Staff Case Studies: Global Justice Education Across Disciplines

How can Global Justice Education become part of everyday teaching, research and university practice? What might it look like in nursing, economics, theatre, languages, business, science or the social sciences?

The Praxis Project has worked with academic and professional staff across University College Cork to explore these questions, recognising that every discipline has something to contribute to our understanding of global justice, and something to gain from engaging with its theories, values and educational approaches.

An important starting point was the first Praxis research study in 2020–2021, when twenty staff members from eighteen departments came together to explore how Global Citizenship and Development Education (GCDE) could be integrated into their work. Through collaborative workshops, critical reflection and participatory action research, participants developed case studies examining the possibilities and challenges within their own disciplines and professional settings.

The case studies below reflect the diversity of this work. They illustrate how staff have explored global justice perspectives through curriculum development, participatory methodologies, interdisciplinary learning, research, community engagement and university-wide initiatives.

These examples are not intended as fixed models or prescriptions. Rather, they offer insights, ideas and possibilities for educators interested in bringing critical, justice-oriented perspectives into their own practice.

Together, they demonstrate a central principle of Praxis: Global Justice Education is relevant to every discipline, but its integration must be meaningful, critically grounded and responsive to each educational context.

Further Information on the Research Study

Research Aims and Questions

Overall Aim

The overall aim of this research study is to explore how Global Citizenship and Development Education (GCDE) can be meaningfully integrated across University College Cork (UCC). Through critical and collaborative engagement with university staff, the research examines approaches to embedding GCDE within different academic disciplines, teaching and research practices, and the wider work of the university.

Central Research Question

How can the theory and practice of GCDE be integrated across UCC’s academic disciplines and wider university activities, and what can we learn from this process?

Subsidiary Research Questions

1. What approaches are most effective in engaging higher education staff with the theory and practice of GCDE across different disciplines?

2. What are the main opportunities and challenges involved in integrating GCDE across the university, and how can these challenges be addressed?

3. What can higher education institutions and the wider GCDE sector learn from this process about strengthening staff engagement and, in turn, student engagement with GCDE?

4. What impact does the integration of GCDE have on university teaching, research, institutional practices and the wider university community?

Emerging Impact of the Praxis Project: Staff Reflections from Year One

While the longer-term impact of the Praxis Project could only be fully assessed as participants began implementing their plans, reflections from staff at the conclusion of the first year provided valuable insights into its emerging contribution.

Participants identified several positive outcomes, particularly in relation to critical reflection, interdisciplinary collaboration, professional learning and opportunities for wider institutional change.

Encouraging Critical Reflection and New Perspectives

One of the strongest themes to emerge was the value of creating opportunities for critical reflection on existing practices. Staff highlighted how engagement with GCDE encouraged them to question assumptions, consider alternative perspectives and reflect on how their teaching and professional work might contribute to greater social and global justice.

As one participant observed:

“I found it very useful that GCDE asks people to be critical of own practices and self-assess and reflect. It is so impactful at individual level and at cultural level. It encourages self-critique and reflection.”

Another reflected on the significance of changing established approaches:

“Even doing things in different way is an impact, to question, if we include other voices, other perspectives, we are more than half ways there.”

Building Connections and Opportunities for Collaboration

The project also created an important space for staff from different disciplines and areas of the university to connect, share ideas and identify opportunities for collaboration.

Participants particularly valued the sense of community and solidarity that developed through the process, including the opportunity to engage in constructive dialogue, explore shared interests and consider collective action.

Staff commented:

“It built links between people in the university who had no contact before. It created internal links through the project.”

“The process initiated conversations in different ways. We can see synergies between our own work.”

“There are different ways in which we can come together. Like doing anti-racism work together in UCC. Planning and supporting one another in this work.”

Participants also recognised the importance of having a supportive space in which different perspectives could be expressed:

“We can disagree in a safe space too.”

Contributing to Research, Resources and Wider Learning

Beyond the individual and collaborative benefits, participants recognised the potential of the Praxis Project to contribute to a wider body of knowledge and practice in GCDE.

The development of educational resources, collaborative research and opportunities to share learning within and beyond UCC were seen as important ways of extending the project’s reach.

As participants noted:

“We are also contributing to a global conversation on GCDE. More heads to think about these things.”

“Once we get resources up we can map and track our impact better, see who is downloading. It will be ongoing work.”

There was also recognition of the importance of communicating the project’s work and making its contribution more visible:

“Remember that we should not be so busy ‘doing’ and forgetting to ‘tell’ our story.”

Supporting Institutional Change

A further theme was the importance of connecting the collaborative, grassroots approach of the Praxis Project with wider institutional strategies and priorities.

Participants recognised that meaningful integration of GCDE would require both individual commitment and institutional support. They identified opportunities to build on the project’s emerging work through strategic engagement, research, collaboration and the wider mainstreaming of GCDE across the university.

As two participants emphasised:

“We have to work strategically as well as bottom-up work.”

“There are opportunities in UCC. We need to closely explore strategic priorities. This work should be mainstreamed.”

Looking Ahead

These first-year reflections suggest that the Praxis Project was already contributing to a developing community of practice within UCC, creating opportunities for critical reflection, new relationships, interdisciplinary collaboration and collective learning.

While longer-term outcomes would depend on how participants translated their learning into practice, these early experiences demonstrated the potential of a participatory, collaborative approach to embedding GCDE within higher education.