Social Justice Minor

The social justice minor allows students majoring in other fields, the opportunity to develop an integrated basis for analysis of social justice issues. The social justice minor emphasizes the inter-relationships between theoretical and applied approaches in sociology. Students examine how social advantages and disadvantages are distributed; the relationship between social identity, opportunities and inequality; and the practice of incorporating research, education, and action for social justice and change.

Mission Statement

The mission of the social justice minor is to offer undergraduate students the opportunity to both theorize about the meanings of social justice and to practice “doing” social justice work in the community. Integral to the social justice minor is a focus on social inequality as it relates to the intersection of class, race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ability, religion, etc. The social justice minor also seeks to inspire and instill in students a commitment to democracy and action around principles of equality and justice and is intended to prepare them for positions in education/research, teaching, advocacy, public service, and other positions where they may serve as agents of social change. We strive to foster the personal and professional growth of our students by offering extensive and varied opportunities for integrative experiential learning, including faculty/student collaborative research and community-based internships.

The social justice minor requires at least 18 credit hours of coursework in the following categories. Students must earn a ‘C’ or better in each course in order to complete the minor. Students who are also completing the social justice concentration within the sociology major must take unique courses to fulfill both sets of requirements.

Prerequisites (not included in the 18 credit hour minimum):

• SOC 101  or SOC 102  earning a grade of ‘C’ or better.

Additional prerequisites may be necessary for some courses; consult the University Catalog for details. None of these prerequisites will count toward completion of the minor.