At which campus can I study this program?
Program Description
The Certificate in Social Justice provides concentrated study in the broad field of justice studies. Certificate awardees are required to take 12 credits of courses that examine how unequal power relationships shape human experience and structure life outcomes. These courses will pay particular attention to categories such as race, gender, sexuality, class, nation, faith, physical and mental ability, age, geography, linguistic heritage, citizenship status, and environment. Moving beyond cultural appreciation and difference, affiliated courses will focus on injustice, inequality, and the work of freedom. This certificate program is open to all students and is offered in collaboration with faculty from diverse academic disciplines. With an evidence-driven understanding of history, oppression, and structural inequality, this certificate program champions the ideals of equity, justice, and democracy. Above all, this certificate helps students work toward a future in which all members of our college community and society have been empowered with knowledge and understanding to reach their full potential. Certificate awardees will be better prepared to understand and address issues of injustice not only while in college, but also in their communities and future careers.
Program Requirements
To earn an undergraduate certificate in Social Justice, a minimum of 12 credits is required.
Students must take and earn a C or higher in 4 classes (or 12 credits) in qualifying coursework. There are no entrance requirements nor time limit for completion. All students must take SOC 205N in the Humanities and Social Sciences as well as three other courses from the course list below.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| SOC 205N | Critical Race Theory in the Humanities and Social Sciences  | 3 |
| Select 9 credits from the following: | 9 | |
| African American Women | ||
| Critical Approaches to Hip-Hop | ||
| Foundations: Civic and Community Engagement | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Topics in Gender and Communication | ||
| Intercultural Communication Theory and Research | ||
| Molecular Science With Laboratory | ||
| Introduction to Teaching English Language Learners | ||
| Sociology of Deviance | ||
| Sexual and Domestic Violence | ||
| Race, Crime, and Justice | ||
| Women and the Criminal Justice System | ||
| The Earth System and Global Change | ||
| Competing Rights: Issues in American Education | ||
| Alternative Voices in American Literature | ||
| African American Literature | ||
| Literature and Empire | ||
| Women Writers | ||
| Inequality: Economics, Philosophy, Literature | ||
| Current Theories of Writing and Reading | ||
| Introduction to Youth Development and Arts-based Social Justice | ||
| The Historical, Cultural, and Social Dynamics of Sport | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Healthy Food for All: Factors that Influence What we Eat in the US | ||
| Health Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Disability Culture | ||
| Sociology of the Family | ||
| Race, Ethnicity and Culture | ||
| Critical Race Theory in the Humanities and Social Sciences | ||
| Ethics and the Design of Technology | ||
| Globalization, Technology, and Ethics | ||
| Issues in Sustainability | ||
| Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies | ||
| Global Feminisms | ||
| Family and Gender Roles in Modern History | ||
| Women in United States History | ||
Non-Course Requirements:
- Students must also complete a Capstone Project. The project must be completed in one of the four Certificate courses in consultation with the student’s professor(s) and/or Certificate adviser(s).
- If not on the course list above, students may petition for a single course to count toward the Certificate. Such course exceptions will be made by the Certificate Head(s) only.
- Non-listed courses and independent studies must be approved by Certificate Head(s).
Academic Advising
The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.
Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.
READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY
Berks
Jessica Schocker, Ph.D.
Associate Professor in Social Studies Education and Women's Studies
Beaver Athletics and Wellness Center, 201B
Reading, PA 19610
610-396-6457
jbs213@psu.edu
Contact
Berks
DIVISION OF HUMANITIES, ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Beaver Athletics and Wellness Center, 201B
Reading, PA 19610
610-396-6457
jbs213@psu.edu
https://berks.psu.edu/academics/certificate-in-social-justice