What is the role of mathematics education in the preparation of undergraduates for responsible citizenship? To address this question by providing a detailed example, I designed, taught twice, and assessed a capstone course for undergraduates entitled Math and Social Justice (MSJ). Based on critical mathematics pedagogy, MSJ is a 30-week course which helps students use mathematics to understand and respond to social justice issues. The course culminates in a 15-week cooperative service learning project.; The MSJ goals are for students to: (1) develop a quantitative world view, (2) refine their own perception of social justice, (3) understand local social justice issues, (4) reflect and take action when appropriate in a classroom environment which: (a) improves relationships among class members, (b) empowers individuals, (c) supports the expression of, and reflection upon, diverse values, (d) fosters multiculturalism, (e) appeals to students, and (f) models excellent pedagogy.; This dissertation is a case study, combining student, observer, and instructor data to describe the activities and interactions of students. Fifteen months after the second MSJ class, students participated in a follow-up study to assess their mathematical skills and determine their attitudes about the MSJ experience. In the follow-up students were able to use mathematics to interpret data relating to social justice issues. However, they also demonstrated considerable gaps in their understanding of numbers in context and committed serious errors in logical quantitative reasoning. All but one student deemed the MSJ experience as highly positive and significant.; This research makes three contributions to the undergraduate mathematics education community. First, MSJ provides a successful example of an undergraduate mathematics course designed to enhance responsible citizenship. Second, MSJ offers a specific set of mathematical topics designed to develop a quantitative worldview and provides a rubric for assessing student performance. Third, the extensive data of interactions in a cooperative mathematics classroom provide further understanding of the opportunities and challenges of critical pedagogy. In total, this research may further ongoing dialogues about undergraduate mathematics education in the early twenty-first century.
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