up an essay–you never want to repeat or restate your introduction in the conclusoin of a college essay–that is formulaic writing, and frowned on. Not to mention that it does not fit in a pesonal essay format.

5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. This overlaps not only with some of the other Common Application prompts, it also matches UT’s prompt A, again if you focus on this occuring during your high school years.

6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? Again, if you discovered a passion in high school, or discuss one that grew during high school (usually academic, and tied to whatever you want to major in or focus on in college, for the best effect) , this also ties in well with the University of Texas essay.

7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. Since anything goes here, any Texas essay should also fit.

Contact Me for Editing and Essay Development

Texas has three additional, short essay responses required, and there is some variation in these (e.g. a prompt for Art and Architecture majors) and I will come back to these in the next week or two. Let me know if it was useful for you to look at comparing and reusing essays–I may look at the UT system short essays in comparison to those used by other systems if y’all hare enthusiastic about this approach. You can leave a comment, or if you are looking for essay development and essay editing, and you want the best, hands-on assistance, Contact Me . This link takes you to my business portal.

I do all the editing and coaching myself, so if you do want to create your best possible essays, contact me soon, while I still have some space available.

The Eyes of Texas

Oh, and of course, here is your bonus for this post, the University of Texas, fight song :

“The Eyes of Texas”

I once did know a president

A-way down South, in Texas.

And, always, everywhere he went,

He saw the Eyes of Texas.

The Eyes of Texas are upon you,

All the livelong day.

You cannot get away.

Do not think you can escape them

At night or early in the morn —

The Eyes of Texas are upon you

’Til Gabriel blows his horn.

Sing me a song of Prexy, *

Of days long since gone by.

Again I seek to greet him,

And hear his kind reply.

Smiles of gracious welcome

Before my memory rise,

Again I hear him say to me,

“Remember Texas’ Eyes.”

* “Prexy” refers to a President, particularly a college president, and dates back to the early 19th Century, so yes, it does predate UT Austin and in fact predates the state of Texas.

(To be sung at UT football games and after a few too many fermented beverages on sundry occasions. Of course, that won’t likely happen this year, but we can hope for the 2021 season, when you will likely be arriving on campus.)

How to Write the Princeton University Supplemental Essays for 2019-2020–Tips for Using Research, Finding Inspiration and Creating Winning Essays

This post covers how to write successful Princeton University Supplemental essays for the 2019-2020 application year. I include a review of the history of these prompts, the writing situation, and examples of strategies with links to key information for writing successful essays.

What is New for This Year in The Princeton Supplemental Essays ? Not Much–Princeton has put up the same prompts that they have been using for several years with no real changes.

Overview for Writing a Successful Princeton Supplemental Essay

The last time Princeton made a change in their essay prompts was in 2017, when they dumped their Woodrow Wilson, “Princeton in the Nation’s Service” speech as the focus for an essay. Unfortunately, Wilson, former Princeton as well as U.S. president, has, or had some baggage. He was a kind of walking paradox whom some have described as a Progressive Racist–see here for more: Woodrow Wilson’s segregation policy.

The Wilson Speech essay was replaced by another speech essay, this one by Princeton professor Omar Wasow, who spoke about social and economic disparities, on the occasion of Martin Luther King’s Birthday. Replacing Wilson with Wasow was obvious response to student concerns, but more important for defining your writing situation, essay prompts define an ethos that the university wants to represent. In that sense, the spirit of service in the old Woodrow Wilson prompt lives on, here defined by a concern with inequality and racism–and presumably a desire to change things for the better, i.e. serving the community. More about that when we get to Prof. Wasow’s essay prompt, below.

Analysis of Princeton Supplemental Essay Prompts and Key Strategies

And now for the prompts themselves: read on for an annotated discussion and how-to advice for each of the Princeton Supplement options :

Princeton Prompt Option 1–Tell us about a person who has influenced you in a significant way.–

I have discussed this topic at length in several other posts–the person of influence is a tried-and-true subject–so click here for much more detail on this topic: Writing About a Personal Influence (part 1) .

Princeton Prompt Option 2–“One of the great challenges of our time is that the disparities we face today have more complex causes and point less straightforwardly to solutions.” Omar Wasow, assistant professor of politics, Princeton University and co-founder of Blackplanet.com.

This quote is taken from Professor Wasow’s January 2014 speech at the Martin Luther King Day celebration at Princeton University. Does this mean you need to write an essay on race or race relations? Not necessarily–it’s more advice about what I would call atmospherics–keep in mind that our country, which was supposedly post-racial during the Obama presidency, has rediscovered its problem with race as well as with economic inequality, and the disappearance of President Wilson from the prompts roster at Princeton is one sign of that. You might want to have a look at Professor Wasow’s background and the speech that inspired this prompt, and to delve into the online community he started, Blackplanet , as you think about this one.

If you go with this topic, keep in mind the potential pitfalls of writing about disparities and problems of race and money– looking arrogant or paternalistic or simplistic or self righteous as you insert yourself into the problems of others. So if you choose to write about culture or disparities, try to do so without looking like some kind of imperialist in a pith helmet.

Economic inequality has been a problem since, well, forever, but it snapped into sharp focus with the Great Recession as many more people fell out of the middle class and foreclosure was the first word that popped up when you typed in “real estate.” Here we are a decade later, and though jobs are up and Wall Street is on a tear, inequalities have only grown(while the banks have grown bigger). If you have an interest in these matters and already have something to say on the subject that will not sound too preachy, it can help to drop informed references to the ideas of experts and social critics.

For example, you can find interesting commentaries on many aspects of inequality in the U.S. of A, in Vance’s look at white, rural poverty in Hillbilly Elegy or in Coates’ take on the effects of racism in Between the World and Me .

Keep in mind that writing effectively about topics like poverty and race pretty much demands a preexisting interest in things like politics and race, as well as sociology and economics, and that you should have done some reading outside of class–you know, current events, topical books like those I linked above, online discussions, TED talks, etc. And while reading books like those I link can be useful, you are writing an essay about a personal concern here that happens to be social as well’ you are not writing a a book report or an essay for class. Personal experience is key. Keep that in mind.

The best personal statements have a personal connection, to your experience, interests, and moral sense–as well as to your past involvement. So don’t suddenly become a civil rights advocate or advocate for the poor just in time to write this essay. For some more guidance on how to write about a topic like this, my old post on the service essay for Princeton actually (and perhaps ironically) works well– click to the right and scroll down to find the quote about not being a hand wringer, and read from there.

