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A university education should do more than prepare graduates to become experts in their fields. It should also foster a strong ethical and civic commitment to social justice. University classrooms are ripe environments for critically and sensitively integrating discussion and prompting action on social issues, such as those affecting marginalised groups. 

When students explore social issues at university, they may develop empathy, a better understanding of unfamiliar social contexts and a greater respect for diversity.

This was the aim when we designed a project with an organisation that advocates for Indigenous women’s rights in Mexico, CONAMI (Coordinadora Nacional de Mujeres Indígenas en México). It tasked students with creating materials to promote respect and generate new narratives about Indigenous women. Here, we share guidelines for integrating these kinds of projects within humanities and social sciences courses.

Choose the right methodology

We used a design thinking approach because it promotes empathy, creativity and collaboration – all key for addressing social issues. It follows five stages:

1. Empathy – students conduct research into the problem to understand the needs of the target group.
2. Define – students outline the issue and their lines of enquiry. 
3. Ideate – students brainstorm ideas in groups.
4. Prototype – students build rough representations of their strongest ideas. 
5. Test – students share prototypes to gather feedback and refine their designs. 

We combined design thinking with project-based learning, which fosters teamwork and interdisciplinary learning and usually ends with the creation of a tangible product. 

Problem-based learning is another option. It requires students to attempt to find a solution to a real problem, building critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration and decision-making skills in the process.

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Foster interdisciplinary collaboration

Social justice projects benefit from a range of disciplinary perspectives, so we put students from a range of disciplines into groups of five. 

When working with students with different academic backgrounds, ensure everyone works towards a common objective, and that each field’s contributions are acknowledged and respected and communication channels remain open so that students can quickly resolve misunderstandings.

Design the structure and assessments

Assignments should help develop creativity and empathy. For our project, we had students create three types of educational materials: an infographic, a comic and a podcast.

Our project lasted six weeks and had three phases. Students received feedback throughout the process.

Draw from the expertise of the community organisation

While staff at community organisations may have limited capacity, their involvement in the design and assessment processes can enrich the learning experience. We held a planning meeting before the project to define CONAMI’s role and ensure our expectations and objectives were aligned. We invited them to the online sessions, shared learning resources and reviewed students’ work together to ensure cultural relevance and respectful representation. Always involve partners from the outset and encourage them to contribute however they can.

Partner organisations can also contribute educational resources such as articles and reports. These can be fundamental to completing project activities. Teachers can support creative work by sharing guidance on infographic, podcast and comic creation.

Schedule regular check-ins

Hold at least three check-ins between students and the external organisation: ideally one at the beginning, one during and one at the end of the project. These meetings should facilitate dialogue and give students the chance to ask questions.

Recognise students’ achievements

Acknowledge students’ efforts by holding a virtual awards ceremony with the partner organisation. We chose the best projects together based on a rubric that assessed students on content, originality, visual design and strength of message. The winning team’s prize was to have their work shared on the organisation’s official social media platforms, which proved to be a huge incentive. 

These kinds of projects allow students to work towards causes they care deeply about and help them realise that higher education can – and should – contribute to social change.

When projects make the racism experienced by Indigenous women visible, something profound happens: education doesn’t simply inform. It reshapes perspectives, thinking, ethics and practice.

Additional tips:

• Use a competition format to improve engagement.
• Share the winning resources with the entire course community.
• Conduct a survey to gather students’ experiences during the project. This will allow you to make adjustments for future editions.

Eunice Costilla Cruz and Adriana García Domínguez are tutor professors in humanities and social sciences at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico.

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