Catalog Description

Hours: 54 lecture
Description: Course focuses on the interdisciplinary study of social justice. Examines social justice movements in the United States in relation to key social groups and identities. Provides a better understanding of the socio-economic, cultural, and political conditions among these key social groups. Students in this course will actively engage in addressing social justice issues. (C-ID SJS 110) (CSU, UC)

Course Student Learning Outcomes

  • CSLO #1: Apply social theories and critical analysis to minority-majority group relations and the structure of inequality.
  • CSLO #2: Analyze how social processes and the manipulation of social power have led to conflict, cooperation, and stratification among minority groups in the United States.
  • CSLO #3: Evaluate and analyze proposed solutions, social movements, and actions to the study of social justice in the United States.
  • CSLO #4: Evaluate the role of individual impact on social justice issues via engagement in research and/or social action.

Effective Term

Fall 2024

Course Type

Credit - Degree-applicable

Contact Hours

54

Outside of Class Hours

108

Total Student Learning Hours

162

Course Objectives

The student will be able to, through oral and written work:
1. assess the growth and diversity of important minority groups in the United States;
2. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the histories and experiences of minority groups and their contributions to the development of U.S. society;
3. explain how concepts of minority group status are socially and politically constituted and institutionalized;
4. compare and contrast the important minority groups in the United States;
5. demonstrate an understanding of minority-majority group relations;
6. evaluate the problems facing minority groups in the United States;
7. assess the intersection of identities and its impact on social status and social movements.

8. Evaluate the impact of individual and collective action in addressing social issues

General Education Information

  • Approved College Associate Degree GE Applicability
    • AA/AS - Behavioral Sciences
    • AA/AS - Multicultural Studies
  • CSU GE Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU approval)
    • CSUGE - D3 Ethnic Studies
    • CSUGE - D7 Interdisciplinary Soc/Behav
    • CSUGE-D0 Sociology/Criminology
  • Cal-GETC Applicability (Recommended - Requires External Approval)
    • IGETC Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU/UC approval)
      • IGETC - 4C Ethnic Studies
      • IGETC - 4G Intrdis Social/Beha
      • IGETC - 4J Sociology/Criminlgy

    Articulation Information

    • CSU Transferable
    • UC Transferable

    Methods of Evaluation

    • Classroom Discussions
      • Example: Instructor will divide students into share-pairs and hand out an assignment asking pairs to collaboratively brainstorm examples of Interpersonal, Institutional, and Internalized examples of adultism. Instructor will facilitate a discussion of report out from pair groups in larger group discussion.
    • Essay Examinations
      • Example: Essay question: Explain the importance of intersectionality when evaluating social inequity. Give an example of at least two social identities and how they interconnect to create a social experience.
    • Objective Examinations
      • Example: True/False question on an exam. Example from studying immigration: T/F Immigrants are three times as likely as U.S.-born residents to start small businesses and small businesses account for up to 80% of new jobs in the U.S.
    • Problem Solving Examinations
      • Example: In class, instructor will divide students into groups and hand out a specific scenario related to one of the social justice topics studied in class (i.e., immigration, racism, homophobia) and will be asked to identify the problem and design steps for solution (i.e., legislative solution, social movement, activism, media campaign).
    • Projects
      • Example: For Social Justice Days, students will pick a social inequality, highlighted in the class, to further research and create a visual poster project to be displayed in the quad during this campus event. Project will be peer reviewed and graded by the instructor based upon a structured rubric.
    • Reports
      • Example: Students will work in groups, in and outside of class, to create a class presentation on a key social justice topic from the class. Students will be required to include academic research and critical analysis on the topic. The group will present their project via video or presentation to classmates. Project will be assessed via rubric, combining both peer review and instructor grade.

    Repeatable

    No

    Methods of Instruction

    • Lecture/Discussion
    • Distance Learning

    Lecture:

    1. Instructor will divide students into small groups and hand out varied examples of social inequalities (as related to race, ethnicity, gender, class, etc.) Students will assess the inequalities, identify structural barriers to equity, and design a response rooted in social justice and movement pedagogy.

    Distance Learning

    1. Instructor will assign five varied examples of social inequalities (as related to race, ethnicity, gender, class, etc.) Students will, via discussion board assignment, choose one with which to assess the inequalities, identify structural barriers to equity, and design a response rooted in social justice and movement pedagogy. Students will then be required to comment on at least one of their classmates posts, in which they will include, in their comment, an analysis of their classmate's post and identify additional structural barriers to add to the discussion on social justice pedagogy.

    Typical Out of Class Assignments

    Reading Assignments

    Students will have weekly reading assignments in college-level texts. Sample Assignment: 1. Read chapter 1 in your textbook and be prepared to discuss the impact of the critical race theory on the modern history of U.S. civil rights movements. 2. Read In A Different Mirror by Ronald Takaki, and be prepared to provide a brief overview of the history of multicultural U.S.-America by highlighting the experiences of key racial and ethnic groups, as discussed in the article.

    Writing, Problem Solving or Performance

    Students will regularly write formal, college level, essays on issues of Social Justice. Examples: 1. Construct an annotated timeline of racial justice struggle in the United States. 2. Following the guidelines for field research and content analysis, choose a social justice movement/organization to evaluate. Create a check list for your observation, write a reaction paper detailing your observations including your discussion and analysis on social stratification, theories on inequalities (i.e., critical race theory), and movement pedagogy.

    Other (Term projects, research papers, portfolios, etc.)

    As a culminating semester project, identify a key social justice issue and construct an analysis of this issue as related to social justice pedagogy. Prepare a classroom presentation to highlight the chosen issue, explain the issues of inequality, and show evidence of related social justice action and/or movement(s).

    Required Materials

    • Race, Class, and Gender
      • Author: Anderson & Collins
      • Publisher: Cengage Learning
      • Publication Date: 2020
      • Text Edition: 10
      • Classic Textbook?: No
      • OER Link:
      • OER:
    • Diversity and Society: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender
      • Author: Healey, Joseph
      • Publisher: Sage
      • Publication Date: 2022
      • Text Edition: 7
      • Classic Textbook?: No
      • OER Link:
      • OER:
    • When We Fight, We Win: Twenty-First-Century Social Movements and the Activists That Are Transforming Our World
      • Author: Greg Jobin-Leeds
      • Publisher: The New Press
      • Publication Date: 2016
      • Text Edition: 1st
      • Classic Textbook?: No
      • OER Link:
      • OER:
    • Readings for Diversity and Social Justice
      • Author: Adams, Blumenfeld, Castenda, Hackman, Peters, Zuniga
      • Publisher: Routledge
      • Publication Date: 2018
      • Text Edition: 4
      • Classic Textbook?: No
      • OER Link:
      • OER:
    • Solidarity Politics for Millennials
      • Author: Ange-Marie Hancock
      • Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
      • Publication Date: 2011
      • Text Edition: 1st
      • Classic Textbook?: No
      • OER Link:
      • OER:

    Other materials and-or supplies required of students that contribute to the cost of the course.