In 2005 Santa Clara University (SCU) and Catholic Relief Services

							        RESOURCING THE NEW CORE CURRICULUM:
   THE UNIVERSITY’S PARTNERSHIP WITH CATHOLIC RELIEF
                        SERVICES

I. The Santa Clara University – Catholic Relief Services Partnership

In 2005 Santa Clara University (SCU) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) entered into a
Partnership memorialized by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the
presidents of both organizations. <See www.scu.edu/ignatiancenter/partners/crs/>

The MOU notes that the Jesuit vision of education is clearly global and captures the
balance between the local and the international, challenging students to integrate the two
by thinking and acting on both levels. It then states that the common goal of both parties
includes the empowering of constituencies who are informed by Catholic Social Thought
and tradition, who live their faith in solidarity with the one, human family, who are more
aware of the needs of the poor overseas and in the United States, who take advantage of
greater opportunities to engage on issues of social justice, who understand and appreciate
diversity of other cultures and who have an international perspective.

The MOU recognizes that SCU and CRS have a common vision “of a world in which the
dignity of every person is affirmed and respected, where individual, national and
international interests converge for the common good, and where concern for the poor,
compassion for the suffering, and action for social justice prevail.” Likewise SCU’s new
Core Curriculum provides the common learning that Santa Clara students need to become
the citizens and leaders of competence, conscience, and compassion in a globalizing
world envisioned by the MOU. In a real sense, CRS collectively and its individual
employees personify the type of Santa Clara graduate that the new Core Curriculum
strives to produce.

Given the vision of the new Core Curriculum, there may be a unique opportunity to
enhance the partnership with CRS. The MOU already states that SCU will integrate
international concerns into syllabi across disciplines and that CRS will consult on
integrating field experience into faculty and student research and scholarship. In
developing courses for the new Core Curriculum, faculty may wish to consider some of
the resources available from CRS and connecting for consultation with some of its
experts.


II. Integrating Catholic Relief Services Experience, Materials, and Programs into
New Core Curriculum Courses

The new Core Curriculum emphasizes knowledge, skills or “habits of the mind and
heart” and practices of engagement. CRS is the international relief and development



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agency for the U.S. Catholic Church <www.crs.org>. As such, CRS has much to offer
for use by faculty in course offerings for each area of emphasis.

CRS is acclaimed for its expertise in global development and disaster relief and its advice
regarding policy development is often sought by other international organizations,
Congressional offices, and the U.S. Government <www.crs.org/public-policy/>. CRS
has projects and highly skilled and trained staff in over 100 of the poorest countries
<www.crs.org/where/>. In addition to geographical knowledge and expertise, CRS has
in-country program delivery experts wherever it delivers its core programs: Agriculture,
Education, Emergency Response, Health, HIV/AIDS, Microfinance, Peacebuilding,
Social Safety Net, and Food Security <www.crs.org/how/>.

CRS offers a wealth of publications available on its website that are absolutely free and
downloadable in their entirety <www.crs.org/publications/>. The website provides
pictures and a short description of each publication. They are indexed by the following
topics:

      Agriculture
      Disaster Response
      Education
      Extractive Industries
      Good Steward
      Health
      HIV and AIDS
      Livelihoods
      Microfinance
      Monitoring and Evaluation
      Partnership
      Peacebuilding
      Water Sanitation

In addition there are many other publications—general and technical—by country and
region that could be accessed through CRS staff. (There are publications in Spanish and
French as well as in English.) For example, the newest publications from the CRS
Program Quality and Support Department are (these links are password protected):

       An Assessment of CRS' Gender Program and Practices
       Integral Human Development: The Concept & the Framework (French)
       Monitoring & Evaluation: Short Cut Series (French/Spanish)
       Monitoring & Evaluation Field Friendly Modules
       Partnership Case Study: Niger
       Partnership Case Study: Rwanda
       Consortium Alignment Framework for Excellence

There is also a wealth of short and timely videos produced by CRS relating to its work
overseas <www.youtube.com/catholicrelief>.



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CRS offers innumerable ways to engage in global solidarity activities. Its website
separates these activities by the categories of pray, learn, participate, advocate, and social
networks <www.crs.org/act/social-networks.cfm>. They range from a legislative
advocacy network to Operation Rice Bowl, a detailed program that studies food security
in depth while partaking in simple meals through recipes provided from featured
countries.

