Social Justice Certificate
Certificate code CTSOJU
Contact: Dr. Haley Duschinski
The Social Justice Certificate provides interdisciplinary training in the theory and practice of social justice. Students are required to take 18 credit hours of liberal arts courses that instill critical thinking and social consciousness skills that enable students to understand and respond to social disparities and structural inequalities associated with race, class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, nationality, and other identities. Through an evidence-driven education in history, oppression, and structural inequality, the certificate program champions the ideals of equity, justice, and liberation. Students may study social justice issues in local, national, and international arenas to become more informed citizens and community leaders.
Program Overview
The Social Justice certificate includes a wide array of courses from social science and humanities disciplines. All certificate students take SOC/ANTH 2700: Social Justice as well as one additional 2000-level course in African American Studies, Anthropology, Arts & Sciences, English, Sociology, and Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies. Beyond this, certificate students take three Social Justice Analysis courses at the 3000 and 4000 level that provide the analytical and conceptual tools required to tackle social inequality, disparities, and injustices. Students also take one Social Justice Skills course that provides professional competencies through a context-driven, meaning-centered, and culturally sensitive approach, such as qualitative methods, ethical application, or study abroad experiences.
Requirements
Certificate Hours Requirement
The Social Justice Certificate program requires a minimum of 18 hours.
Foundations
Complete the following required course:
- ANTH/SOC 2700: Social Justice (Foundations: IE and Arch: Connected World)
Connected World
Complete one of the following courses:
- AAS 2200: Introduction to Black Political Economy (Arch: Connected World)
- AAS 2540: History of Injustice in the United States
- ANTH/SOC 2400: Breaking the Law (Foundations: IE and Arch: Connected World)
- CAS 2410: Principles and Practice of Food Justice (Bridge: Learning & Doing)
- ENG 2320: Literature and Social Justice (Arch: Constructed World)
- SOC 2300: Social Inequalities and Social Change (Foundations: IE and Arch: Connected World)
- WGSS 2200: Introduction to LGBTQ Studies
- WGSS 2300: Women, Gender, and Sexuality in a Global Context (Foundation: IE)
Social Justice Analysis
Complete 3 courses in the following competency areas for 9 credits total with classes in at least two areas:
Racial Justice Competencies
- AAS 3650: The Protracted Struggle for Civil Rights
- AAS 3680: African American Political Thought
- AAS 4693: Legal Policy and Disparities in the American Health Care System (Capstone)
- POLS 4739: Politics of Race
- POLS 4751: Critical Race Theory
- POLS 4753: American Whiteness
- POLS 4754: Black Political Thought
- POLS 4757: Race, Violence and Human Security
- SOC 3290: Race and Ethnic Relations (Bridge: Diversity & Practice)
Economic Justice Competencies
- ANTH 3500: Economic Anthropology
- ANTH 4250: Ethnographies of Global Capitalism
- GEOG 3410: Geography of Hunger and Food Security
- SOC 3300: Sociology of Poverty
- SOC 3310: Class and Inequality
- SOC 3325: Access to Justice
- T3 4400: Seminar in Wealth and Poverty (Capstone)
Gender and Sexuality Justice Competencies
- AAS 3450: The Black Woman
- AAS 3460: Black Men and Masculinities
- GEOG 4450: Gender, Environment, and Development (Bridge: Speaking & Listening)
- POLS 4190: LGBTQ Politics
- POLS 4210: Politics of Law & Sexuality
- POLS 4780: Feminist Political Theories and Movements
- SOC 4670: Violence Against Women
- SOC 4700: Sociology of Gender (Bridge: Diversity & Practice)
- SOC 4710: Gender and Justice
- WGSS 3200: Sexual Revolutions
- WGSS 3500: Feminist Theory
- WGSS 4610: Queer Theory
Environmental Justice Competencies
- GEOG 3450: Access to Water in a Changing World
- GEOG 4470: Natural Resource Conservation
- GEOG 4560: The Just and Sustainable City
- PHIL 3350: Environmental Ethics
- POLS 4250: Environmental and Climate Change Politics and Policy
- POLS 4260: Politics of the Contemporary Environmental Movement
- POLS 4840: The Politics of Sustainability (Capstone)
- SOC 4810: Environmental Sociology
- T3 4080: Environmentalism in America
International Justice Competencies
- ANTH 3510: Political Anthropology (Bridge: Diversity & Practice)
- ANTH 3530: Anthropology of Violence and Peace
- ANTH 4590: Legal Anthropology
- ANTH 4620: Human Rights, Law and Justice
- POLS 4465: International Human Rights (Capstone)
- POLS 4640: Global Humanitarianism (Bridge: Ethics & Reasoning)
- POLS 4765: Postcolonial Politics
- SOC 3685: Human Trafficking
- SOC 4680: Crimes Against Humanity
- WGSS 4100: Global Feminisms
- WGSS 4110: Women and Globalization
Social Justice Skills
Complete any course in one of the following competency areas (3 credit hours total):
Social Justice Practice Competencies
- ANTH 3010: Visual Anthropology (Bridge: Diversity & Practice)
- ANTH 3490: Life History
- ANTH/SOC 3568J: Writing for Social Justice (Foundations: Advanced Writing)
- ANTH 4560: Ethnographic Methods
- GEOG 3270: Geographies of Social Justice (Bridge: Ethics & Reasoning)
- GEOG 4520: Environmental and Sustainability Planning
- PHIL 3300: Ethics
- PHIL 4921: Applied Ethics
- POLS 4465: Gandhi and King: Nonviolence as Philosophy and Strategy (Capstone)
- SOC 3090C: Sociology of Appalachia (Bridge: Diversity & Practice, Learning & Doing)
- SOC 3620: Ethics in Law, Crime, and Justice (Bridge: Ethics & Reasoning)
Cross-Cultural Competencies: Study Abroad/Study Away
Students seeking to satisfy coursework in this competency area must complete 3 credit hours of international education programs dealing with social justice themes, subject to approval by the Certificate Director.