Social Justice

This interdisciplinary graduate track is available to students admitted to the Master of Humanities or Master of Social Science Program. It encourages graduate students to broaden and deepen their intellectual tools as well as their practical knowledge as to how democracy, education, consumerism, media, race, class, gender, policy, and law intersect. It expands students’ recognition of the many ways that they are already engaged as citizens and highlights their power to effect change through theoretical and moral education, critical thinking, and community engagement. The MH and MSS degrees each require 36 credit hours of coursework. Of these, 9 courses are core requirements; of the remaining 27 credit hours required for the degree, a minimum of 12 credit hours of Social Justice-themed, elective courses must be taken, and a final project or thesis (3-6 credit hours) on a Social Justice topic must completed. Students select courses in close consultation with a faculty advisor.

Target Audience
The Social Justice Track is relevant for students who are interested in vocations or avocations with advocacy organizations, who plan to continue their education in professional school or Ph.D. programs, whose current careers will benefit from knowledge of social justice issues, and/or who are secondary school teachers in humanities and social studies.

Suggested Advisors

Anthropology: Dr. Marty Otañez
Ethnic Studies: Dr. Rachel Harding
History: Dr. Christopher Agee, Dr. Marjorie Levine-Clark
Interdisciplinary Studies: Dr. Omar Swartz
Philosophy: Dr. David Hildebrand, Dr. Boram Jeong
Political Science: Dr. Sasha Breger-Bush
Sociology: Dr. Candan Duran-Aydintug

Social Justice Track Requirements

1. In addition to the program’s core requirements, a minimum of 12 credit hours of social justice related courses, and
2. A final project or thesis on a social justice topic must be completed successfully.

It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that students in this track take at least one quantitative and/or one qualitative research methods course as part of their plan of study. There are quantitative and qualitative methods courses offered in Anthropology, Environmental Science, Political Science, Sociology, and Research, Evaluation, and Statistical Methodology (RESM), which can be approved by a student’s program. Pre-approved electives are listed below and may change depending on department offerings. Other courses may qualify but must be approved by the Directors of the Program.

ANTH 5200 Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective
ANTH 5400 Archaeology of Power and Inequality
BUSN 6540 Legal and Ethical Environment of Business
COMM 5040 Communication, Prisons, and Social Justice
ENGL 5306 Survey of Feminist Thought
HBSC 6320 Human Genetics: Legal, Ethical and Social Issues
HIST 5032 Globalization in World History Since 1945
HIST 5055 The Atlantic Slave Trade: Africa, Caribbean and U.S.
HIST 5225 Urban America: Colonial to Present
HIST 5307 History of Sexuality (Cross-listed with WGST 4307)
HIST 5308 Crime, Policing and Justice in American History
HIST 5412 Mexico and the United States: People and Politics on the Border
HIST 5455 African Struggle for Independence
HUMN/IDST/WGST 5720 Sexuality, Gender and their Visual Representation
PSCI 5025 Local Governance and Globalization
PSCI 5206 Social Movements, Democracy and Global Politics
PSCI 5225 Democracy and Democratization
PSCI 5245 Gender, Development and Globalization
PSCI 5274 Conflict Resolution and Public Consent Building
PSCI 5276 Conflicts and Rights in International Law
PSCI 5286 International Relations: War or Peace?
PSCI 5414 Non-Profits and Social Change
PSCI 5545 Immigration Politics
PSCI 5555 International Women’s Resistance
PSCI 5837 Contemporary Issues in Civil Liberties
SSCI 5650 Reflections on Modernity
SSCI 6010 Methods and Theories of Feminism and Gender Studies (Cross-listed with WGST 6010)
SOCY 5440 Poverty and Social Inequality
SOCY 5460 Hate Groups and Group Violence

* Previously listed as: SSCI 5020/HUMN 5025 Foundations and Theories in Interdisciplinary Social Science/Humanities
**SSCI/HUMN 5013 Methods and Practices in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences/Humanities
***SSCI 5023 Research Perspectives in the Social Sciences/ HUMN 5924 Directed Research and Readings in Interdisciplinary Humanities

Omar Swartz, Graduate Advisor, Interdisciplinary Studies: omar.swartz@ucdenver.edu or 
Margaret Woodhull, Director, Interdisciplinary Studies: margaret.woodhull@ucdenver.edu or
E-mail: masterhs@ucdenver.edu
Website: http://clas.ucdenver.edu/mhmss
Office: Student Commons Building, 3203
Phone: 303-315-3565