Princeton Prompt Option 3–“Culture is what presents us with the kinds of valuable things that can fill a life. And insofar as we can recognize the value in those things and make them part of our lives, our lives are meaningful.”

–Gideon Rosen, Stuart Professor of Philosophy and chair, Department of Philosophy, Princeton University.

This reads like some kind of tricky A.P. essay. Breaking it down, the important things are “things’ from “culture” that will make life meaningful. Let’s start with culture itself–

Culture gives everything from a world view to food to ideas about who should wear what on their head and when; it is a kind of agreement about what is real and how to act. And like fish in water, we do not really understand our own culture until we live in another. For many of you, this probably happens every day, as you go from one culture at home to another at school and with friends. This essay is probably the easiest for those who have that kind of experience. On the other hand, as our current president argued in a speech in Poland, there are a set of ideas that may loosely be described as Western–but I don’t think that the president’s speech actually reflected ideas like empiricism, openness to new ideas . . . free thinking . . . . which I consider hallmarks of Western Civ, at least as ideals for the last four hundred years.

Not that our civilization lived up to those ideals, but still. Certainly the Western or European culture that arose in Rome and led to the Enlightenment created a set of important ideas, one of them being expressed in the clause, “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal . . . ” Notice how that piece of paper in which the colonists declared independence is basically just a set of ideas. That’s what we are. But back to the president’s speech: you don’t have to argue for a war of cultures to describe the influence and nature of your culture.

But there is also the culture of your personal background and family, which include food, values, religion, et al. If you are really into philosophy, are a Competition Civics type or Lincoln-Douglas debater, you may be better primed than most to write about the broad idea of culture I defined in the paragraph above; if not, you might start at home, and consider your culture there. Or you could start with a thing in our culture that is important to you. For me, that would be a library. Check out this for some examples of great writing on libraries: 12 authors on libraries. For you, it might be a turntable and the history of hiphop tied to that. Make it personal and avoid preaching.

Princeton Prompt Option 4. Using a favorite quotation from an essay or book you have read in the last three years as a starting point, tell us about an event or experience that helped you define one of your values or changed how you approach the world. Please write the quotation, title and author at the beginning of your essay.

Examples for Writing A Successful Princeton Supplement About Quotes

If you searched “Essays that start with a quote,” in addition to finding a number of college application essay books, you’ll also find web pages explaining how clichéd and terrible these essays are. If you were cynical, you might draw the conclusion that this essay is a trap. An optimist might argue that Princeton is trying to breathe life into a venerable style of essay. My view is, it depends on what you do with it. Anything which is treated witlessly can become a cliché.

The first thing to think about with this prompt: starting with a quote can be hackneyed and the quote intro can also be used thoughtlessly or clumsily–for example, by jumping from the quote to a more-or-less unrelated idea in such a way that the quote is really an excuse to start an essay more than a true starting point.

The idea is that the opening quote should be integrated into or lead naturally into the opening paragraph and so flow on through the rest of the essay. It might be best to look at a few examples of folks who know how to work a quote into an essay–you might try reading some Montaigne , or for a modern idiom, you could try this link, to Paul Theroux’s the Old Patagonian Express , and read pages 3-6, which don’t begin with a quote, but he soon uses multiple quotes and you can see a good example of quote and content being integrated there.. This three-page section of the book has been excerpted as an essay and gives a good example of thought and action as Theroux looks at himself in relation to others engaged in the same activity.

I also suggest that you visit the New York Review of Books, which always has an article which discusses a series of new or recent titles and puts them in perspective. Have a look at my posts on writing about books, starting with this one , and you may find some useful passages for your purposes in this quote essay–be aware that the NYRB articles are meant largely to discuss books but many wander far afield in ways that may give you ideas on writing an essay tying your own life to what you have found in a book.

In the same vein, In the link here, you will find an NYRB discussion of Michael Lewis’ Boomerang , an especially good book and article for those of you interested in the social and economic problems that led to Occupy, back in the day, and that in part also fueled our current political fire –it’s a good model for how to discuss a book both in relation to oneself and to the larger world, which is part of what they want from you in this prompt. Of course, you should also be able to show yourself doing something beyond simply observing. It would help, of course, if you were a participant in some sort of action, though the author shows his own ability to think and does act on his principles by reporting on the book and the world around us.

Here are two more specific examples from Joan Didion; both are a factor of magnitude longer than the 500-word essay, but they still give you the flavor and an example of how to work with quotes. Notice that some of Didion’s essays could be cut down to a three-paragraph excerpt and, with perhaps a sentence or two of more direct exposition, work as a short essay, like the one you want.

“Goodbye To All That”

“On Self Respect” , in which Didion quotes from herself to get things going. Cheeky!

For those of you writing the Princeton Engineering Essay, I will be posting on this very soon, so please come back to read my discussion of the Princeton Engineering prompt–you might as well write your supplemental first and then do the research that an engineering essay requires.

Social Justice College Essays Samples For Students

157 samples of this type

Do you feel the need to check out some previously written College Essays on Social Justice before you start writing an own piece? In this free catalog of Social Justice College Essay examples, you are granted a fascinating opportunity to discover meaningful topics, content structuring techniques, text flow, formatting styles, and other academically acclaimed writing practices. Adopting them while crafting your own Social Justice College Essay will surely allow you to finalize the piece faster.

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How to Write the University of San Francisco Essays 2023-2024

The University of San Francisco is a private Jesuit university in the Bay Area. In addition to Common App materials, USF requires all applicants to submit one short supplemental essay. For this essay, you will consider USF’s Jesuit tradition and how you envision yourself joining its mission.

Applicants to USF’s Nursing (BSN) program will need to submit an additional short essay while completing their Common App. Applicants to the St. Ignatius Institute will need to complete a series of additional short essays, to be submitted via the school website.

The University of San Francisco receives thousands of applications from highly-motivated students every year. Your essay responses are your opportunity to stand out from the competition. In this post, we’ll discuss how to craft an engaging response to each of these options.

Read this USF essay example to inspire your own writing.

