Increasing inequality, political polarization, and diversity premiums have increased demand for Social Justice professionals in non-governmental organizations (NGOs), non-profit institutions, grassroots activist collectives, and corporate departments whose work involves subjects like multiculturalism, community outreach, and equity. To provide the skills necessary for such work, the Department of Sociology at Georgia State University offers a multi-disciplinary Certificate in Social Justice. This Certificate 1) provides specialized curricula to strengthen the candidacy of Program graduates for post-graduate professional activities concerned with social justice, 2) provides opportunities to apply course material via experience-based active learning activities, and 3) forms a comprehensive and interdisciplinary field of social justice from the relevant - but isolated - courses in discrete university departments.
You should declare your interest in the Certificate program to your Academic Advisor or the Program Director. To be eligible, you must have 1) a minimum 2.5 GPA, 2) completed your first academic year, and 3) earned a “B” or better in any of the following courses: SOCI 1101 Introduction to Sociology; AAS 2010 Introduction to African-American Studies; WGSS 2010 Introduction to Women’s/Gender/Sexuality Studies; or RELS 4030 Introduction to Human Rights.
This Certificate requires 15 credit hours of undergraduate course work. Students must earn a “B” or better in each core course (SOCI 4350 and SOCI 4351 ). If a core course is not offered during an academic year, students may petition the Program Director to substitute this requirement with a different course. Additionally, students must take one course from the “Intersectional Justice” listing and two courses in either the “Race & Anticolonial/Gender & Queer Justice” listing or the “Economic, Political, and Civic Justice” listing.
For more information, email the Program Director, Dr. Desmond Goss, at Dgoss5@gsu.edu.
