Introduction to Social Justice "Goals: This course will introduce students to major streams of social justice thought, including historical social justice movements, theoretical problems having to do with social equality, personal freedom, access to social resources, marginalization, and stigmatization, and the ways in which communities respond to these issues."
Social Justice Capstone "Goals: This course will permit major students to integrate theory, knowledge, and practical experience gained in their major using a series of readings, fieldwork experiences, and a major project."
Breadth Courses:
Legal Systems in American Society "Goals: Familiarization with the American legal system. Content: An exploration of the American legal system with special emphasis on the role of law in the American social order. Working models of the judicial system are studied and the legal decision-making process is examined. Emphasis is placed on basic values of legal system: justice, equality, and fairness."
The Role of Conflict in Social Change "Goals: To introduce students to basic concepts shared between conflict studies and social justice studies; to examine connections between social conflict and people's movements for social change; and to study particular movements through these conceptual lenses. Content: Students will learn to distinguish among interpersonal, organizational, and socio-cultural levels of conflict; be introduced to relevant social science frameworks; study the role of conflict in particular movements; and develop analyses of an aspect of that movement in which they are especially interested."
Sociology of Racial and Cultural Minorities "Goals: To develop a critical understanding of the different racial, ethnic, and culturally distinct groups in society. To explore a range of theories which seek to explain the nature of minority relations."
Introduction to African American Studies "Goals: To develop an understanding of several key issues in African American Studies emphasizing close textual reading and analysis. Content: The course materials will focus on critical readings about construction of race as a concept; intersections of race, class and gender; afrocentrism; pan-africanism; diasporic connections; nationalism; religious dimension; literary theory and popular culture. "
Argumentation and Advocacy "Goals: To study argumentation theories, including historical perspectives and current approaches; to understand arguments as a method of inquiry and advocacy, and as a problem-solving tool; to consider the ethical implications of formal and informal argument; to increase skills in critical thinking, in evaluation of evidence and reasoning, in developing strategies for the invention of persuasive argument, in evaluating formal and informal argument, and in justifying argumentation choices. To learn to construct and express oral arguments effectively in a public setting. Content: Analysis of theories and strategies of argumentation; application of principles and theories of argumentation; emphasis on critical assessment of argumentation in a variety of contexts and media."
Concentration: Resiliency in Gender, Violence and Social Change
Inside Out "The Inside-Out prison exchange program brings incarcerated individuals and Hamline undergraduates together to take a course behind prison walls to investigate issues related to crime, justice, freedom, inequality, and other social justice issues. Both inside and outside students will read various texts and write response papers throughout the semester. Students will work together to complete a class project. The course will take place at a Minnesota Department of Corrections Institution. This course is open to all Hamline undergraduate students who meet the prerequisite requirements."
Narrating Black Women's Resistance at Macalester "Using critical biographies of both well-known and lesser known African American women, this course will examine traditions of 20th-century African American women's activism, the ways in which they have changed over time, and also the interior lives of African American women. Too often, the narrative of the 'strong black woman' infuses stories of African American women's resistance, which coupled with a culture of dissemblance, makes the inner workings of their lives difficult to imagine. This course, at its heart, seeks to uncover the motivations, both personal and political, behind African American women's activism. It also seeks to address the ways in which African American women have responded to the pressing social, economic and political needs of their diverse communities. Biographical reading will be coupled, with primary sources, documentaries, and additional secondary sources to provide context."
Living In A Rape Culture
Independent Study: Masculinity and Campus Sexual Assault