Program

Social Justice Studies at W&J: A New Program

Katie Hahn

Red & Black Manager of Photography

For all students, both newly admitted and rising in the ranks, there’s a new minor being added to the course catalog to expand your studies: Social Justice Studies (SJS).

“Over the years of teaching at W&J we’ve come to realize that many students here on campus care passionately about social injustices and are invested in trying to remedy them,” said Dr. Olga Solovieva, associate professor and director of religious studies here at W&J.

Dr. Solovieva, along with Dr. Jason Kilgore, associate professor of biology, spearheaded the initiative to implement the new program. The two recognized student passions across disciplines for social justice and began to formulate a comprehensive academic framework to allow students to study a wide range of social justice issues and create connections between theory and practice.

What resulted was a program that spans 16 different disciplines, includes 50 different programs, and is contributed to by over 20 different professors. To complete the minor, students are expected to complete five courses (20 total credits) that cover at least three different disciplines. Within these five courses, students must take one core course and four electives, all of which can be found on the SJS page on Mywj.washjeff. edu. Students are also expected to complete an experiential learning project requirement, which can be satisfied with an independent student, internship, research project, or an experience of similar caliber approved by the program coordinator.

During the International Week events hosted on campus this past month, student and alumni panelists presented under the advisement of Dr. Solovieva and Dr. Kilgore discussed the importance of a commitment to social justice, intercultural understanding, and interfaith cooperation. The presentation, titled “Social Justice in a Diverse World: Student Experiences and Perspectives,” demonstrated this passion that Dr. Solovieva points out.

“Our students and graduates are committed to making this world a better place, and feel that academic training and community engagement opportunities they have received at W&J can make them more effective contributors to this challenging project,” she said.

Shayla Watkins, the first student graduating with the SJS minor, was one of these panelists. Watkins has always had a passion for humanitarian aid and shared her experience participating in a summer AmeriCorps KEYS program assisting children in low-income school districts in the area, as well as her virtual experience with the School of International Training.

“This minor not only emphasizes social justice and your role in that if you’re interested in that but it also forces you to take classes from so many different disciplines that you’re able to open your perspective beyond just the means of social justice,” said Watkins. “It’s applicable to anything - professionally and academically.”

Watkins explained that even students who may not be interested in completing this program in its entirety should still look into these particular courses, as they represent a lot of strong core values.

Dr. Solovieva offered a similar perspective.

“The SJS minor would pair well with many majors, and would be a good fit for students seeking a career in any field requiring them to work closely with other people or work on policies and projects benefitting communities and individuals,” she explained.

For more information regarding course requirements and affiliated courses, students can visit the SJS pages of the 2022-2023 course catalog and MyW&J. Students are also invited to reach out to the program coordinators, Dr. Solovieva and Dr. Jason Kilgore, with any other questions.

Courtesy Erin Jones April 11th, 2022 - The student and alumni panel shared their experiences with social justice during International Week at W&J.