What You'll Learn
Arrupe Scholars are challenged to think critically and grow intellectually while at John Carroll University. To facilitate this, the program offers a number of social justice-oriented courses that students take together as a cohort while fulfilling the requirements of JCU’s Integrative Core Curriculum. In addition, our academic advisors help students to reflect upon and integrate their passion for social justice with their major field of study. In the Arrupe Scholars program, we have students interested in business, the humanities, the social sciences and the physical sciences–our students encompass all of the majors at JCU, and our professors teach in many disciplines. Indeed, it is this diversity of thought and academic expertise that allows our students to grow by learning from one another.
Arrupe Core
Students complete 18 credits of Arrupe-designated coursework, nine of which also satisfy University Core Requirements:
Foundational Competencies (Six Credits)
- English 125 ^
- Communications 125^
Jesuit Heritage (Three Credits)
- Issues in Social Justice (ISJ)
Program Specific-Requirements
First Year
- AR 150A Fall Semester (One credit)*
- AR 150B Spring Semester | Introduction to Social Action (One credit)*
- Arrupe Scholars First-Year Retreat
Second Year
- AR 250 Issues in Social Justice (Three credits)
Third year
- PJHR 350 Social Justice Research (Three credits)*
Fourth year
- PJHR 450 Advocacy & Action (Three credits)
- Arrupe Scholars Capstone Retreat
^ Indicates a require course for incoming first-year Arrupe Scholars. If students earn credit for an equivalent course, those credits will count as elective credits at JCU.
*Indicates course has a service-learning component.
Arrupe Academic Course Sequence
Arrupe Core
Students complete 18 credits of Arrupe-designated coursework:
Courses that fulfill University Core Requirements:
Foundational Competencies (Six credits)
• English 125^
• Communications 125^
Jesuit Heritage (Three credits)
• Issues in Social Justice (ISJ)
Courses that fulfill program-specific requirements:
First year:
AR 150A Introduction to Arrupe Scholars Program (One credit)*
AR 150B Introduction to Social Action (One credit)*
Second year:
PO298/AR250 Issues in Social Justice (Three credits)
Third Year:
PJHR 350 Social Justice Research (Three credits)*
Planning for Advocacy (monthly meeting with Program Director)
Fourth year:
PJHR 450 Advocacy & Action (Three credits)
The Arrupe program also includes a retreat experience both in the first and fourth year.
The Arrupe program provides all the texts for the students in the program for the Arrupe required courses listed above.
^Indicates this is a required course for incoming first-year Arrupe students. If student has earned credit for an equivalent course, those credits will count as elective credits at JCU.
*Indicates course has a required service learning component.
Local and Global Impact
Arrupe Scholars learn about social issues by actively engaging in the world around them. Indeed, we believe that our students academic coursework is strengthened when they are able to learn from, reflect upon, and participate in meaningful off-campus learning experiences. These include:
Local Service: All Arrupe Scholars participate in weekly service-learning projects in the Greater Cleveland Area. They tutor students in Cleveland public schools, mentor local teens, provide citizenship test prep for recent refugees, assist persons with special needs, provide companionship to nursing home residents, and learn about our community by engaging in many other community-based projects. Beginning their freshman year, Arrupe Scholars work with JCU’s Center for Service and Social Action to identify an off-campus service-learning opportunity that is that is meaningful to their course of study. (For a list of our current community partners click here.) By reflecting upon their service-learning initiatives in the classroom, our students are thus given a context and framework with which they can begin to understand the problems and challenges faced by those in our local community.
Global Learning: Arrupe Scholars also participate in experiential learning opportunities that allow them to explore their understanding of social justice through a number of global contexts. While these experiences differ by student, most Arrupe Scholars participate in at least one of the following global learning opportunities during their time at John Carroll:
- Arrupe Scholars participate in international and domestic immersion experiences sponsored by Campus Ministry at JCU. Recent experiences have included students learning about fair trade in Guatemala; performing long-term hurricane relief in New Orleans, Louisiana; working with a Women’s Cooperative in Nepal; and doing community organization work with a coalition of farm workers in Immokalee, Florida.
- Students participate in internships sponsored by JCU’s Career Center that focus on social justice issues. Of particular interest to Arrupe students are summer internships sponsored by the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty.
- Arrupe Scholars participate in study abroad opportunities sponsored by JCU’s Center for Global Education. Some students chose to go on short study courses which take them abroad for a few weeks, while other students prefer to devote an entire semester to learning abroad.