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Purposeful Programming for Priority Populations as a Social Justice Initiative

One Canadian University’s Challenges, Successes, and Ambitions

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Handbook of Social Justice Interventions in Education

Part of the book series: Springer International Handbooks of Education ((SIHE))

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Abstract

A concern for social justice has been a cornerstone of St. Francis Xavier University, located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada, since its founding in 1853. Within the university’s School of Education (SOE), social justice is a strong and constituent feature of educational members’ daily work. This chapter focuses specific attention on how social justice continues to be enacted within the two departments that comprise the SOE: Teacher Education and Curriculum and Leadership. Written from a first-hand account by the administrative team (dean and two department chairs), this chapter explores the purposeful programming initiatives that have been introduced to address the exclusion and marginalization of Indigenous (Mi’kmaw) peoples and African Nova Scotians. Among these initiatives has been the establishment of unique cohorts and scholarships/bursaries, enhanced student and faculty recruitment efforts, diversified core course content, out-of-class-but-required learning experiences, capacity building, and partnerships with others.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Teacher Education, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS, Canada

    Daniel B. Robinson

  2. Department of Curriculum and Leadership, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS, Canada

    David C. Young

  3. Faculty of Education, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS, Canada

    Jeff Orr

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  1. Daniel B. Robinson
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  2. David C. Young
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  3. Jeff Orr
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Correspondence to Daniel B. Robinson .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Carol A. Mullen

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Robinson, D.B., Young, D.C., Orr, J. (2020). Purposeful Programming for Priority Populations as a Social Justice Initiative. In: Mullen, C.A. (eds) Handbook of Social Justice Interventions in Education. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29553-0_122-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29553-0_122-1

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