Critical Theory and Social Justice

Overview

Critical Theory and Social Justice (CTSJ) is the only undergraduate academic department of its kind in the U.S. Since 2006, the CTSJ major has graduated students with rigorous training in critical theory and transformative political practice. At the heart of the program is an interrogation of intersecting structures of power. Our three pillars of inquiry are interdisciplinary thought, intersectional analysis, and critical interventions. The department emphasizes the necessary relationship between critical thought and political action. Majors will learn ethical tools to effectively work within formal structures of politics and grassroots activism, and employ creative and inventive approaches to seemingly intractable problems. Majors will learn the functions and processes of formal political institutions, as well as radically transformative modes of resistance, which precede and exceed oppression. As students advance through the major, they will study in academic disciplines as diverse as psychology, political science, decolonial theory, critical race theory, Black studies, Indigenous studies, feminist theory, queer theory, biopolitics, post-modern political theory, and gender and sexuality studies. 

The major has a strong emphasis on praxis. Students are required to participate in the Justice Bootcamp and the Justice Practicum. Beyond the classroom, students will be given the opportunity to engage in a clinical practicum, participate in the editorial process of the Critical Theory and Social Justice Journal, study abroad, and participate in the summer research program. Past majors facilitated local development of a neighborhood museum in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, authored foundational work in the Menarchist Movement, and gone on to become public intellectuals, community activists, and agents of political and social change at all levels of government and in non-governmental organizations.

Courses within the department are divided into three levels. Classes taught at the 100-level teach and train students how to think and act critically and rigorously across a wide range of topics, including race, gender, sexuality, and nationality. Classes taught at the 200-level teach students how to think and write clearly and analytically about methodologies and concepts. Students will also learn to speak thoughtfully and cogently in the classroom and in public places. At the 300-level students will develop competency in the intersecting bodies of work that constitute critical theory and social justice. Students in 300-level classes will be expected to develop and write research papers that demonstrate a facility with transdisciplinarity.

Requirements

Major

Required Courses

Students must complete the four required courses listed below.

Additional Electives

Students must complete seven additional courses in CTSJ. 

Honors in the Major

Students majoring in CTSJ must be nominated during their senior year by a CTSJ faculty member to be considered for Honors. Nominations will be reviewed by the CTSJ department faculty based on: a major GPA of 3.70 or higher, a “Pass with Distinction” comprehensive project, an “A” grade in CTSJ 398, and significant contributions to the life of the department and in activism in the community.

Minor

The minor in Critical Theory & Social Justice requires five courses (20 units) taught in the CTSJ Department: Introduction to Critical Theory (CTSJ 100) and four additional electives.

Second-Stage Writing

Students majoring in Critical Theory and Social Justice satisfy the Second-Stage Writing Requirement by completing the Junior Seminar (CTSJ 390).

Comprehensive Requirement

In their senior year, students majoring in Critical Theory & Social Justice are required to complete a comprehensive project concerning a topic of the student's own particular interest. Students will complete their comps during CTSJ 490: Senior Seminar in the fall semester of their senior year. Each student is directed to consult with at least one CTSJ professor in addition to the professor teaching the senior seminar. The final version of the comprehensive project is due on the last day of the week prior to Thanksgiving. A typical project culminates in a 25- to 30-page paper. The department is open to critical projects of comparable length that employ other media from students formally trained in those media with faculty approval. Designated CTSJ faculty will review the comps by the end of the Fall semester and provide ratings to students. There are three ratings: "Pass with Distinction," "Pass," and "No Pass." A comprehensive project earns the grade "Pass with Distinction" if all designated faculty agree that it meets the highest standards. In the case of a "Pass" rating,  students may work on their project to improve it to the level of "Pass with Distinction" by the start of the spring semester. In the case of "No Pass," the student works with faculty and the senior comps professor to complete the project to departmental satisfaction by the start of spring semester.

Advising Information

Students interested in majoring in CTSJ are encouraged to take CTSJ 100 during their first year.  Most 100- and 200-level courses are open to first-year students and have no prerequisites. In addition to the six required courses, CTSJ majors must complete five additional elective CTSJ courses.

Placement Information

No placement exams are specifically required for the Critical Theory & Social Justice major. 

Sample 4-Year Plan

Transfer Credit Policies

Students transferring from another institution in their junior year or students who have taken a leave of absence for more than 1 semester may apply up to two courses from an accredited college or university toward the CTSJ Major requirements, with approval from the department chair. Students should provide the department chair with a course name, description, and syllabus. The department does not apply transfer credits to satisfy the requirements for the CTSJ Minor.  For more general college policies, students should reference the Transfer Credit section of the Catalog for more details.

Courses

Critical Theory and Social Justice Courses

Faculty

Tenure and Tenure-Track Faculty

Mary Christianakis, co-chair

Professor

B.A., M.Ed., University of California, Los Angeles; M.A., Loyola Marymount University; Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley

Malek Moazzam-Doulat, co-chair
Resident Assistant Professor
A.B., Occidental College; Ph.D., State University of New York, Stony Brook

Glenn A. Elmer Griffin

Professor

B.A., Pacific Union College; Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary

Non-Tenure Track Faculty

Caitlin Joy Dobson

Kimiko Elguea

David Guignion

Marisol León
Visiting Assistant Professor
B.A., Yale University; M.A., Loyola Marymount University; J.D., University of California, Berkeley

Promise Li

Other faculty associated with the Critical Theory and Social Justice department can be viewed here.