University of San Francisco Supplemental Essay Prompts

All applicants, the university of san francisco’s jesuit tradition emphasizes community engagement and education for social justice, inspiring our students to become passionate agents for others. how do you see yourself becoming a part of this mission (200 words), nursing (bsn) applicants, what will be your responsibility to others as a jesuit-educated, bsn professional registered nurse (200 words), st. ignatius institute applicants.

Prompt 1: Please explain why you would like to join the Institute. (200 words)

Prompt 2: SII tries to foster solidarity in action to honor the Jesuit ideal of being people with and for others. Can you give an example of service you performed in the past? What did you do and why? (200 words)

Prompt 3: What does spirituality mean to you? Please specify if you currently or formerly have a faith tradition and any religious formation experiences. (200 words)

Prompt 4: What do you know about the Jesuits? (no word count given)

University of San Francisco’s Jesuit tradition forms the school’s mission and values. The school’s education centers around humanitarian causes, and students take service-based courses and partake in research that helps to better our world. Your response should explain how you plan to contribute to this mission.

Feel free to draw on either the academic and non-academic programs offered by USF. You can choose major-specific ways to get involved, as University of San Francisco strives to have a Jesuit influence on every degree program. You could also focus on your personal interests and experiences, such as your desire to participate in the Arrupe Immersion program to learn more about a marginalized community.

For example, you might discuss how obtaining a BA in Performing Arts and Social Justice at USF will allow you to promote equity in children’s dance programs. If you are a business major, you could talk about creating a startup that focuses on helping homelessness or hunger. Your responses should be detailed and actionable ways that you would get involved in the USF community.

You are limited to only 200 words, so focus on only one or two ways that you would get involved. Use your space to provide a detailed response rather than simply listing off various social justice programs.

Nursing is the most popular undergraduate major at the University of San Francisco, and applicants to the program are required to respond to an additional short essay question. In this prompt, USF asks potential Nursing students to describe how they will use their education to care for their community.

This prompt is similar to the Community Service Essay archetype, but instead of asking you to reflect on past service, this prompt asks that you describe the nature of service you’ll do in the future.

As a future professional registered nurse, you’ll have a responsibility to others — whether that be your patients, their family members, or even your community as a whole. A successful response to this question will convince its reader that you are choosing the Nursing profession to serve others and that you will take this duty seriously.

Your response is limited to only 200 words, so you will have to be selective about how you choose to showcase your commitment to caring for others. Avoid dwelling too much on the obvious: of course you have a responsibility to care for your patients’ health.

Think of some other responsibilities that a good nurse fulfills. For example, you might say that you have a responsibility to maintain a welcoming environment in which patients can freely advocate for their health.

USF is a Catholic university, so if you practice a religion, feel free to draw on your beliefs as you formulate your answer.

St. Ignatius Institute Applicants, Prompt 1

Please explain why you would like to join the institute. (200 words).

St. Ignatius Institute (SII) is a distinct program within University of San Francisco. Students complete an alternative to the university’s core curriculum that emphasizes traditional Jesuit pursuits such as philosophy, theology, and literature. SII students have access to unique community-based learning programs and a study-abroad option in Oxford.

Your reason for applying to St. Ignatius Institute should about the St. Ignatius program specifically, not general aspects of the University of San Francisco. Why are you interested in SII and not a more traditional program at USF? What about SII appeals to you that you could not easily find at another institution?

For example, instead of describing your interest in philosophy, explain why the small class sizes in SII will allow you to have more stimulating philosophical discussions. Instead of saying you would like to study abroad in England, discuss your desire to study at Blackfriars Hall in Oxford. You can also mention aspects of the SII community, such as the weekly liturgy nights, living/learning community, or the various opportunities for peer mentoring.

St. Ignatius Institute Applicants, Prompt 2

Sii tries to foster solidarity in action to honor the jesuit ideal of being people with and for others. can you give an example of service you performed in the past what did you do and why (200 words).

Charitable acts are a core aspect of the Jesuit tradition. Your response should demonstrate that you also value service. Although your word count is only 200 words for this prompt, a brief anecdote will help ground your response and give it greater impact.

For example, instead of listing your responsibilities while volunteering at a women’s shelter, briefly describe a typical morning. You could also describe a particularly impactful moment you had while volunteering at the women’s shelter, such as a meaningful conversation.

Remember that your anecdote should only be one part of your response. You should also clearly describe your experience for the reader. The prompt asks you why you did your act of service. Instead of focusing on practical answers, such as needing to meet a requirement for National Honors Society, you should focus on a deeper reason. Why did you choose that kind of service? What about the nonprofit’s mission spoke to you?

St. Ignatius Institute Applicants, Prompt 3

What does spirituality mean to you (200 words).

Although St. Ignatius Institute is open to people of any religion, the program heavily emphasizes spirituality and spiritual development. SII students experience different forms of prayer and engage with the Catholic tradition. Your response should demonstrate your interest in spirituality in whatever form it takes within your life.

Do not use a dictionary definition or focus on creating the most “correct” answer. This prompt asks for your personal relationship to spirituality, so define how you understand the term in your everyday life. Do you view spirituality through connection to a higher power, or do you see spirituality as more of an essence? Where and when do you feel the most spiritually fulfilled?

Although the second part of this prompt refers to religion, you do not need to pretend to be Catholic or religious in order to compose your answer. If you do practice religion, or you previously practiced a religion, share how that has shaped your spiritual experience, including how you began practicing (i.e., your “religious formation experience” as stated in the prompt). If you are not part of an organized religion, talk about spirituality in a more abstract form and how you believe it impacts your life.There is no wrong answer so long as you write a thoughtful response.

St. Ignatius Institute Applicants, Prompt 4

What do you know about the jesuits (no word requirement).

St. Ignatius Institute is rooted in the Jesuit philosophy of faith and learning. Understanding the Jesuits–a Catholic religious order that emphasizes a liberal education and charitable deeds–is key to understanding St. Ignatius Institute.

This prompt is technically optional; however, we strongly encourage you to answer it to the best of your ability. Your response should demonstrate a firm knowledge of the Jesuits goals and ideals, but you do not need to be overly detailed or recount the entire history of the Society of Jesuits.

Your response should focus on your knowledge of the Jesuit’s mission and values, as these aspects will most closely relate to your experience at SII.

Although this prompt does not have a word requirement, try not to extend your response too far beyond the word maximums for your previous answers.

