The concept of social justice has become a central feature in many academic disciplines in recent years. Political philosophy, social science, psychology, education and many other fields have made social justice an imperative. A quick web search for the definition of social justice nets results such as Social justice is a concept of fair and just relations between the individual and society, Social justice is the equal access to wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society and Social justice is the fair and proper administration of laws conforming to the natural law that all persons, irrespective of ethnic origin, gender, possessions, race, religion, etc., are to be treated equally and without prejudice.
Music of all kinds has long been a source of discourse relating to concepts of social justice. Take the following list by way of example:
Acceptance of All People: Every Kinda People Robert Palmer
Homophobia: The Killing of Georgie Rod Stewart
Political Activism: Power to the People John Lennon
Poverty: In the Ghetto Elvis Presley
Racism: Ebony and Ivory Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
Sexism: 9 to 5 Dolly Parton
War and Peace: Disposable Heroes Metallica
Workers Rights/Plights: Working for a Living Huey Lewis & The News
For your papers Id like you to find a song from 2010 or later (e.g. 2011, 2012, etc.) that deals with some facet of social justice (you may choose one of the facets from above or some other relevant aspect). The song may be of any musical style or genre and from any geographical region or culture (if the lyrics are in a language other than English, please provide a translation).
In the opening of your paper, provide some general information about the song and then deal critically with each of the following questions:
Do you interpret the lyrics of your chosen song to be connected to a specific modern struggle or could they be considered timeless?
How does knowing about the context in which the song was written influence your thoughts about the songs meaning?
In thinking about the lyrics of your chosen song, how would our society function differently if goals/aspirations set forth in the lyrics were realized? Go into some detail.
Is the song simply a plea to imagine a better world or is it a call to action?
What steps or actions can we take in order to work toward the goals/ideals put forth in the song? Be specific.
You may not choose a song that you used in a previous paper, although a different song by the same artist is fine. If the songs official video is relevant you may refer to it in your discussion. Be sure not to count quotations of any kind toward your total word count. As far as citations go, if you feel you need a works cited page or bibliography, you probably do. Use whatever style manual youre most comfortable with (and do not count the bibliography toward your word count either).