Course Catalog

Social Justice Studies

Social Justice Studies Courses

Faculty
Shelley Bradfield, Beth McMahon, Paulina Mena

Statement of philosophy

The minor in Social Justice Studies seeks to prepare students to apply knowledge and skills toward the work of positive, prosocial change for groups who have contextually and historically experienced marginalization. Students will develop skills in recognizing and analyzing the causes and consequences of social injustices from the perspectives of multiple disciplines, use theory and research to propose effective and sustainable ways to promote positive social change, investigate the ways in which they interact with the communities which they serve through critical self-reflection, and apply this knowledge through engagement in the Central College tradition of service learning and engaged citizenship. Minors in Social Justice Studies will graduate with knowledge and skills that are essential to being effective leaders and advocates in communities of which they are a part.

 

Major Communication Skills

Competency in communication skills is assessed by completion of SJS 499 Advocacy Capstone in which students reflect on their self-efficacy in engaging in social justice work and present their reflections in an oral form to the class.

 

Social Justice Studies Minor Requirements (minimum 19 credits)

Note: Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the minor, no more than 1 course can count toward both the social justice studies minor and other major(s)/ minor(s). Additionally, this minor requires a minimum of four disciplines represented, as indicated by program prefix, to ensure interdisciplinary work toward the minor requirements. The SJST prefix is among the disciplines that can fulfill this requirement, although this does not include either SJST 392 or 499.  

1. Foundations: Complete two of the following: (6 credit minimum)
         BIOL     210       Epidemiology (3)
         COMM  250       Evaluating Contemporary Media (4)
         EDUC   135       Children with Exceptionalities (3)
         ENGL   213       Literature, Environment and Ecology (3)
         ENGL   214       Literature by Women (4)
         ENGL   215       African American Literature (4)
         ENGL   216       LGBTQ+ Literature and Culture (3)
         ENGL   252       The Haunted House of British Literature, 1785- present (3)
         GERM  362       Germany & the Environment (3)
         HIST     126       World History Since 1500 (3)
         HIST     310       Studies in World History (4)
         MUS     211       History of Western Music: Antiquity to 1750 (3)
         MUS     312       History of Western Music: Pre-Classical to 1940 (3)
         PHIL     121       Ethics (3)
         PHIL     245       Environmental Ethics (4)
         PHIL     275       Memory and the Holocaust (4)
         PSYC   231       Psychopathology (3)
         PSYC   330       Multicultural Issues in Psychology (3)
         REL      274       World Christianity (4)
         SJST    130       Why Gender Matters (3)     
         SOC     225       Social Problems (3)
         SOC     346       American Ethnicity (4)

 

2. Critical Self- Reflection: Complete two of the following: (6 credit minimum)
         ART      425       Theory, Criticism and Art Since 1945 (4)
         COMM  268       Intercultural Communication (3)
         ENGL    217       Literature and Film of the Middle East (4)
         ENGL    270       Illness and Health in Literature (4)
         ENGL    346       Discovering Shakespeare (3)
         LAS       410       Rap, Hip Hop and Decolonizing the Classroom (4)
         PHIL      240       Social and Political Philosophy (3)
         POLS    344       International Law and Human Rights (4)
         PSYC    240       Psychology of Gender (3)
         PSYC    385       Principles of Counseling (3)
         SJST     330       Witches and Warriors: Feminist Thought and Social Justice (3)
         SOC      336       Status and Inequality in Social Life (4)
         SOC      390       Collective Action and Social Change (4)
         SPAN    350       Hispanics/ Latinos in the United States (3)

 

3. Integration: Complete one of the following (3 credit minimum)
         COMM   276        Communicating Health and Illness (3)
         COMM   340        Public Relations (4)
         EDUC    345        Human Relations (3)
         ENGL     246       Writing for Non-Profit Organizations (4)
         HIST      235       The Immigrant Experience (4)
         KIN        379        Epidemiology of Physical Activity (3)
         POLS    242        Global Sustainability Politics (4)
         PSYC    384        Adult Development and Aging (3)
         REL       325        History of Spirituality in the Christian Tradition (4)
        SJST      230        Reproductive Justice (3)
        SJST      290        Social Justice in the City (6)

 

4. Empowerment (1 credit minimum)
   Complete a 1 credit (minimum) course (SJST 392: Empowerment in Social Justice Studies) that supports the work toward and reflection of the Empowerment experience.  

 

5. Advocacy Capstone (3 credits)
     Complete a 3-credit independent study (SJST 499 Capstone in Social Justice Studies).