Social Justice Studies

In this course topics in Social Justice Studies are explored. Topics vary from term to term.

In Social Justice Studies; we analyze power; privilege; and oppression: Do individuals from all identity groups enjoy equitable access to economic; political; and cultural power; and have the opportunity to participate fully in shaping their society? Just what is an identity group; and how do such groups form? Where do prejudice and discrimination come from; and what strategies have been used to effect social change? What conceptions of justice inform the way we think about the distribution of social resources? Guided by an interdisciplinary team of instructors; students address these questions through reading; writing; and hands-on learning. (This is the core course for the minor in Social Justice Studies.)

This is the foundation course in sociology; covering the basic concepts needed for a sociological understanding of society. These include culture; socialization; deviance; social stratification; race and ethnicity; gender; sexuality; families; social movements; and social change. The course is designed primarily for first year students.

This course examines adulthood and aging from a biopsychosocial perspective. Topics include research methodology in adulthood; theories of normal aging; physical and environmental influences on adult development; diseases and disorders associated with aging; changes in cognition; intelligence and wisdom; gender and minority issues in aging; issues regarding death and dying. It also challenges popular misconceptions about aging.

In this course topics in Social Justice Studies are explored. Topics vary from term to term.

This interdisciplinary course is the foundation of Women’s and Gender Studies. It examines the relationships of women and gender worldwide to institutions and developments in the social; cultural; political; and economic spheres. Topics may include: the origins and development of modern feminism; gender and sexuality; progress and challenges for women and girls worldwide; reproductive justice and healthcare; women and work; sexual harassment and sexual assault; masculinities; gender in popular culture and the arts; the intersections of gender; class; race; and age; women and religion; women and leadership; and women and athletics.

This course will give students a foothold in our rapidly shifting information landscape by introducing a framework for information literacy and exploring the role of information in society; covering topics like misinformation; artificial intelligence; paywalls; and personal data. Upon completing this course; students will be equipped with the knowledge; tools; and strategies necessary to exist as an informed and ethical person in the 21st century. (Bi Annually).

This course engages with works by contemporary queer authors; film makers; artists; and singers from France and Francophone countries (Algeria; Morocco; Ivory Coast; etc.). We will identify the concerns of this generation and discuss their place and visibility in society. Readings; films; and class discussions will provide students with the concepts and terminology to understand; discuss and analyze the experiences of queer individuals today. Please note: the course touches on topics of a potentially sensitive nature and includes some sexually explicit materials. Course is in English.

Students explore Equatorial Guinea’s literature in the context of its colonial relationship to Spain and its postcolonial position in Africa. Students study the history of Equatorial Guinea; located on the central west African coast; as well as the impact of its wealth of petroleum on development since independence from Spain in 1968.The writers and artists of Equatorial Guinea; residing either in Africa; Spain; or Latin America; create and challenge the definitions of Guineidad as they advocate for justice and a return to a homeland whether literal or metaphorical. Spanish majors/minors will complete some readings in Spanish and complete written work in Spanish. Class is conducted in English. Readings are all available in English.

In this course students explore the literature and music of African-Americans produced in and around Harlem in New York City in the 1920s to the 1940s. Central to such exploration will be the contemporary cultural and political issues that faced the Afro-American artist.

In this course students examine the Nazi destruction of the European Jews through diaries; survivors' memoirs; novels; poetry and drama. Additionally; representations of the Holocaust in art; recorded testimony; public memorials; film and music are explored.

What is the law and why do we obey it? What authority stands behind law? How do our answers influence the way we make and interpret law? We examine how others have approached these kinds of questions with an eye toward better understanding our own legal system.

A course that examines issues of language; gender; and culture portrayed through the lens of the woman writer. Texts may include novels; stories; autobiographies; essays; letters; and poetry.

This course explores the rich diversity of American literature; raising questions like What does it mean to be or become American? What is gained; what is lost; what can be protected or preserved? What is the meaning of the past; of roots; of traditions? Students examine how this body of literature reimagines the dominant American culture and reflect on their own multicultural competence.