CRS even offers interactive web-based drop-in module programs about current global
issues designed specifically for university faculty to employ in their courses. From
March 16-27 the issue is Global Hunger and from April 14-24 the issue is Peace in Israel
and Palestine. Students and faculty from many universities engage in an active online
discussion and connect through a number of online interactive sessions with CRS
practitioners in the field. This ongoing offering is referred to as the “Study Ebroad
Program” available through the Global Solidarity Network
<crs.nortia.org/Content/Home.asp>. Many classes from other (non-SCU) CRS
partners—Notre Dame, Villanova, Seattle University, and Cabrini College—have signed
up for the upcoming modules. The modules could also be employed by SCU as
engagement activities in many of the new Core foundation, exploration and integration
offerings.

CRS itself cannot be separated easily into compartmentalized programs, subjects, or
issues. Rather its belief is that solidarity will transform the world and its approach is
holistic. It looks at its overseas work from the perspective of integral human
development. All of its projects employ what CRS refers to as “lenses”. One of those is
Catholic Social Teaching as set forth in its “Guiding Principles”
<www.crs.org/about/guiding-principles.cfm>. It also employs other lenses in every one
of its projects—Partnership, Peacebuilding, Civil Society, and Justice. Thus everything
CRS does—whether a water project or HIV/AIDS treatment—is shaped by the
viewpoints of these multiple lenses.


III. Many Global Solidarity Paths: Using CRS Resources

Pathways in the new Core Curriculum consist of four thematically linked courses. The
various courses in a given pathway might employ many seemingly different CRS
resources depending on the thematic path selected. For example, one or more of the
courses in the“Food, Hunger and Poverty” Pathway might use the drop-in module
mentioned above from the Global Solidarity Network. They might also explore the
global food crisis and its effects on different countries and look at U.S. Policy and CRS
policy change recommendations <http://www.crs.org/public-policy/food_aid.cfm>. In
addition there are a couple of short videos on the crisis available through the above
referenced YouTube site. Another linked course might examine the strategy of Integral
Human Development using the CRS primers related to this concept
<http://www.crs.org/publications/showpdf.cfm?pdf_id=284> and
www.crs.org/publications/showpdf.cfm?pdf_id=242>. One or more pathway courses
might look at the very newest CRS pioneered microfinancing technique designed to assist



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the poorest of the poor to overcome poverty by creating their own capital—“Savings and
Intentional Lending Communities”
<www.crs.org/publications/showpdf.cfm?pdf_id=79>. A team of students during Lent
might actually take charge of implementing Operation Rice Bowl <http://orb.crs.org/> on
campus or at a neighboring parish or school. Students might also engage through the
CRS Legislative Action Network by joining the Network and urging members of
Congress to take action against global hunger.
<https://secure2.convio.net/crs/site/Advocacy?JServSessionIdr006=hq07qezof1.app45b&
pagename=homepage&id=472>. Students might even join CRS or one of its partners in
a visit to a local Congressperson’s office. Finally a CRS speaker might be available.
During Lent for the past few years Thomas Awiapo, a CRS food expert and a native of
Ghana with a personal and compelling story of survival in the face of starvation has been
in the Bay Area and has actually made presentations at Santa Clara University. A brief
version of his story can be found on You Tube at:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S01T5cFzImU&feature=channel_page>.



IV. CRSCollege.org: A “Get Acquainted Tool”

This website (www.crscollege.org) provides a great entry point for any faculty member
interested in exploring CRS offerings for university communities. It is easily navigable
and regularly updated. It provides academic resources and student activities. For faculty
it states:

       In an effort to support your incorporation of global issues into your syllabi, CRS
       offers a robust listing of articles, books and Catholic Social Thought related to
       issues of international poverty and development. These resources will work well
       both for classroom use, and potentially for your own research.

For example, on this website click on the left side on “Migration Activities.” There are
numerous offerings including a drama project, a video, a connection to policy
backgrounders, a connection to the Bishops’ advocacy network staffed by CRS and more.
Although great for a quick browse, the site is by no means exhaustive.


V. CRS Consultation

As previously mentioned the MOU already calls for consultation with CRS on integrating
field experience into scholarship. Any faculty desiring to explore further how CRS
offerings or expertise might be employed in putting together a course can initially contact
the CRS West Partnerships & Advocacy Officer, Joe Symkowick at (916) 730-7965 or
jsymkowi@crs.org . Joe is the designated Partnership liaison for CRS. After getting an
understanding of resource needs, Joe will be able to make the connection with the
appropriate expert or experts within CRS.




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