The Social Justice (SJUS) Minor is designed for students who are passionate about being engaged citizens and affecting local and global change. Students will be exposed to diverse perspectives of social movements, conflict resolution, environmental stewardship, critical theory, and grassroots organizing, to create an understanding of the social, political, economic, and cultural dimensions of the major challenges facing humanity.
Earning a SJUS Minor will make students competitive for graduate schools, as well as for jobs in NGOs, public health, political office, community leadership, and in the ever-increasing number of modern corporations that seek employees committed to sustainable and ethical vocations. By cultivating engaged and informed citizens, we strive to create future leaders who will have the skills and knowledge necessary to effect meaningful change.
- Students must complete a minimum of 18 credit hours from the approved courses.
- Students must complete a minimum of nine upper-division (3000-level and above) credit hours in the minor, chosen from the approved courses below.
- Students must earn a minimum grade of C- (1.7) in all courses that apply to the minor and must achieve a minimum cumulative minor GPA of 2.0. Courses taken using P+/P/F or S/U grading cannot apply to minor requirements.
- Students must complete a minimum of nine credit hours with CU Denver faculty chosen from the approved courses below.
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Complete the following foundations course:
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SJUS 2000 Foundations in Social Justice
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- Complete nine elective credit hours from the approved course lists below.*
- Complete a three credit hour community internship. Work with local organizations to promote social justice.**
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SJUS 3939 Internship
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- Complete a three credit hour capstone seminar. Work on a project related to a social justice issue that is important to you with a faculty member in an independent study. ***
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SJUS 3050 Special Topics: Social Justice
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SJUS 4000 Social Justice Capstone
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SJUS 4001 Social Justice Senior Project
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SJUS 4050 Special Topics: Social Justice
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SJUS 4840 Independent Study
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SJUS 4880 Directed Research
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*The elective course lists are representative of the pre-approved coursework for this minor. Students may complete other courses with permission from the Director of the program.
**Placement in internships is facilitated by CU Denver Experiential Learning Center.
***The Director of the program will gladly work with students to approve courses, independent study, directed research and internships that address social justice issues but are not officially listed.
Anthropology
ANTH 3000 Globalization, Migration and Transnationalism
ANTH 3142 Cultural Diversity in the Modern World
ANTH/PBHL 3200 Human Migration: Nomads, Sojourners, and Settlers
ANTH 4300 Immigrant Health
Communication
COMM 2020 Communication, Citizenship, and Social Justice
COMM 2082 Introduction to Environmental Communication
COMM 3271 Communication and Diversity
COMM 4040 Communication, Prisons, and Social Justice
COMM 4260 Communication and Conflict
COMM 4265 Gender and Communication
COMM 4282 Environmental Communication
COMM 4558 Digital Health Narratives
COMM/WGST 4610 Communication, Media, and Sex
COMM 4710 Topics in Communication (topic must be approved by SJ minor advisor)
Education
English
ENGL 3330 Topics in Literature (topic must be approved by SJ minor advisor)
ENGL 4190 Advanced Topics in Writing, Rhetoric, & Linguistics (topic must be approved by SJ minor advisor)
ENGL 4280 Proposal and Grant Writing ENGL/PHIL/WGST 4308 Contemporary Feminist Thought
ENGL 4770 Topics in English: Film and Literature (topic must be approved by SJ minor advisor)
ENGL 4755 Illness & Disability Narrative
Ethnic Studies
ETST/PBHL 3002 Ethnicity, Health and Social Justice
ETST 3110 Indigenous Studies
ETST 3272 Global Media
ETST 3274 Power, Poverty, Culture
ETST/HIST 3396 History of the American Indian
ETST/HIST 3297 Social History of Asian Americans
ETST 3704 Culture, Racism and Alienation
Geography & Environmental Sciences
GEOG 3401 Geography of Food and Agriculture
GEOG 3412 Globalization and Regional Development
GEOG 3501 Geography of Health
GEOG 4230 Hazard Mitigation and Vulnerability Assessment
GEOG 4301 Population, Culture, and Resources
GEOG 4420 The Politics of Nature
GEOG 4640 Urban Geography: Denver and the U.S.