In this course we study the influence people have on each other's behavior; perception; motivation; feelings and cognition. Topics include the self and identity; social perception and cognition; attribution; race and gender; prejudice and discrimination; conformity and obedience; groups and leadership; attitudes and persuasion; aggression and violence; helping and altruism; attraction and love; conflict and peacemaking.

This course will research and design community-based art; with each semester focusing on a different historical theme. Past themes have included suffragist movement; the Harlem Hellfighters; Harlem Renaissance. Students research assigned individuals and design one community outreach project to serve an identified community. (Fall/Spring)

In this course topics in Social Justice Studies are explored. Topics vary from term to term.

In this course we examine the development of the Supreme Court as a major political institution concentrating primarily on the Court's decisions and its internal politics.

A survey of correctional concepts and philosophy with emphasis on the correctional institution as a community and the sociology of confinement. Additional focus on penal reform; correctional administration and innovation.

Deviance is presented as an aspect of the normal functioning of a society. This course is a study of the processes by which attitudes and behaviors are defined as deviant; and by which those labels are applied to individuals.

In this course we examine the concepts of sex and gender as they are defined in sociological literature; focusing on how social contexts (i.e.; education; employment; family; sexuality and reproduction; etc.) construct gender which; in turn; shapes future opportunities for individuals in society.

Explores the social construction of health; illness; and disability while centering individual lived experiences. Critically analyzes medicine (as social institution); U.S. healthcare system; and social causes and consequences of health. Heavy focus on access and equity issues.

This course investigates the multiple hierarchies defined by social class; race/ethnicity; gender; and sexuality and the consequences of one's location in them. Current data are examined on the unequal distribution of power; property; and prestige in American society. Guided by social scientific scholarship on stratification; emphasis is on intersectionality theory to explain systems of privilege.

In this course topics in Social Justice Studies are explored. Topics vary from term to term.

This course examines the psychological; biological; social; and life-span development differences and similarities of the genders. Topics include cognitive abilities and achievement; personality characteristics; work issues; violence prevention; love relationships and sexualities; reproductive concerns; and physical and mental health issues.

This course examines 20th and 21st century art and media that engage with feminist and gender issues in a global context. The first few weeks are spent reviewing a concise history of first- and second-wave feminist thought; particularly its relation to art and visual culture. Thereafter; selected contemporary art from all regions of the globe are covered.

In this course topics in Social Justice Studies are explored. Topics vary from term to term.

This course explores the distribution of wealth and inequality from the economic and policy perspectives. We seek to understand how wealth and income are measured and ask what are their distributed concerns; and what conclusions can we draw concerning inequality? Prerequisite: Junior/Senior standing or permission of instructor.

This course traces the directions of African-American literature from the slave narrative through the Harlem296 Renaissance to contemporary fiction; drama; and poetry. Writers such as Frederick Douglass; Jean Toomer; Zora Neale Hurston; Langston Hughes; Richard Wright; Ralph Ellison; Lorraine Hansberry; James Baldwin; Alice Walker; and Toni Morrison are included.

Academic inquiry into an area not covered in any established course; and carried on outside the usual instructor/classroom setting. Approved Plan of Study required.

This course covers the range of physical; cognitive; communication; and social/emotional exceptionalities in human development from childhood to early adulthood. One focus is on the commonalities; not just the differences; between children and youth with disabilities and their nondisabled peers. A second focus is on understanding the different contexts of disability. Declaration of minor in education; or permission of instructor.

In this course topics in Social Justice Studies are explored. Topics vary from term to term.

This course investigates how women and minorities (including sexual minorities) are covered/portrayed by the news and entertainment media and how underlying economic; political and sociological factors affect such coverage. It explores how media portrayals influence the public's views regarding women and minorities and how women and minorities view themselves. And it examines critics' charges that the media portray women and minorities in a negative light and strategies used to counteract possible resulting harm. Prerequisite: COMM 110 or permission of instructor.