Social Justice
Alexa Dare, Ph.D., communication studies, director
The social justice minor is open to all students from any major or school at the University. The social justice minor instills in students an intellectual foundation and practical experience to live in ways that promote social integrity, economic prosperity and defense of human rights for all.
The service dimension of learning at this university is expressed in a unique and effective way within the social justice minor. It challenges students to place their personal development and career choices into an ethical worldview within an interdisciplinary context.
The program includes courses in its curriculum from disciplines such as business, communication, education, English, history, philosophy, political science, psychology, sociology, social work, and theology
Learning Outcomes for Social Justice Minors
Social justice graduates at the University of Portland should be able to:
- Demonstrate a broad understanding of the theories and concepts of social justice and social justice traditions.
- Identify and explain central concepts of social justice, including the Catholic social justice tradition.
- Identify and explain historical roots of social justice and injustice.
- Articulate an understanding of social justice from a variety of perspectives including religious, psychological, sociological, historical, cultural, political, economic, and organizational.
- Identify and explain a variety of different disciplines' perspectives on social justice.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the social justice implications of issues in various disciplines.
- Demonstrate leadership.
- Set goals for their contribution in a community learning experience.
- Reflect on praxis, integrating theory and their practice in a community learning experience.
- Reflect on their contribution in a community learning experience in terms of different attributes of leadership.
Capstone Experience
Students pursuing the social justice minor will participate in SW 460, Local and Global Social Justice Practice. This course requires all participants to engage in a community learning experience. Students are also required to write a final paper in which they engage in academic reflection and analysis on the connection between their community learning experience and various conceptions of social justice, including, but not limited to, the Catholic Church’s social justice tradition. Students are required to publicly present their papers.
Minor Requirements - 18 credit hours
Required Courses - 6 credit hours
| POL 302 | Perspectives on Social Justice | 3 |
| SW 460 | Local and Global Social Justice Practice | 3 |
Upper Division Electives - 12 credit hours
At least 3-credit hours must be from a discipline other than POL or SW.
Select four courses from the following:
| BUS 487 | Social Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| CST 327 | Argumentation and Advocacy | 3 |
| CST 370 | Environmental Organizing and Advocacy | 3 |
| CST 411 | Communication Across Barriers | 3 |
| CST 416 | Communication and Conflict | 3 |
| CST 431 | Intercultural Communication and Identity | 3 |
| CST 432 | Gender and International Development | 3 |
| CST 433 | Critical Perspectives on Work, Labor, and Organizing | 3 |
| CST 435 | Advanced Visual Persuasion | 3 |
| ECN 424 | Income Inequality | 3 |
| ED 320 | Sociocultural Foundations of Education | 3 |
| ENG 360 | Literature and Social Change | 3 |
| ENG 371 | City Life in American Literature | 3 |
| ENG 372 | Multi-Ethnic American Literature | 3 |
| ENG 373 | African-American Literature | 3 |
| ENG 404 | Seminar in Non-Western Literature I | 3 |
| ENV 349 | Environmental Policy | 3 |
| HST 316 | US in Depression and War, 1920-1945 | 3 |
| HST 321 | Modern American Women's History | 3 |
| HST 322 | American Protest and Reform | 3 |
| HST 323 | African American History | 3 |
| HST 343 | Europe in the Age of Dictatorship | 3 |
| HST 346 | Modern Germany | 3 |
| HST 357 | Environmental History of the Americas and the World | 3 |
| HST 358 | Disease and Medicine in World History | 3 |
| PHL 313 | Socio-Political Philosophy | 3 |
| PHL 314 | Philosophy and Feminism | 3 |
| PHL 324 | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| PHL 336 | Metaphysics: Native American Philosophy | 3 |
| PHL 371 | Ancient Philosophy | 3 |
| PHL 374 | Hegel and 19th Century Philosophy | 3 |
| PHL 410 | Education and Politics | 3 |
| PHL 412 | Philosophy of Law | 3 |
| POL 319 | Politics and Identity | 3 |
| POL 321 | Politics of Hip Hop | 3 |
| POL 335 | American Public Policy | 3 |
| POL 351 | International Law in Theory and Practice | 3 |
| POL 371 | Politics of Central Europe | 3 |
| POL 376 | Politics of Africa | 3 |
| POL 377 | Politics of the Middle East | 3 |
| POL 378 | Muslims and Islam in Europe and the U.S. | 3 |
| POL 462 | Globalization and its Discontents | 3 |
| POL 470 | Global Migration and Displacement | 3 |
| POL 471 | Global Advocacy and Activism | 3 |
| PSY 351 | Health Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 450 | Cross Cultural Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 463/SOC 463 | Children, Youth, and Society | 3 |
| SOC 333 | Social Class and Inequality | 3 |
| SOC 336 | Race and Racism in the United States | 3 |
| SOC 339 | Sociology of the Family | 3 |
| SPN 450 | Advanced Latin American Culture and Civilization | 3 |
| SW 313 | Social Welfare Policy | 3 |
| SW 325/SOC 325 | Power, Oppression, and Critical Consciousness | 3 |
| SW 456 | Environmental Social Work | 3 |
| SW 468/SOC 468/SPN 468 | Comparative Health and Social Issues in Ecuador | 3 |
| THE 302/THE 402 | Poets, Prophets, Divas, and Diviners | 3 |
| THE 323/THE 423 | Christian Social Ethics | 3 |
| THE 329/THE 429 | Theological Bioethics | 3 |