Where to Get Your University of San Francisco School Essay Edited

Do you want feedback on your University of San Francisco essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Social Justice Essay: Successful Admission Paper Sample

EssayEdge > Blog > Social Justice Essay: Successful Admission Paper Sample

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June 1987. Age 19. I was traveling by train. My destination: Refugio del Rio Grande, a cooperatively run Central American refugee camp on the Mexican border. For three months, I would be the only “outsider” living and working there. That summer, I taught English to refugees. I helped them prepare asylum applications. I sang folk songs, cooked tortillas, and drank with them. Machete in hand, I joined them in clearing fields, chopping wood, and planting corn. I listened to their narrations of political tyranny and economic subordination, and to their yearnings for change. I joined them in their attempts at democratic, communal decision-making. And at some point I stopped thinking of the refugees as “them”. For a brief time, their struggle became mine, and the distinction of who was helping whom became blurred. A turning point.

February 1992. Age 23. I was traveling by rental car (consciously American manufactured). My destination: River Rouge, a working-class suburb of Detroit. Map in lap, I drove in circles, my frenzied daily efforts again frustrated by a notoriously poor sense of direction. I managed to stumble upon my destination at 9:58 p.m., minutes before the nightly deadline for unannounced visits, parked and scurried to the door. This worker-my eighteenth of the day-offered several compelling reasons for not wanting to participate in a United Steelworkers’ Union organizing drive. I found myself unable to even attempt an inspiring “union rap”, trying instead to understand his dilemma, and leaving his home without even suggesting he sign a union card. I was not a great labor organizer.

These sketches are two examples of the various social justice-related jobs I have undertaken over the past several years. In choosing to work in diverse capacities over a range of issues, I have followed three objectives: first, to challenge my views on different problems; second, to examine the effectiveness and limitations of different strategies for affecting progressive social change; and third, to test my own aptitude, interest, and personal capacity for working in different professional roles. My attached resume thus documents a variety of issue areas (immigration, homelessness, civil rights, human rights, education, labor, and children’s rights) and roles (social worker, policy analyst, researcher, teacher, community and labor organizer, and legal advocate).

As the two episodes suggest, this process revealed my interests, abilities, and limitations. Above all, several work experiences fostered an interest in law as an instrument to, and obstacle of, social change. For example, my work with the NJ Supreme Court Task Force on Minority Concerns, on a study uncovering and proposing remedies to de facto discrimination within the legal system, underlined law’s potency for both perpetuating and combating injustice. My work with the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (LCHR) introduced me to law’s potential for affecting change though creative, non-adversarial means. The results of the pilot parole project I coordinated at LCHR was cited in INS’ decision to change its national policy on paroling asylum applicants.

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Yet it was working for The Alliance for Children’s Rights on cases of individual representation that ultimately convinced me to choose law as a vocation. As a founding staff member of the first organization in Southern California devoted exclusively to defending the legal rights of low income children, I had the opportunity to experience the excitement of creating a progressive law practice which served critical, previously unmet needs. As Intake Coordinator, I had to quickly familiarize myself with legal areas ranging from dependency and delinquency to public benefits, family, housing, and civil rights law. As well, I developed a system for interviewing the children and assessing the cases for placement with pro bono attorneys. My relationships with the young clients gave me direct insight into the way in which law, practiced properly, can empower people to themselves take a stand against injury and injustice, and the difference this transformation makes to their self-esteem and individual fortitude.

Finally, I have tried, through my academic work, to complement action with reflection. College courses enabled me to begin grappling with broad theoretical questions of social justice, political morality, and jurisprudence. My current graduate course work in political theory is an effort to enhance my capacity to sort through these issues. I look forward to law school as a way to continue these theoretical explorations. More importantly, I am hopeful that studying law will ground the questions in a practical framework, enabling me to develop the technical skills needed to work toward progressive change: change which expands individual life chances, redresses historic inequities in well-being, and minimizes the subordination of some individuals and groups by others.

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Goldman prize for excellence in teaching honors professors Bai, Bryant, and Houh

When talking about what makes a Goldman Prize recipient stand out, one can mention various qualities. But what really matters is how they use those qualities to make a difference in the lives of the students they teach. "The winners this year should come as no surprise to anyone who knows them well," stated Dean Haider Hamoudi in an email announcing the recipients. Given as a prestigious accolade upon faculty members, it offers students a chance to honor their professors and highlight their dedication to exemplary teaching.

Let the testimonials of their students shine a light on why they were deserving of this award. Congratulations to this year's honorees: Professors Lynn Bai, Chris Bryant, and Emily Houh.

Below is a compilation of excerpts from the nominating letters.

Lin (Lynn) Bai, Professor of Law

Professor Lynn Bai

"I was terrified to take Property after hearing from many students that it is the hardest 1L course. Professor Bai makes it seem easy. She is incredibly organized, prepared, and engaged every single day. She is always available to speak with students and is masterful at explaining confusing concepts in a way that is easy to grasp. She is the best professor I have had in my entire academic career, and I actually look forward to going to her class. I have spoken to several of my classmates about this and they could not agree more. We always joke that once we start talking about how much we love her we can't stop talking about it.” – student nominator

Professor Lynn Bai has expertise in the areas of corporate finance, securities regulation, property and empirical legal methods. A former corporate attorney and investment banker, she has worked as a professor at the College of Law for 17 years. Professor Bai’s research focuses on corporate and securities law. Her work has appeared in the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Business Law, NYU Journal of Law and Business, William & Mary Business Law Journal, Emory Corporate Governance and Accountability Review, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Wisconsin Law Review, etc. She has been published on these topics in varies ways some of those include.

