愛荷華大學(xué)

Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with a degree in social justice will:

explore how an intersectional lens can magnify the tensions within constructed identities based on race, ethnicity, gender and gender expression, geography, language, citizenship, sexuality, class, age, ability, and religion to practices of oppression and discrimination;
learn about historical moments when oppression and discrimination have influenced policy, culture, law, and corporeal practices and find recurring patterns in current events, culture, and policy; and
express ways their personal experiences and scholarly ideas connect to larger political, environmental, social, and geographical contexts, issues, and problems.

Overview

Students who major in social justice expand their knowledge integrating theory and engagement with real world field experiences. They approach social justice through the arts, history, literature, comparative religious studies, political science, philosophy, health education, and gender, women’s, and sexuality studies.

Social justice students:

explore how the intersections of geography, race, class, gender, sexuality, health, economics, and history create networks of privilege and oppression across the globe through course work and reflect on situations they encounter in the field;

read, write, listen, and act through course work and fieldwork in order to understand how conditions are created for change on the local, regional, and national level historically, ethically, politically, and personally;

learn about selected history of social movements, how those movements emerged, and the impacts those movements had on policy, populations, the environment, and culture through engagement in a core course;

develop a deeper understanding of issues, practice, research, and theory related to social justice in one or more areas of study within the traditional disciplines of the liberal arts through 9 s.h. of course work in an area of specialization; and

prepare for employment and/or for graduate study in various fields through high quality internships and educational experiences, including anthropology, political science, law, criminology, health, the cultural sector, social services, business, nonprofit management, or public history projects.

The Bachelor of Arts with a major in social justice requires a minimum of 120 s.h., including at least 39 s.h. of work for the major. Students must maintain a g.p.a. of at least 2.00 in all courses for the major and in all UI courses for the major. They also must complete the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences GE CLAS Core.

The social justice major prepares students for careers in diverse fields. Graduates may work in nonprofit and governmental agencies, international organizations, think tanks, research and policy institutes, foundations, religious and cultural institutions, schools, universities, businesses, and health care settings. Their positions may relate to the emphasis areas they developed in the major, addressing issues such as human rights, the environment and ecological justice, racial and ethnic diversity, poverty, improving the lives of women and girls, sustainability, education, public health, and the arts and social change.

Students also are well prepared to continue their studies in a wide range of graduate programs and professional schools.