Social Justice Studies is an interdisciplinary and diverse field that gives voice to historically marginalized peoples and their perspectives by challenging systems of injustice and valuing diversity. Social justice exists when people are not discriminated against, or denied access to opportunities, economic resources, or privileges based on their gender, sexuality, religion, age, race, belief, disability, location, social class, economic circumstances, political affiliation, or other characteristics of background or group membership. Social Justice Studies explores the connections between the ideals of justice and the realities of injustice while finding practical solutions to bridge the two. This program seeks to educate students on progressive social change, reflect on the dynamics of power and knowledge, and promote multiple approaches to social justice issues while encouraging students to be informed and active citizens.

The Associate in Arts in Social Justice Studies: Race and Ethnicity for Transfer (AA-T) degree provides a path for students wishing to transfer into various CSU majors related to race and ethnicity, such as Ethnic Studies, Chicano Studies, or African American Studies. This Transfer Model Curriculum is an “Area of Emphasis” (AOE), which allows students to transfer into more than one CSU major related to Race and Ethnicity. Students interested in transferring to a CSU campus to pursue a bachelor’s degree in an Area of Emphasis should meet with a counselor to confirm the courses required for lower-division preparation in the major. This degree exposes students to the core principles and practices of the Social Justice Studies field in order to build a foundation for their future personal, academic, activist, or vocational paths.

The degree may be obtained by the completion of 60 transferable, semester units with a minimum 2.0 GPA, including (a) the major or area of emphasis described in the Required Program outlined below (earning a C or better in these courses) and (b) either the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) or the California State University General Education Breadth Requirements.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, the student will be able to:

🗸 PSLO #1: Research how theoretical perspectives and critical theories on social justice inform the social, political, economic, historical, and cultural circumstances surrounding justice as they relate to race and ethnicity as well as other intersectional aspects of life in society.

🗸 PSLO #2: Define and analyze power and oppression and their interrelationship to privilege to better understand how they operate at the individual, cultural, and institutional levels.

🗸 PSLO #3: Explain how intersectional formations of social identity reflect social conditions and various levels of power and privilege impact social justice at the individual, cultural, and institutional levels.

🗸 PSLO #4: Recognize the historical origins, similarities, and differences in struggles for social justice among different ethnic and racial groups in the United States and globally.

🗸 PSLO #5: Assess artistic works that examine oppression, power, and justice as they relate to race and ethnicity.

🗸 PSLO #6: Investigate social justice advocacy and activism to learn how to become equitably accountable to one's individual and group sense of positionality and place in the world in pursuit of social justice.

Career Information

The AA-T degree provides students with a solid foundation in Social Justice Studies as well as prerequisites for upper-division coursework leading to the baccalaureate degree in a variety of Areas of Emphasis. The degree gives students a pathway to possibilities, options, and baccalaureate degrees focusing on social justice. In addition, a student can use the AA-T in Social Justice Studies to get into a CSU and then complete a graduate degree in a related field. Students with degrees in this field often assume careers as (or in) the following: activists, community organizers, political campaigners, human rights groups, religious organizations, international agencies, lobbyists, and mediators. This program is also an excellent starting point for students interested in a career in law, law enforcement, social work, clinical psychology, or any social science, politics, business, education, or public policy.