To me, being an ethically responsible decision maker means educating myself on the ways I and others contribute to corrupt practices. It requires allyship to marginalized communities and those affected by our individual decisions on a day-to-day basis. To strive for ethical living, it is imperative that we each examine our involvement in institutions that may have oppressive historical or modern backgrounds, and adjust our lives based on these initiatives. These changes can be made in any setting, from conversations with friends to professional work.
The Nonprofit Sector: Praised, Criticized, and Exposed, IES 301: Organizations, Ethics, and Society
The Nonprofit Sector – Praised, Criticized, and Exposed
Knowledge 1: This assignment challenged me to consider the unspoken side of nonprofit organizations, and to expose the corruption that goes on in organizations. I describe how the sector struggles with balancing charity and solidarity, social services and change, and ethical philanthropy. I also explain how I would approach building a self-directed school that is not corrupt.
Knowledge 2: My analysis of nonprofits’ approaches to serving their communities opened my eyes to how corrupt all societal institutions are, and I lost a sense of hope in the sector I most trusted. Therefore, my overall view on structural organizations has changed and I now recognize hidden agendas. There are positives and negatives to this transparency; however, I will use my knowledge to apply it within my career by making necessary changes to dismantle these systems of oppression.
Skills 1: Through my research, I was able to further understand the unethical background of nonprofit organizations and the ways they are corrupted by corporations and by imposing their beliefs onto the communities they serve. Unfortunately, this is common for all institutions, but for nonprofits to engage in corrupt work was disappointing to learn. It opened my eyes to the injustices that receivers face, and how they are often not being served efficiently.
Skills 2: This assignment helped me in deciding the trajectory of my professional path by showing me the unappealing side of the nonprofit sector. I am now more aware of how to avoid compliance in situations of injustice and plan on using this information toward my future work while spreading this awareness all the while.
Disposition: I could never see myself being a part of an unethical institution, and that stance has only been enhanced by the insight I gained from this assignment. It is difficult not to work for a corrupt organization, which is why I have chosen the educational path rather than the nonprofit sector. Unless it is an ethical grassroots organization, I no longer financially support nonprofits that cater to corporations’ dishonorable standards and I now know how to recognize those signs.
Student Assistant, Chapman University Office of Community Relations
Knowledge 1: The Office of Community Relations serves as a liaison between Chapman University and the surrounding neighbors of Orange. We mediate conflicts between students and community members, we are in contact with local nonprofit organizations, and we stay connected with elected and city officials. I have worked for the office for the past 4 years.
Knowledge 2: Working in Community Relations for Chapman University, I formed connections with local nonprofits that graciously welcomed me into their facilities and introduced me to people with identities far different from my own. I used my platform to plan and execute donation drives, galas, and marketing campaigns to serve these organizations in the areas where they needed it most.
Skills 1: Our office hosted events on and off campus that supported a low-income youth center, two homeless living shelters, and a warehouse providing professional clothing to marginalized employees. This project was started as a result of asking what they needed from us and how we could help as an educational institution. We approached the events with solidarity and service.
Skills 2: We worked alongside the populations we were serving. I have grown to understand how youth from low-income communities are more likely to face issues such as food insecurity, homelessness, violence, neglect, stereotypes, and so much more. This is applicable to my career path in education because I am more aware of the social issues marginalized populations face.
Disposition: Through my experience in this office, I have learned which kinds of organizations and elected officials to support. Through firsthand interactions with community members, I was able to identify which institutions and leaders need to focus on improving their inclusion efforts, whether I found my conclusions through ethical or unethical sources.
Correctional Education and Self-Efficacy, IES 205: Learning Across Boundaries: The Power of Cross-Disciplinary Curricula
Correctional Education and Self Efficacy
Knowledge 1: I wrote a research paper on the ways correctional education can improve self-esteem and motivate inmates to serve as positive role models or proud individuals. This affirmative form of education can allow inmates to change their outlook on life and give them the motivation to lead a better life outside of incarceration. Rather than feeling ostracized or excluded from society and their surrounding communities, correctional education can make incarcerated people feel capable and empowered.
Knowledge 2: I am now more aware of the ways I can implement affirmative actions and behaviors in my day-to-day career in order to build up students’ self-efficacy and utilize the concepts I learned. This assignment gave me the opportunity to examine the ways encouragement and rewards can motivate students to lead ideal lives.
Skills 1: Through my analysis of literature on ways correctional education can provide a sense of hope and inclusion in the world, I gained insight into how the education system does a disservice to its students who experience the school-to-prison pipeline. This approach has made me consider how both correctional education and education outside of prisons affect the lives of students in the long term.
Skills 2: Although I am pursuing a career in reformation within prisons, this assignment gave me a better understanding of ways educators can abolish practices that negatively impact students’ self-esteem before the chance that they might have contact with the criminal justice system.
Disposition: Through reading past interviews with inmates, I learned that their behaviors and actions were heavily influenced by how they were treated in schools and that in itself is reason enough to go into the educational field. Through existing interviews with inmates partaking in educational programs, I found that most did not have positive recognition from teachers, which gives me the initiative to advocate for these communities and their affirmation.
Global Assembly Lines, SOC 350: Gender, Stratification, and Globalization
Global Assembly Lines Analysis
Knowledge 1: For my minor in law, justice, and social control, I watched two videos on global assembly lines and on government policies that uphold unethical practices in factories. Both of the videos were in regard to international poverty and the ways corporations negatively impact the mental, emotional, physical, and financial health of residents.
Knowledge 2: I learned how corporations that mass produce mistreat their workers, the environment, and anyone who opposes their approach. I gained a global awareness of the abuse workers in different countries face from corporations that are usually based in the U.S. I learned about how there is an endless cycle of people who work in those global assembly lines, reach a breaking point, go on strike, and are met with physical aggression, imprisonment, job loss, or the destruction of their residencies.
Skills 1: With this knowledge, I am no longer supporting corporations that have unethical sourcing or mass production. I have implemented these values in my daily life by boycotting corporations that would rather underpay and mistreat workers in other countries than face the market and pay American citizens to produce their items. It is a privilege to make this change and I have found it financially preserving considering I consume much less than ever. I have also educated myself on political leaders who support policies that oppress international workers and care more about money than people or the environment.
Skills 2: As I have become more aware of the unethical practices of corporations and government, I have committed to teaching others the importance of preventing these issues further. As a future educator, I plan on spreading this awareness and teaching about the deeper layers of corrupt institutions rather than the surface-level suggestions to not engage. I also plan on implementing these values in my professional work by making more ethical suggestions such as transparency and support for government officials that advocate against these issues, since I work with those officials professionally.
Disposition: I definitely feel responsible for the well-being of global assembly line workers, even from across the world. If I can make a difference for them, then of course I will pursue that change. I also plan on doing what it takes to avoid neutrality or compliance in this issue by discussing this topic with others by taking advantage of my platform. With my social media, peers, family, classmates, future students, and consumers – I have the opportunity to spread awareness and I am happy to do so.