SOCIAL JUSTICE STUDIES (SOCJ)
SOCJ 201 - INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL JUSTICE STUDIES
Various ways of conceptualiziang social justice; how the social sciences can be used to understand questions of social justice; case studies in collective action for social justice.
Credits: 3
Attributes: Social Justice Studies, Social Science
Prerequisites: ENG 102 (may be taken concurrently)
SOCJ 208 - WORKING CLASS STUDIES: FROM COAL MINES TO COVID19
What does it mean to be working class in a nation that pretends to be classless? We’ll discuss memoirs, radio and film documentaries, movies, literary writing, and other texts to explore this question. Who is considered “working class,” and what has this meant culturally, economically, and politically? We will examine the historical and current life experiences of working-class people in the US, and in the Chicago area specifically, paying particular attention to how the experiences of being working class have always intersected with racialized, ethnic, gendered, and sexual identities. How has class impacted our experiences of, and assumptions about, belonging, community, political voice, and educational opportunity? And how have working-class folks always organized for economic and political justice?
Credits: 3
Attributes: Social Science
SOCJ 210 - SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Overview of sustainability as a concept and practice. Exploration of issues, controversies, trends, and case-studies in various systems and locales (urban/rural, local/national/global). Students develop a critical understanding of sustainability's various definitions; assess factors that contribute to and detract from environmental quality, community stability, economic and social equity, and sustainable development; and analyze the connections among topics such as food, water, waste, energy, biodiversity, climate change, and environmental justice.
Credits: 3
Attributes: Social Justice Studies, Social Science
Prerequisites: ENG 101
SOCJ 211 - THE GIG ECONOMY
You may have heard one or more of the following terms: shared economy, independent contractor, temporary worker, 1099, entrepreneur, or contingent worker. Or perhaps you have used Uber, Lyft or Airbnb. Or maybe you work at a job in which your hours vary and you only receive your schedule a week or two in advance. All of these situations are part of an emerging trend in our economy, a move away from full-time permanent employment with benefits toward more precarious work. This course examines what this means for workers, unions, and public policy.
Credits: 3
Attributes: Social Justice Studies, Social Science
SOCJ 213 - TOPICS IN SOCIAL JUSTICE STUDIES
In depth courses on special topics bearing on questions of social justice. Since topics vary by semester, students may register for the course more than once. Check the schedule of classes for its specific title in a given semester.
Credits: 3
Attributes: Social Justice Studies, Social Science
Course Notes: Content of course varies by semester.
SOCJ 214 - ECONOMICS OF GLOBALIZATION
Globalization and global economic crises have become household words, yet what do they really mean, who benefits, and who loses? This interdisciplinary course examines the phenomenon of globalization using economic, sociological, and feminist analyses to explore controversial themes of the globalization debate, some of which include: offshoring, economic development, international migration, sweatshops, transnational corporations, the Global South, and gender equity. We will examine both the benefits and costs that have resulted from the opening and crossing of international boundaries and borders and examine how these changes have impacted people from both rich and poor countries throughout the world.
Credits: 3
Attributes: International Studies, Non-western Culture, Social Justice Studies, Social Science
Prerequisites: ECON 101
SOCJ 228 - LIVING SOCIAL JUSTICE
Social scientists study the social world and are often well-versed in the ‘problems’ of everyday life. In this course we will learn about how to engage in creating social change. Through the planned readings and workshops students will learn theory, advocacy and activist skills, and engage in dialogue about their goals and plans beyond completion of their degrees. In the end, students interested in pursuing graduate school and/or careers informed by a sociological perspective will have tools to connect to or carve a path.
Credits: 3
SOCJ 237 - RACE & ETHNIC RELATIONS
Race and ethnicity in the US; history and present status of various racial and ethnic groups; political economy of race; changing public discourse of race and racial identities.
Credits: 3
Attributes: Social Justice Studies, Social Science
Prerequisites: SOC 101 (may be taken concurrently) or SOCJ 201 (may be taken concurrently)
SOCJ 252 - IMMIGRATION PAST AND PRESENT
How can we make effective interventions, individually and collectively, in the national debate over immigration? Through cultural and critical readings, incuding texts by Latina writer, Gloria Anzaldua, Polish-American writer, Eva Hoffman, and Chinese-American novelist, Fae Myenne Ng, in this class students will become familiar with the complex and multifaceted nature of immigration. Culture, identity, language, political representation, and economic necessity are just some of the themes that will be touched on over the course of the semester. In addition to a critical understanding, through an ethnographic study (observation, interviews, questionnaires) of one immigrant community in Chicago (to which which they may or may not belong), students will become familiar with the immigrant experience in an immediate and specific way. This combination of critical and personal knowledge will enable students to approach this most pressing of social developments in a manner that is both productive and profoundly humane.