No Peeking: Addressing Pretextual Inspection Demands by Competitor-Affiliated Shareholders, Virginia Law & Business Review (forthcoming February 2024, with Sean Meyer)

Shareholder Inspection Rights: From Credible Basis to Rational Belief , 10 Emory Corporate Governance and Accountability Review 193 (2023)

Shareholder Appraisal Rights: Delaware’s Flawed Market Exception, 56 Michigan Journal of Law Reform Caveat 1 (2022) (with William Murphy)

Limited Liability Partnerships: An (Overlooked) Hole in the Shield, 23 University of Pennsylvania Journal of Business Law 862 (2021) (with Sarah Harden)

A. Christopher Bryant, Rufus King Professor of Constitutional Law

"Professor Bryant distinguishes himself above his peers because he is caring, approachable, and genuinely concerned with student success. As a first-year student in his Constitutional Law I course, I was able to see these qualities firsthand. As many of his students can attest, Professor Bryant's first year courses - because of his daily meditations, easy to understand approach to the class, and kind demeanor - are a haven from the panic and horror that makes up much of 1L [year]. Whether it was willing to stay after class to discuss a difficult concept, meeting over Zoom during Thanksgiving break, or just providing a kind and reassuring word during class, Professor Bryant's care and concern for students was obvious and contributed greatly to alleviating my personal fears of law school. [...] Professor Bryant's love for students shines in everything he does at the College of Law and for that reason he is deserving of this award.” –student nominator

Since joining the College of Law faculty in 2003, Professor A. Christopher Bryant has distinguished himself as a scholar and award-winning teacher of constitutional law. He has authored numerous articles and essays on contemporary constitutional issues, including the separation of powers, judicial review, and the roles of various branches of government in constitutional interpretation. He is a recognized expert on national legislative power and the deference owed to Congressional actions by the judiciary, with leading articles on the subject published in the Cornell Law Review, George Washington Law Review, BYU Law Review, Notre Dame Journal of Legislation, and William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal. His work on federalism and unenumerated rights includes a co-authored book, “Powers Reserved for the People and the States”: A History of the Ninth and Tenth Amendments, and articles in the Georgia Law Review and the Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy. Some of his other publications are as follows:

Counting the Votes: Electronic Voting Irregularities, Election Integrity, and Public Corruption, 49 U. MEM. L. REV. (with Kimberly Breedon).

Hoosier Bridesmaids , 52 IND. L. REV. (with Margo Lambert).

Executive Privilege in a Hyper-partisan Era, 64 WAYNE L. REV. 63 (2018) (with Kimberly Breedon).

Restoring Trust with Trusts: Constructive and Blind Trusts as Remedies for Presidential Violations of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clauses , 11 ALB. GOV’T L. REV. 284 (2018) (with Kimberly Breedon).

Emily M.S. Houh, Gustavus Henry Wald Professor of the Law and Contracts | Co-founder, Nathaniel R. Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice

"Last fall, Professor Houh took on the task of teaching Contracts to the entire 1L class when Dean Tomain was away because of emergency health reasons. This task consisted of her class doubling in size overnight, required her to, at times, teach two Contracts classes back-to-back in one day, and opened her up from academically supporting 70 students to 140 students. Amid this, she remained committed to the legal education and success of the entire 1L class. […] Along with her commitment to fostering diversity and academic excellence, Professor Houh was also willing to fill a vacancy on the College’s Admissions Committee […]. Her dedication is admirable.” - student nominator

Professor Emily Houh has been teaching contracts, commercial law, and critical race theory since 2003 at UC Law. She co-founded the College’s Nathaniel R. Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice and co-directed the center for many years.

Professor Houh’s scholarship focuses on the interplay between contract law, critical race theory, and socioeconomic (in)equality. Her research with University of Cincinnati College of Law colleague Professor Kristin Kalsem explores the use of participatory action research methods in critical race/feminist praxis, particularly regarding the raced and gendered nature of the “fringe economy. Her work has been published in law reviews and other legal publications, such as:

Sketches of A Redemptive Theory of Contract, 66 HASTINGS L.J. 951 (2015).

Theorizing a Legal Participatory Action Research Method: Critical Race/Feminism and Participatory Action Research, 21 QUALITATIVE INQUIRY 262 (2015) (with Kristin Kalsem).

It’s Critical: Legal Participatory Action Research, 19 MICH. J. RACE & L. 287 (2014) (with Kristin Kalsem).

About the Goldman Prize for Excellence in Teaching

For more than 35 years, the Goldman Prize has been bestowed upon deserving individuals. What sets this award apart is its distinct process: students nominate and select the recipients, who happen to be their professors. In reaching their decision, the committee evaluates the professors' research and public service, recognizing how these aspects contribute to outstanding performance within the classroom.

Featured top image of the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

Faculty Staff
College of Law

2021 University Recognition Ceremony honors student achievements

April 13, 2021

The University of Cincinnati recognizes students each year who have made significant service, leadership, and academic contributions to the UC community. These students exemplify the spirit of what it means to be a Bearcat.

UC Day of Giving a success

April 28, 2021

University of Cincinnati Day of Giving’s 24-hour challenge was a tremendous success this year, raising $2,219,197 with 3,232 gifts. The fourth annual UC Day of Giving raised its most money to date with alumni, donors, students, faculty and staff joining together to support UC and UC Health.

States Have Restricted Teaching on Social Justice. Is Teacher Preparation Next?

When Andrew Spar first started teaching music to elementary students at Turie T. Small Elementary School in Daytona Beach, Fla., he assumed they all would know to be gentle with instruments.

Spar, now president of the Florida Education Association (FEA) and a vice president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), quickly learned the importance of understanding the differences between his upbringing and that of the students he served.

He grew up in a middle-class neighborhood in the suburbs of New York City, and was a trained violinist from an early age. But Spar was teaching in a school where he said a majority of students lived in poverty, he said, and his students hadn’t had the same opportunities to play instruments like he had.

The concept of preparing teachers to understand their students’ backgrounds—and how systemic racism and sexism impact those backgrounds—has been a growing feature of many teacher-preparation programs, some of which pride themselves on integrating social justice themes into their coursework.

Now, that’s being called into question as more state legislatures take aim at how those issues can be taught in teacher preparation. The efforts have left educators and advocates concerned it will encompass culturally responsive teaching methods, and fearing it will ultimately negatively impact student learning.

Earlier this month, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a measure prohibiting teacher training and education preparation programs from delving into “identity politics,” and teaching that “systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities.”

The measure was part of an effort to “fight back against indoctrination in education and the workplace,” DeSantis said in a news release. It appears to build on the state’s other similar efforts, including a law that restricts what teachers can say about LGBTQ+ individuals in their classrooms.

(DeSantis’ office did not respond to a request for comment before publication.)

Republican Florida Rep. Berny Jacques, a sponsor of the legislation, said in an email to EdWeek that the legislation addressed concerns lawmakers have about teaching about race and oppression.

“This legislation will allow students to be taught by teachers focused on delivering exceptional education,” he said.

