Strengthening Ethical Commitments to the Common Good: Team-Based Learning in the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm

Abstract

We examine global participatory action research (PAR) that embodies five key elements of the Ignatian Pedagogy Paradigm (IPP): context, experience, reflection, action, and evaluation by analyzing narrative accounts from ten cohorts of Miller Center’s Lewis Family Fellowship, a nine-month team-based PAR program at Santa Clara University. Student-teams work with social enterprises in the Global South to advance the common good. Contributions include the importance of integrating spiritual frameworks into PAR to meet the needs of young people in their search for meaning and purpose, and how inculcating the IPP in college may become a lifelong practice post-graduation.

Keywords:

• ethical formation
• participatory action research (PAR)
• community based learning (CBL)
• Ignatian pedagogy paradigm (IPP)
• teams

Acknowledgements and Funding

The authors express our thanks to a number of individuals and organizations that made this research possible. First, we extend our appreciation to editors of the Special Issue of Religion & Education on “Religion, Ethics, and Community-Based Learning” for their exemplary editorial feedback, as well as the anonymous reviewers for their guidance and expertise. The authors thank Miller Center for generously providing access to their alumni and collaborating with us every step of the way to provide deep knowledge for this research. Further, the authors thank the fellows for taking the time to give back to the program by sharing their experiences with us. Laura Robinson expresses gratitude for the generous funding of the project by Miller Center Faculty Fellowship for the grant “Miller Center Fellows: Where Are They Now?” The Lewis Family Fellowship was made possible by the unstinting commitments of our social enterprise partners, generous donor support, camaraderie of Miller Center’s team, and the passion of the student fellows. Finally, Katia Moles is grateful to the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education for their generous support with the grant “Ignatian-Inspired Pedagogies of Possibility: Transformational Team-Based Methods to Build Community, Collaboration, and Inspire Social Change.”

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Miller Center and Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education both at Santa Clara University.

Notes on contributors

Katia Moles

Katia Moles was trained as a social ethicist at the Graduate Theological Union and UC Berkeley where her work examined the policy implications of culturally embedded framings of sexuality and reproduction within larger ethical and religious traditions. Currently, Dr. Moles is a social ethicist of technology in the School of Engineering at Santa Clara University where her research speaks to the intersection of inequalities and digital media, particularly issues of inclusion that impact traditionally underrepresented groups. The Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion awarded Moles the “New Scholar Award” for her article “A Culture of Flourishing: A Feminist Ethical Framework for Incorporating Child Sexual Abuse Prevention in Catholic Institutions.” UC Berkeley, Santa Clara University, Graduate Theological Union, and Florida International University have also recognized Moles’ work in Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion that animates her research and teaching.

Laura Robinson

Laura Robinson is Professor in the Department of Sociology at Santa Clara University and Faculty Associate at the Harvard Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. After earning her PhD from UCLA, where she held a Mellon Fellowship in Latin American Studies, Robinson’s other affiliations include the UC Berkeley Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, the Cornell University Department of Sociology, Department of Sociology at Trinity College Dublin, USC Annenberg Center, and the École Normale Supérieure. Robinson’s service positions include Series Coeditor of Emerald Studies in Media & Communications and Palgrave Studies in Digital Inequalities, North American Coordinator of the Brazil-U.S. Colloquium on Communication Research, Organizing Committee Member of the Media Sociology Symposium, Steering Committee Member of the Digital Sociology Thematic Group of the International Sociological Association, and CITAMS Section Chair 2014–2015. Robinson’s research has earned awards from CITASA, AOIR, and NCA IICD for her work on digital inequalities and digital sociology in Brazil, France, and the United States.

Jennifer Merritt

Jennifer Merritt is Sr. Director of Academics at Santa Clara University’s Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship, where she leads social impact and innovation-centered teaching and research initiatives that advance women’s economic empowerment and climate resilience and directs the Miller Center Lewis Family Fellowship. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Vanderbilt U., a Master of Management degree from Northwestern University, a PhD in Sociology of Education from the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, and a Master’s degree in Pastoral Ministry from Santa Clara University. She previously served on the faculty of the University of Virginia Women’s Center and John Carroll University’s Department of Education and Allied Studies, and is a recipient of the Kellogg Dean’s Distinguished Service Award, Christian-Marsteller Scholarship, Kosciuszko Foundation Fellowship, and German Marshall Fund Fellowship.

Keith Douglass Warner

Keith Douglass Warner OFM is a Franciscan Friar who serves as Director of the Franciscan Renewal Project at the Franciscan School of Theology, at the University of San Diego. Prior to joining the faculty at FST in 2022, he taught at Santa Clara University for 20 years, including 12 years as Chief Learning Officer for Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship, and was founder and director of the Miller Center Fellowship. As a practical social ethicist in the Franciscan tradition, he teaches classes and leads educational initiatives to advance the Franciscan identity of the school and the vision of Pope Francis. He teaches, writes, and leads presentations on Franciscan eco-spirituality and the encyclical Laudato Sí. He holds an MA in Spirituality from the Franciscan School of Theology and a PhD in Environmental Studies from the University of California/Santa Cruz.