Credits: 3
Attributes: Hispanic Studies, Social Justice Studies, Social Science
Prerequisites: ENG 102
Course Notes: Can be used toward the Hispanic Studies Minor. Taught in English.
SOCJ 260 - NATURE AND BLACK LIBERATION
False ideas about nature were used to support systemic racism and the enslavement of people of African descent. Despite this misinformation, African-Americans forged liberatory ideas about humanness and bonds with non-human nature that contributed to struggles for freedom. This course examines the role of nature in African-American liberation, both past and present, through literature, film, scholarship, and oral history.
Credits: 3
Attributes: Social Justice Studies, Social Science
Prerequisites: ENG 101
Course Notes: Students who wish to take the course for ENG credit should register for this course as ENG 260.
SOCJ 261 - WRITING FOR NONPROFITS
Writing for Nonprofits is a problem-based writing course that asks students to practice composing for community-engaged contexts, audiences, and purposes. Students will practice rhetorically sound, professional writing by partnering with a nonprofit organization and promoting their services to a larger audience. Students will also have opportunities to practice collaborative writing, as students will spend the semester working in groups to learn about the services offered by this organization and apply rhetorical concepts that can encourage people in and around Chicago to make use of the organization’s resources.
Credits: 3
Attributes: Social Justice Studies, Social Science
Prerequisites: ENG 102
SOCJ 262 - ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
What is environmental justice? How is environmental justice different than environmentalism or conservation? How and why has use (and abuse) of the earth's resources become unequal, and how does this create and perpetuate other forms of inequity? How can individuals, governments, and communities restore greater justice? What are the stakes if we fail to do so? These are some of the questions we will engage this course, as well as generating new ones. abuse) of the earth's resources become unequal, and how does this create and perpetuate other forms of inequity? How can individuals, governments, and communities restore greater justice? What are the stakes if we fail to do so? These are some of the questions we will engage this course, as well as generating new ones.
Credits: 3
Attributes: Social Justice Studies, Social Science
SOCJ 326 - THEORIES OF JUSTICE
Economics is not founded upon efficiency, big business, or free markets. Justice is the first virtue of economics. No justice, no price. In this course you will gain vast knowledge, skill, and wisdom by reading and writing about great books by John Rawls, Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Martha Nussbaum, Marcus Garvey, and others. Great preparation for law school, graduate school, and anyone who values goodness, fairness, and justice in society.
Credits: 3
Attributes: Social Justice Studies, Social Science
SOCJ 342 - GLOBAL RACE
Course centers on the origins, discourse and outcomes of racialization processes on a global level. Students learn the specific processes of racialization by researching at least one non-North American country. Racialization will be understood at the intersection of gender, sexuality, citizenship, class and religion. Course has five sections: theorizing race; origins of racializing humanity (from egyptian elavery to the Enlightenment); modern theories of race (from Eugenics to racial formation theory); colonization and slavery (development of racialized capitalism); and Europeans and the development of whiteness.
Credits: 3
Attributes: International Studies, Social Justice Studies, Social Science
Prerequisites: SOCJ 201 (may be taken concurrently)
SOCJ 346 - COMMUNITY ORGANIZING
Examination of community organizing theories and approaches. Focuses on cases studies and hands on experience.
Credits: 3
Attributes: Social Justice Studies
Prerequisites: SOCJ 201 (may be taken concurrently) and ENG 102 (may be taken concurrently)
SOCJ 360 - INTERNSHIP IN SOCIAL JUSTICE STUDIES
Internship in Social Justice.
Credits: 3
Attributes: Social Science
SOCJ 370 - MAPPING FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Maps can help us understand and prepare for many of the world’s most pressing social and environmental problems, from climate change to deforestation. This course trains students in Geographic Information Science (GIS) mapping software so that we can better understand relationships and patterns in our world. Students in the course will be exposed to the rapidly growing world of spatial analysis and cartography using the industry’s leading software tool, ArcGIS.
Credits: 3
Attributes: Social Justice Studies, Social Science
Prerequisites: ENG 102
SOCJ 390 - TOPICS IN SOCIAL JUSTICE
In depth courses on special topics bearing on questions of social justice. Since topics vary by semester, students may register for the course more than once. Check the schedule of classes for its specific title and subject matter in a given semester.
Credits: 3
Attributes: Social Justice Studies, Social Science
Course Notes: Course subject matter varies by semester.