The recent Florida law is part of a larger, years-long effort to restrict discussions of racism or sexism in schools, taking particular aim at educator preparation. Broadly, at least nine states have enacted legislation in the last three years to prohibit mandatory professional development or training of public school teachers on topics such as racism or sexism, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures. Legislation is pending in at least four others.

Several states have introduced similar bills or taken other steps that would limit how teachers can discuss racism and sexism in the classroom . Those efforts have faced legal challenges in some states, even as some social studies groups have started training teachers to navigate these so-called “divisive concepts” laws . However, momentum has largely been slowing for measures targeting “divisive concepts,” and research has found most lessons are kept politically neutral.

Spar said he had to learn to adapt to his students’ backgrounds to effectively teach them early in his teaching career. (The FEA, a major political opponent of DeSantis, criticized the Florida legislation as harmful.)

“I think it’s just so important, and it required me to really open my horizons and open my view of the world so that I could better interact and support the students I was teaching,” he said. “It’s something you have to be able to do if you’re going to truly connect with the kids, and it doesn’t happen unless we’re deliberately having that discussion.”

Educators worry the legislation will impact student learning

Dr. Kai Mathews, the director of the California Educator Diversity Project at the University of California, Los Angeles’ Center for the Transformation of Schools, says it’s taken time for teacher-preparation courses to begin embedding culturally responsive teaching. The 2020 racial reckoning following the public killing of George Floyd and protests of injustices against Black people nationwide fueled that work, she said.

“It’s not just for the historical knowledge and facts. It is also when we’re including students from a diverse background, to see themselves in the making up, and in the composite of, history and of society, and we’re bringing it into the classroom,” Mathews said. “There’s a relatability that then comes with the content that we’re teaching. It’s not just math for math’s sake.”

With schools facing a student chronic absenteeism crisis and competing with student apathy , connecting students to their education is even more vital, she said.

“I don’t know how many more ways students need to show us that disengagement is attached to our inability to make our education relevant and meaningful,” she said.

Dr. Omiunota N. Ukpokodu, a professor of education at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, said so often she hears from student teachers that their classes are struggling academically, with many testing two grades below their level. She pointed to the 2023 results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which showed a significant decrease in 8th grade students’ civics scores.

There’s a gap caused by teachers being afraid to teach critically about racism in the wake of laws restricting class discussions, she said. That’s troubling when the U.S. is multicultural and multiracial, and the world is becoming more and more interdependent, she said.

“How are they being prepared to take this responsibility of preparing the young for the world that we live in, that they will be part of in a workforce that is diverse? How can they learn to become participatory citizens when they don’t have the critical thinking skills that they need to engage?” she said.

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Ahenewa El-Amin speaks with students during her AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.

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Drunk, Porsche-driving teen ordered to write essay after killing 2 in India

A decision by a local Indian Juvenile Justice Board to order a 17-year-old to write an essay as part of his bail conditions after killing two people while drunk driving has been retracted amid public outrage.

Key points:

The male teen, whose name is being withheld, is accused of driving the Porsche that struck the victims in Pune, Maharashta state, on Sunday.

The victims, identified as Aneesh Awadhia and Ashwini Koshta, both 24 years old and software engineers, died at the scene .

The teen, who was allegedly drunk, was arrested and taken to the local Juvenile Justice Board following the incident.

The details:

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Surveillance video caught the Porsche Taycan supercar being allegedly driven by the teen moments before the tragic collision . The car was reportedly traveling 160 kilometers (99.4 miles) per hour.

The teen reportedly came from a bar with his friends to celebrate finishing their exams. Following the incident, the business was sealed and three people were arrested for serving alcohol to an underage individual.

A video filmed in the aftermath shows an angry mob attacking the teen on the street. He was arrested shortly after.

Authorities initially charged him with causing death by negligence. Later, he was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, as well as drunk driving offenses.

Within 15 hours of his detention, the Juvenile Justice Board granted him bail under several conditions, including writing a 300-word essay on road safety, performing a 15-day community service and undergoing psychiatric consultation.

The teen’s father, reportedly a wealthy businessman, was also arrested for allegedly allowing his son to drive. India’s legal driving age is 18.

Many X users criticized the Indian justice system for its alleged leniency. One wrote , “Indian judiciary system is the biggest joke of the decade.”

“As per rules, action should be taken (against the accused) so that people learn a lesson from this,” Suresh Koshta, Ashwini’s father, said in a video .

What's next:

The board retracted its decision on Wednesday amid the public outrage . The teen was sent to a rehabilitation center, where he will stay until June 5.

Police are seeking to try him as an adult for the “heinous” crime. India changed its juvenile laws in 2015, allowing for the trial of teens over 16 as adults if the crimes they committed are deemed heinous.

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On Campus, a New Social Litmus Test: Zionist or Not?

Some Jewish students say they’ve been dropped by old roommates and sorority sisters and ostracized from campus clubs and teams because of their views — which are sometimes assumed.

A young woman in jeans and a black tank top stands in front of a tall iron gate.

By Joseph Bernstein

Last fall, a Barnard College sophomore named Sophie Fisher reached out to her freshman year roommate to catch up over coffee. Her old friend’s response was tepid, and Ms. Fisher wondered why. The two had been close enough that the roommate had come to the bar mitzvah of Ms. Fisher’s brother.

Several months later, the reason became clear.

Over Instagram, Ms. Fisher’s roommate wrote to her that they couldn’t be friends anymore because she had been posting in support of Israel since the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7. In other words, she was a Zionist. Ms. Fisher thought she had been careful to avoid inflammatory posts, but the roommate, Ms. Fisher said, accused her of racism.

Then she blocked Ms. Fisher.

Around the same time, Ms. Fisher noticed something else strange. Her “big” — a mentor in her sorority — had stopped talking to her. When they were in the same room, Ms. Fisher said, the big wouldn’t make eye contact with her. Ms. Fisher said that her big often posted about Students for Justice in Palestine, the campus group that Columbia had suspended in November for violating campus policies. Ms. Fisher remains in the sorority, but the two haven’t spoken in months.

“She was supposed to be my big sister,” she said.

This spring, college campuses became the main stage for the American protest movement against Israel’s seven-month-old war in Gaza. In April and May, dozens of pro-Palestinian encampments sprang up at universities around the country, as students called for institutional divestment from (and, at times, for the total dismantling of) Israel.

