Critical Theory and Social Justice
Overview
Critical Theory and Social Justice (CTSJ) is fundamentally interdisciplinary, drawing on ideas from across traditional academic disciplines. "Critical" refers to various bodies of theory and method: Marxism, psychoanalysis, the Frankfurt School, deconstruction, critical race studies, queer theory, feminist theory, postcolonial theory, and intersectionality that interrogate the essentialist assumptions that underlie social identities. "Social justice" refers to an extra-juridical concept of fairness that is focused on exposing and ending social inequalities. The aim of the CTSJ Department is to promote understanding of how categories such as "race," "sexual orientation," and "nationality" help people recognize and combat some injustices and hinder them from recognizing and combating others.
The department's course offerings are divided into three levels:
- 100-level classes teach students how to think critically about a wide range of topics, including race, gender, sexuality, and nationality.
- 200-level classes teach students how to participate in a seminar, including how to contribute to class discussion and how to research and write a scholarly paper.
- 300-level classes teach students a major body of critical theory or a research methodology.
Major Requirements
The major in Critical Theory & Social Justice requires ten courses (40 units) selected in consultation with the student's departmental advisor. Each CTSJ major chooses an emphasis in one of three areas: Critical Race Studies, Postcolonial Studies, and Feminist/Queer Studies.
Of the ten courses, at least eight must be offered by the CTSJ Department. Each student is required to submit a major declaration that outlines what the student defines as her/his goals for completing the major.
COURSEWORK
| | One course at the 100 level | 4 |
| | One course at the 200 level | 4 |
| | Two courses at the 300 level | 8 |
Junior Seminar
| CTSJ 390 | CTSJ Junior Seminar: Interventions | 4 |
The Junior Seminar will be offered during the Spring Semester. Students planning on traveling abroad during their junior year should do so in the fall semester.
Senior Seminar
| CTSJ 490 | Senior Seminar in Critical Theory - Social Justice | 4 |
Two 4-unit methodologies courses
Methodology courses taught in other departments may count. Decisions about which courses count are made on an individual basis in consultation with the student’s advisor and the department chair.
Additional Electives
Students must complete two additional CTSJ electives.
Experiential Learning
A minimum of four units. Credit for this component may be earned through participation in a departmentally-approved internship or by completing a community-based learning or research course offered by CTSJ or another department. Students will work with their advisors to determine how to fulfill this requirement in the context of their own courses of study as defined in their major declarations. Students may refer to the list below for pre-approved coursework:
| CTSJ 257 | Critical Praxis: Lyrics on Lockdown | 4 |
| CTSJ 310 | Qualitative Interview Methods | 4 |
| CTSJ 320 | Culture and Community | 4 |
| CTSJ 337 | Queer Los Angeles: Cruising the Archive | 4 |
| CTSJ 340 | Critical Ethnography | 4 |
| CTSJ 369 | Clinical Psychology Laboratory | 2 |
| MATH 201 | Mathematics, Education, and Access to Power | 2 |
| POLS 212 | Mobilizing Voters: Ethnographic Field Research | 4 |
| POLS 260 | Community Law Internship | |
| UEP 307 | Public Health Practicum | 4 |
| UEP 311 | Community Internship | 4 |
| WRD 250 | Writing with the Community | 4 |
COURSES IN CTSJ EMPHASIS AREAS
To complete an emphasis, a student must take three courses within the chosen emphasis area and at least one course in the other two emphasis areas.
Postcolonial Studies
Feminist/Queer Studies
Critical Race Studies
Students may count the same course for a maximum of two different emphases (i.e. “double-dip") for courses that are designated for multiple emphases. Students may also choose to do two emphases within the major.
ACCEPTABLE COURSES FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS
The courses listed below count toward the CTSJ major (in addition to non-CTSJ courses that count toward the Experiential Learning Requirement). Students may work with their academic advisor to petition other courses to count for the CTSJ major. Students should consult with their academic advisor in choosing non-departmental courses that fit best with their CTSJ major.
WRITING REQUIREMENT
Students majoring in Critical Theory and Social Justice satisfy the final component of Occidental College's college-wide writing requirement by completing the Junior Seminar (CTSJ 390).
COMPREHENSIVE REQUIREMENT
In their senior year, students majoring in Critical Theory and Social Justice are required to complete a comprehensive project concerning a topic of the student's own particular interest. Students produce drafts of their projects during CTSJ 490: Senior Seminar in the fall semester of their senior year. (A student graduating in December is encouraged to take 490 in his or her third-to-last semester, rather than in the last semester.) 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 the Friday before spring (or midterm) break of the student's final semester. A typical project culminates in a 20- to 25-page paper. The department is open to critical projects of comparable length that employ other media from students formally trained in those media. A comprehensive project earns the grade "Pass with Distinction" if the department faculty determine that it is of the quality publishable in the CTSJ Journal or another journal in the fields embraced by Critical Theory & Social Justice.
HONORS
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, who will consider the nominee’s excellence as a CTSJ major by examining a number of factors such as: major GPA, quality of the comprehensive project, experiential learning, and engagement with community-based learning and research. Nominees must meet the minimum overall GPA of 3.25 set by the College for Honors. Students interested in being considered for Honors may apply during the first semester of their senior year to enroll in CTSJ 499: Honors Thesis, which is an independent study, by conferring with their academic advisor and the instructor of CTSJ 490: Senior Seminar. Permission to enroll in CTSJ 499 does not guarantee that the student will receive Honors; the student’s completed comprehensive project will be considered along with the additional criteria listed above in consideration for the designation of Honors.
Minor Requirements
The minor in Critical Theory & Social Justice requires five courses (20 units) taught in the CTSJ Department.
| | One course at the 100 level | 4 |
| | One course at the 200 level | 4 |
| | One course at the 300 level | 4 |
Additional Electives:
Choose two approved courses from the lists above
Courses
Critical Theory and Social Justice Courses
Faculty
Regular Faculty
Donna Maeda, chair
Professor, Critical Theory and Social Justice
B.A., St. Olaf College; Ph.D., USC J.D., Boalt Hall (UC Berkeley)
Mary Christianakis
Associate Professor, Critical Theory and Social Justice
B.A., UCLA; M. Ed., UCLA; M.A., Loyola Marymount University; Ph.D., UC Berkeley
G. Elmer Griffin
Professor, Critical Theory and Social Justice
B.A., Pacific Union College; Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary
Heather Lukes
Assistant Professor, Critical Theory and Social Justice
B.A., UC Berkeley; M.A., Ph.D., UCLA