Justice Studies Courses
JUST - Justice Studies Courses
JUST-109: Power and Social Change (Credits: 4)
Power and Social Change is an exploratory course: the place where the student will be exposed to concepts, problems, and challenges of the ethics of justice. This will be accomplished by laying a phenomenological foundation to the study of justice. The student becomes familiar with (in)justice problems, critically analyze and challenge materials and images detailing the complexity of social constructions. By using critical analysis, students evaluate the ways in which race, ethnicity, class, (dis)ability, and gender intersect in the social structure. (WCore: WCSBS, DE)
JUST-221: Community Justice (Credits: 3)
This course is an experiential and philosophical exploration of the present and past local interrelationships among subordination, power, culture, society, education, and transformation. Through service learning experiences at Granite Park Junior High, readings, discussions, guest lectures, and sustained guided reflections throughout the semester, students will learn to critically analyze how history, power, privilege, economics, and discrimination shape and limit cultural, personal, and societal perspectives and schooling practices. They will learn respectfully insights on the cultural diversity of other people and their underlying subordination due to educational power structures. Students will develop perspectives on ethical and power relations as skills to help solve real life problems while advocating for social justice, equity, and inclusion and considering ways to transform education. Students will study policy and politics that influence social injustices based on race, ethnicity, socio-cultural and gender characteristics. (WCore: EWRLD)
JUST-300: Special Topics in Justice Studies (Credits: 1 to 4)
The exploration of issues, problems, and innovations in justice studies.
JUST-305: Intersectional Activisims (Credits: 4)
Intersectionality has become an important way to talk about oppression, social location, and identity in feminist theory. In this course, we will explore the possibilities and limitations of intersectionality in terms that extend beyond talk: Does intersectionality help people and communities connect theory with practice, research with action? In what ways? To what extent? Through close analysis of primary texts, ethnographies, art, music, and film, we will engage with the work of activists and social justice movements where intersectionality emerges as a conceptual tool and a methodology to pursue social transformation. We will critically explore how intersectionality supports efforts to analyze and to address systematic structures of oppression. With particular attention to historical and global contexts that highlight intellectual and activist perspectives from marginalized communities, we will gain a nuanced understanding of intersectionality and its development.
JUST-310: Law and Society (Credits: 4)
This course explores the relationship between the legal system, law, and current controversial issues in society as they relate to race, ethnicity, class, and gender. Students will learn to analyze contemporary American legal issues using the theories of Durkheim, Marx, and Weber in addition to critical legal studies and critical race theory. (WCore: DE)
JUST-318: Humanitarian Justice (Credits: 4)
This course addresses the historical transformation of, and contemporary controversies concerning humanitarian law and politics, human rights, humanitarian intervention, and human security in a global context. In order to explore these fields, we will focus on several themes, topics, and issues of concern such as debates concerning the historical and political emergence of humanitarian law, the different theoretical, cultural, and ideological perspectives on human rights, the controversies over humanitarian intervention, and the contestations regarding the emerging framework of human security. In order to illustrate these fields and issues, we will explore historical accounts, Western and non-Western perspectives, environmental perspectives, gendered perspectives, and various contesting theoretical and ideological stances in the contemporary legal, political, diplomatic, and policy spheres regarding humanitarian law, human rights, humanitarian intervention, and human security. (WCore: EWRLD)
JUST-324: Gender, Work, and Justice (Credits: 4)
Feminist economic social justice is a way of rethinking economics, rather than just an approach to make gender inequalities visible. This course focuses on women's experiences with work and justice around the world to ask critical questions about household economics, carework, the gender wage gap, occupational segregation, and gender and globalization. We will also explore the emergence of the solidarity economy - diverse practices and institutions, and the social movements and networks that advocate for them, that address and seek to transform exploitation under capitalist economics.
JUST-325: Justice in Everyday Life (Credits: 4)
Though social justice practices can seem set apart - rallies, marches, protests, movements - they permeate everyday life. In this course, we will engage both text-based and experiential-learning opportunities to examine concepts of justice in everyday life. With attention to marginalized voices and experiences around the world, we will consider social justice as global praxis: reflection and action to acquire critical awareness about structures that connect people in systems of inequality. Students will develop critical and creative thinking skills and apply them to questions about how we do and should live our lives.
JUST-365: Economic Justice (Credits: 4)
The importance of economic justice stems from the scarcity of resources: how should society allocate resources to achieve the social good? Invariably, questions of justice involve tradeoffs between fairness and efficiency. Such questions are inextricably related to religion, class, gender, poverty, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and so on. The course examines the concept of justice from the points of view of pre-market economies, classical liberalism, neo-classical economics, heterodox economics, Kenneth Arrow, John Rawls, Amartya Sen, among others. Same as ECON/PHIL 365.
JUST-401: Directed Studies (Credits: 1 to 4)
A tutorial-based course used only for student- initiated proposals for intensive individual study of topics not otherwise offered in the Justice Studies Program. Requires consent of instructor and school dean. This course is repeatable for credit.
JUST-420: Punishment (Credits: 4)
This course analyzes forms of punishment; how and why they have changed. This course is interdisciplinary in nature, incorporating discussions of the philosophical, historical, and social aspects of punishment.
JUST-440: Internship (Credits: 1 to 6)
Offers students the opportunity to integrate classroom knowledge with practical experience. Students will be graded on assigned coursework and evaluation by their site supervisor. Prerequisites: 60 college credits completed (for transfer students at least 15 hours competed at Westminster or permission of instructor), minimum 2.5 GPA, and consent of faculty advisor and Career Center internship coordinator. Interns will work for 42 hours per each registered credit. This course is repeatable for credit. Some majors limit how many internship credits may count towards the major, consult your faculty advisor. REGISTRATION NOTE: Registration for internships is initiated through the Career Center website and is finalized upon completion of required paperwork and approvals. More info: 801-832-2590 https://westminstercollege.edu/student-life/career -center/internships.html