The protests have been characterized by heated rhetoric around the term “Zionist,” a word that typically refers to people who believe Jews have a right to a state in their ancestral homeland in present-day Israel (regardless of how they may feel about the war in Gaza). Many Palestinians and those who support them associate the word with mass displacement during the 1948 war triggered by the creation of Israel, as well as the killings over the past months of thousands of civilians and the decimation of Gaza.

Through chants, statements and sometimes physical obstruction , many protesters have made clear they don’t want to share space with people they consider Zionists — and indeed, that they find the ideology unacceptable. At the University of California, Los Angeles, pro-Palestinian students blocked peers who identified themselves as Zionists from parts of campus. Given that a large majority of American Jews say caring about Israel is an important part of their Jewish identity, these instances of exclusion have led to a debate over whether the encampments are de facto antisemitic. (Complicating matters, some of the most outspoken anti-Zionist protesters are Jewish.)

The Litmus Test

Some Jewish students on campus believe these dynamics amount to a kind of litmus test: If you support Palestine, you’re in. If you support the existence of or aren’t ready to denounce Israel, you’re out. And they say this is not limited to pro-Palestine protests. It is, instead, merely the most pointed form of a new social pressure that has started to drip down from the public square onto the fabric of everyday campus life, seeping into spaces that would seem to have little to do with Middle East politics: club sports, casual friendships, dance troupes.

Rabbi Jason Rubenstein, the incoming executive director of Harvard Hillel, said the more explicit litmus tests of the protests were “making visible and physical something that’s happening in a lot of places.”

This pressure, some students say, has forced them to choose between their belief in the right of the Jewish state to exist and full participation in campus social life. It is brought to bear not only on outwardly Zionist Jews, for whom the choice is in some sense already made, but to Jews on campus who may be ambivalent about Israel.

The mandate to take a stand on Israel-Gaza — and for it to be seen as the right one — is often implicit, these students say, and sometimes it is pressed on them by people who aren’t campus activists, but friends and mentors.

And ultimate Frisbee coaches. This month, a senior at Northwestern University walked into the office of the school’s Hillel executive director, Michael Simon, to tell him about a disturbing experience he’d just had.

Days before, the senior, a team captain who requested anonymity because he feared future professional consequences, had learned of a voluntary team meeting to discuss the war in Gaza. Beforehand, over a video call, the team’s coach, Penelope Wu, shared with the captains a presentation that she planned to share at the meeting.

It raised and dismissed several potential objections to the idea of a club Frisbee team holding a meeting about Mideast politics. Assertions like “Lake Effect is just a sports team” and “I’m not involved in this” were countered by the statements “Sports are political” and “Neutrality is inherently supportive of the oppressor.”

It also included an agenda item called “Judaism vs. Zionism,” featuring material from Jewish Voice for Peace, an anti-Zionist Jewish activist group.

The student said he had voiced an objection to the material because he thought it presented a one-sided view of the war and Zionism. (The J.V.P. material was later replaced with several paragraphs from the Wikipedia entry for “Zionism.”)

After the meeting, he said, the coach spoke to him.

According to the student — who identifies as a liberal Zionist — Ms. Wu told him that she respected him as a Frisbee player, but that his pro-Israel attitude was wrong, and that it could be an obstacle in the future as he sought to make friends and get a job. (The fear of long-term professional consequences has also been a theme among pro-Palestine protesters since the beginning of the war. Shortly after Oct. 7, a conservative watchdog group called Accuracy in Media hired billboard trucks to publicly shame college students they accused of anti-Israel sentiment, mobilizations that were widely seen as an attempt to harm these students’ career prospects.)

In an email to The New York Times, Ms. Wu wrote that the student had “mischaracterized or misremembered certain things I said.”

The captain didn’t attend the meeting, instead writing a letter to his teammates describing his impression of the presentation.

“It will be a call for activism against Israel at all costs, and at least implicitly it will be a call for a dismantling, and/or annihilation, of the one Jewish state,” he wrote in the letter. (The student said a few of his teammates wrote him back, but most did not.)

Around the country, Jewish students found their identities questioned in a variety of previously welcoming communities.

At Rice University, a freshman named Michael Busch said he felt unwelcome at a campus L.G.B.T.Q. group, after he was heckled in an associated group chat for saying that he was in favor of a two-state solution and that he believed Israel accepted queer people more than other Middle Eastern countries.

“If that makes me a Zionist, I’m a Zionist,” he said. “That was the initial litmus test. From there, I found myself shut out of a lot of communities.”

Mr. Busch said that afterward, he was ostracized by the members of other campus affinity groups to which he belonged, including one for Middle Eastern students and one for Hispanic students.

At Barnard College, a senior named Batya Tropper said she was upset after her hip-hop dance team announced its intention to join a coalition of student groups pressuring Columbia University to divest from Israel. According to Ms. Tropper, who is Israeli American, team leaders rejected her attempt to discuss the decision.

Ms. Tropper, who had danced for the troupe for four years, said she was quietly removed from the team’s WhatsApp channel a few weeks after it officially signed on to the divestment group.

At Yale College, a Jewish junior said she was discouraged from joining a secret society she had been admitted to when members began to suspect she was a Zionist after she mentioned attending an event at the Slifka Center, Yale’s main hub for Jewish life. The student, who asked to remain anonymous because she feared social ramifications on campus, said she was not a Zionist, and thought that members of the society, Ceres Athena, had come to the conclusion that she was by misconstruing old social media posts related to Israel — though none reached out to ask her directly. (Members of Ceres Athena did not respond to emails from The Times.)

And at Columbia University, a senior named Dessa Gerger — who says she is often “put off” by peers who are quick to label anti-Zionism as antisemitism and feels that “the story about Jewish students feeling unsafe on campus is overplayed” — decided not to continue her participation in college radio after a member of the station’s board expressed ambivalence about the idea of a program that featured Israeli music.

“I didn’t do the radio show this semester because I don’t feel any kind of desire to be in a political organization,” Ms. Gerger said. “I want to be in a radio station.”

Of course, for pro-Palestinian activists who support a cultural and academic boycott of Israel, there can be no such thing as Israeli music without politics. According to its website, the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement operates according to the principle of “anti-normalization,” which forbids joint events or projects between Arabs and Jewish Israelis who do not, among other things, recognize Palestinians’ right of return to the land they were forced from in 1948.

