This book is written by educators committed to providing inventive, useful material that invites you to think about society in unconventional ways. The chapter Learning Outcomes are important. They point to sociological concepts that will help you think critically and purposefully as you navigate the complex systems of our global society. They amplify our understanding of the causes, impacts, and responses to inequity and injustice in the world today. They’ll guide you on an exploration of systems of power and privilege while highlighting the tremendous work of people resisting and working to transform those systems.

Equally important, this book is intended to support you in your overall well-being. As inspired by Kara Bobroff, Diné and Lakota educator and leader, we wish you a strong sense of your unique gifts, how to contribute those meaningfully, and the freedom to do so with all aspects of your identity. Our hope is that as you explore the topics presented, you will be motivated to confidently and holistically engage in the communities you are a part of and beyond.

We relied on a global wealth of wisdom and experiences to convey ideas of social change. To that end, you’ll read some terms of non-English languages and worldviews of many perspectives. We invite you to dive into the cross-cultural experience this offers by listening to the experiences and concepts of others who might live and believe in dramatically different ways than you. To best share those ideas first-hand, they are presented in extended quotes and multimedia format (in subtitled video stories, personal accounts, audio, and rich images).

Finally, this content is created to bolster your ability to think thoroughly and independently about our social systems. Open Oregon Educational Resources has included interactive question tools that are intended to support your engagement with the material. You’ll also find links in the chapters that allow you to jump back to previous content that relates to the material at hand. Instead of reading for memorization, we encourage you to make connections between concepts, to your lived experiences, and to what you observe in the world.

Now click the button in the lower right corner labeled “Next →” to turn the page!

Licenses, Attributions, and References for Message to Students

Open Content, Original

“Message to Students” by Aimee Samara Krouskop is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

References

Education Reimagined. 2021. “Bringing Forth the Wisdom and Practices of Indigenous Communities.” July 22.