Social Justice, Certificate

Program Code: SOCJS__UCT

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.

Required Courses
SOC 205NCritical Race Theory in the Humanities and Social Sciences Keystone/General Education Course3
Select 9 credits from the following:9
African American Women Keystone/General Education Course
Critical Approaches to Hip-Hop Keystone/General Education Course
Foundations: Civic and Community Engagement Keystone/General Education Course
Intercultural Communication Keystone/General Education Course
Topics in Gender and Communication
Intercultural Communication Theory and Research
Molecular Science With Laboratory Keystone/General Education Course
Introduction to Teaching English Language Learners Keystone/General Education Course
Sociology of Deviance
Sexual and Domestic Violence
Race, Crime, and Justice
Women and the Criminal Justice System
The Earth System and Global Change Keystone/General Education Course
Competing Rights: Issues in American Education Keystone/General Education Course
Alternative Voices in American Literature Keystone/General Education Course
African American Literature Keystone/General Education Course
Literature and Empire Keystone/General Education Course
Women Writers Keystone/General Education Course
Inequality: Economics, Philosophy, Literature Keystone/General Education Course
Current Theories of Writing and Reading
Introduction to Youth Development and Arts-based Social Justice Keystone/General Education Course
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 Keystone/General Education Course
Sociology of the Family Keystone/General Education Course
Race, Ethnicity and Culture Keystone/General Education Course
Critical Race Theory in the Humanities and Social Sciences Keystone/General Education Course
Ethics and the Design of Technology
Globalization, Technology, and Ethics
Issues in Sustainability Keystone/General Education Course
Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies Keystone/General Education Course
Global Feminisms Keystone/General Education Course
Family and Gender Roles in Modern History Keystone/General Education Course
Women in United States History Keystone/General Education Course

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).