GEOG 4680 Urban Sustainability and Resiliency: Perspectives and Practice
History
HIST 3235 U.S. Labor History, 1800 to the Present
HIST/WGST 3343 Women & Gender in US History
HIST 3345 Immigration and Ethnicity in American History
HIST 3349 Social Movements in 20th Century America
HIST 4028 Nations and Classes: 19th Century Europe
HIST 4217 Consumer Culture
HIST/ENGL/WGST 4306 Survey of Feminist Thought
HIST 4308 Crime, Policing, and Justice in American History
HIST 4455 African Struggle for Independence
Landscape Architecture
LDAR 3601 Intro to Landscape Arch: Engaging Designed Landscape
LDAR 4486 Special Topics in Landscape Architecture (topic must be approved by SJ minor advisor)
Philosophy
PHIL 3200 Justice, Freedom, and Power: Social and Political Philosophy
PHIL 3280 War and Morality
PHIL 3500 Ideology and Culture: Racism and Sexism
PHIL 3550 Philosophy of Death and Dying
PHIL 4101 Pragmatism: Classical American Philosophy
PHIL 4450 Punishment and Social Justice
PHIL/WGST 4500 Feminist Philosophy
PHIL 4812 Special Topics in Philosophy (topic must be approved by SJ minor advisor)
PHIL 4920 Philosophy of Media and Technology
Political Science
PSCI 3034 Race, Gender, Law and Public Policy
PSCI 3035 Political Movements: Race and Gender
PSCI 3914 The Urban Citizen
PSCI 4002 Topics in Political Science (topic must be approved by SJ minor advisor)
PSCI 4025 Local Governance and Globalization
PSCI/ETST 4144 Indigenous Political Systems
PSCI/ETST 4146 Indigenous Politics
PSCI 4207 Theories of Social and Political Change
PSCI 4265 Social Justice And Globalization
PSCI 4535 Labor and Working Class Politics
PSCI 4545 Immigration Politics
PSCI 4808 Strategies of Peacebuilding
PSCI 4914 Community Organizing and Community Development
Public Service
PUAD 4000 Human Resources and Ethics in Public Service
PUAD 4002 Leading and Engaging for the Public Good
Religious Studies
RLST 4000 Religion and Cultural Diversity
Sociology
SOCY 3001 Urban Sociology
SOCY 3020 Race and Ethnicity in the U.S.
SOCY 3140 Sociological Theory
SOCY 3720 Global Perspectives on Social Issues
SOCY 4700 Sociology of Law
Social Justice
SJUS 4050 Special Topics: Social Justice
Social Sciences
SSCI 4050 Special Topics in Law Studies
SSCI 4070 Topics in Law Studies: Social Context of Law
SSCI 4325 First Amendment: Theory and Context
Women's and Gender Studies
WGST/ENGL/HIST 4306 Survey of Feminist Thought
WGST/ENGL/PHIL 4308 Contemporary Feminist Thought
Who is this Minor For?
Everyone! Humanistic studies of Social Justice serve as an excellent addition to science-based and liberal arts curricula, as well as a stand-alone program that addresses contemporary issues and interests.
How can a minor in Social Justice complement my major?
An interdisciplinary Social Justice Minor pairs well with many majors!
Below are some examples* how it might pair well with your major:
*not a comprehensive list
- Communication: Prepares students to use media and language to advocate for justice, shape narratives, and educate the public.
- Sociology: Explores social structures, inequalities, and systemic marginilization
- Political Science: Adds depth to the study of policies and activism for justice-oriented reforms
- Anthropology: Enhances understanding of cultural diversity, humanity, and systemic impacts on marginalized communities
- Psychology: Explores individual and group behaviors in the context of marginilization, as well as the justice system.
- History: Provides a foundation for understanding historical context of marginilization, systemic injustices, and social movements for change
- Philosophy: Explores ethics and moral questions central to justice, human rights, and inequity
- English & Literature: Allows exploration of narratives and language of stories that highlight social justice issues.
- Prepare educators to advocate for equitable learning environments and curricula
- Protect students' rights
- Critically analyze and address systemic injustice and inequity in legislation that upholds marginilization through the education system.
- Enhances acknowledgment of corporate social responsibility efforts
- Promotes ethical and equitable business practices.
- Computer Science/Data Science: Focus on equity in technology and ethical data policies
- Engineering: Addresses social justice in infrastructure and environmental design.
- Provides insight into systemic inequities in the justice system
- Prepares students for reform-oriented careers.
- Helps artists engage with themes of identity, gender, and representation in their creative work, as well as critically evaluate these themes in the arts.
Have questions?
If you have questions regarding the Interdisciplinary Studies minor, you can reach out to our Interdisciplinary Program Advisor, Dr. Lorna Hutchison.