“For Palestinians and those in solidarity, the problem is Zionism and what it’s meant to Palestinians,” said Yousef Munayyer, the head of the Palestine-Israel program at the Arab Center in Washington. “That’s going to put people in the Jewish community who are dealing with these tensions in an uncomfortable situation. They’re going to be asked to pick between a commitment to justice and a commitment to Zionism.”

For Layla Saliba, a Palestinian American student at the Columbia School of Social Work, not wanting to be friends with Zionists on campus comes down to the way she said she had been treated by some on campus: with offensive chants like “terrorist go home,” and jeering when she has spoken out about family she has lost in Gaza.

“We’re not treated as human,” said Ms. Saliba, 24, who works for the Columbia divestiture coalition. “I don’t want to be friends with people who don’t view me as human, as somebody who is worthy of respect.”

Ms. Saliba added that the social cost of being vocally pro-Palestinian was also significant: Her activism is detailed in an entry on Canary Mission, a site that documents and denounces anti-Zionists on campuses around the country.

“If Zionists are complaining about losing a friend, that’s completely trivial compared to what the Palestinians are facing,” said Mike Miccioli, 25, a physics Ph.D. student at the University of Chicago and a member of Students for Justice in Palestine there. He said he hoped that Zionism would become socially toxic on campus.

“I think anyone who subscribes to the Zionist ideology should be viewed as you would view one who proclaims to be a white supremacist,” he said.

Feeling the Squeeze From All Sides

At times, the pressure to choose is reinforced from above. At Northwestern, some instructors had asked students to attend campus protests, according to a recent email from Liz Trubey, the associate dean for undergraduate affairs at the school’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. She admonished these instructors, saying, “this is an inappropriate use of authority.”

“The anti-normalization of Zionism that’s happening all over campus is an affront to the Jewish community,” said Brian Cohen, the executive director of Columbia Hillel. “It makes people in parts of campus not accept Jews. And it divides the Jewish community. Those who promote it know that’s what it does.”

But the pressure to choose a side isn’t only coming from pro-Palestinian activists.

For college-age Jews who strongly identify with Zionism, the loss of friends and extracurricular activities may be upsetting, but they have a natural community to turn to in campus organizations like Hillel and Chabad. For Jews with conflicted feelings about Israel, though, establishment Jewish groups may mirror the social pressure coming from anti-Zionists.

This month, a widely circulated letter signed by hundreds of Jews at Columbia pushed back against anti-Zionist Jews on campus, calling them tokens and questioning their Jewishness.

“Contrary to what many have tried to sell you — no, Judaism cannot be separated from Israel,” the letter read. “Zionism is, simply put, the manifestation of that belief.”

Aliza Abusch-Magder, a Columbia senior who participated in Jews for Ceasefire, said she was “uncomfortable” protesting alongside members of the encampment because of the chant “All Zionists off campus now.”

At the same time, she said she had found that “the Jewish community on campus, which I took pride in calling my own, is not interested or is struggling to accept Jews who are anything but very Zionist.”

Recently, Ms. Abusch-Magder confessed to a rabbi at Hillel that she felt the group was not a welcoming space for Jews who aren’t ardently pro-Israel. She said the rabbi, Yonah Hain, told her that Hillel wasn’t supposed to be a resource for Jewish students who don’t support Israel.

He called her and other ambivalent Jews “korban,” a Hebrew word that refers to a sacrifice to God among the ancient Hebrews.

(Hillel International’s “ Israel Guidelines ” reject partnerships with “organizations, groups or speakers” who “deny the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish and democratic state”; support Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions; or “delegitimize, demonize or apply a double standard to Israel.”)

Ms. Abusch-Magder said she believed Mr. Hain was implying that “we’re the people who don’t have a place on earth,” though she conceded that she might be misinterpreting his use of the word.

(In a text message, Mr. Hain declined to comment.)

After Mr. Hain and Ms. Abusch-Magder’s interaction, Hillel sponsored an event to encourage dialogue between Jews with different perspectives on Israel, which Ms. Abusch-Magder felt was little more than a fig leaf.

These black-or-white pressures — to remove anti-Zionists from some Jewish communities, and to remove Zionists from parts of campus life — seem likely to shrink a middle ground where people with fiercely differing beliefs can learn from one another. And that, according to some Jews caught in the middle, is a real loss.

“It’s harder and it takes more mental effort,” said Ms. Gerger, the Columbia senior. “But there aren’t deeper conversations going on.”

Joseph Bernstein is a Times reporter who writes feature stories for the Styles section. More about Joseph Bernstein

The Campus Protests Over the Gaza War

News and Analysis

The campus police chief for the University of California, Los Angeles, has been removed in the aftermath of an attack on a pro-Palestinian encampment , during which security officers did not intervene.

City University of New York School of Law is known for its activism, and, lately, for pro-Palestinian commencement addresses. This year, the student speech was canceled .

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Dartmouth College voted to censure the university’s president over her decision to summon the police to remove a pro-Palestinian encampment.

A New Litmus Test: Some Jewish students say their views on Zionism — which are sometimes assumed — have affected their social life on campus .

College President Openings: Presidential posts are available at U.C.L.A., Yale, Harvard, Cornell, Penn and many others. But the job is not what it used to be .

A Protest Symbol: Handala, a cartoon character created over 50 years ago that represents the resilience of Palestinians, has become an inspiration for protesters .

Scenes From the Protests: As tensions escalated over pro-Palestinian student encampments at campuses nationwide, this is what our photographers saw .

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8 Tips For Writing A Social Justice Essay

#1. Brainstorm creatively

#2. Sharpen your topic’s focus

#3. Identify your purpose

#4. Find a human story

#5. Rely on a variety of sources

#6. Define your key terms

#7. Provide specific evidence and examples

#8. Acknowledge your critics

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64 Examples of Social Issues Topics for 2024

How to Write a Successful Essay Grappling with Social Issues Topics

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2) Finding and Using Evidence

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4) Making an argument

Example Social Issues Topics – Tech and Labor

Social Issues Topics (Continued)

Example Social Issues Topics –Education and the Environment

Environment and Sustainability

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International and Geopolitical Issues

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Final Thoughts – Social Issues Topics