Human Rights & Social Justice Minor | St. Thomas Aquinas College

The School of Arts & Social Sciences offers an 18 credit minor in Human Rights & Social Justice.
This minor concerns the promotion and protection of human dignity irrespective of race, color, social class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, culture, or nationality and involves an examination of societal problems of hunger and poverty, education, immigration, discrimination, and ecological issues.

Students are encouraged to recognize how human rights and social justice causes are intertwined in different fields of study. Students are prepared for advanced study in an appropriate discipline where scholarship can focus on human rights and social justice, or in careers that incorporate human rights advocacy, including journalism, filmmaking, law, teaching, policy analysis, or service in government or intergovernmental entities.

Internships are available in this area of study. Internships with 3 credits will be accepted provided they meet the standard of the minor and will need the approval of the major advisor.

A) Foundation (3 Credits)

Course Code	Course Name	Credits
HRSJ 201	Introduction to Human Rights and Social Justice	3 CR

		3 CREDITS

B) Religious and Ethical Perspectives (3 Credits) – select one

Course Code	Course Name	Credits
RELS 213	Religion, Race, and Social Justice	3 CR
RELS 214	Theology and Social Justice	3 CR
RELS 215	Religion and Capitalism	3 CR
RELS 223	Islam and Western Imperialism	3 CR
REL 301	Religion and Gender	3 CR

		3 CREDITS

C) Social, Legal, & Cultural Perspectives (3-6 Credits) – Select One or two

Course Code	Course Name	Credits
CJ 312	Penology*	3 CR
CJ 315	Prisons in America*	3 CR
CJ 300	Race, Crime, Gender, and Criminal Justice*	3 CR
SOC 203	Ethnic Groups in America	3 CR
SOC 404	Law and Society*	3 CR

*Recommended Pre-Req Course(s):		3 OR 6 CREDITS

D) Historical Perspectives (6-9 Credits) – Select Two or Three

Course Code	Course Name	Credits
HIST 325	Hitler’s Germany	3 CR
HIST 316	City and Suburb in America	3 CR
HIST 17	Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity & Human Rights	3 CR
HIST 324	Immigrants in America	3 CR
HIST 300	Latin America and the US	3 CR
HIST 300	Capitalism and Freedom	3 CR
HIST 300	Native American History and Resistance	3 CR
HIST 300	Race, Class, and Gender in Oral History	3 CR
HIST 318	Racism: Global Perspectives	3 CR
HIST 319	Apartheid: Discrimination and Resolution	3 CR
HIST 321	The Civil Rights Movement	3 CR
SOC 101	Introduction to Sociology*	3 CR

*Recommended Pre-Req Course(s):		6 OR 9 CREDITS