The course schedule includes new and existing courses relevant to society today
Posted on: July 9, 2020; Updated: July 9, 2020
By Annika Dahlgren, [email protected]
This fall, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences begins its new semester-themed initiative that encourages faculty and students from across the university to explore ideas related to a central subject. Last fall, members of the Arts and Sciences faculty had the opportunity to submit proposals on what the topic would be and, after reviewing many entries, the college is dedicating its first thematic semester to justice.
The theme aims to combine works from the arts, humanities, social sciences and natural and mathematical sciences to deal with challenging questions and problems. It will feature academic courses, public lectures, films, exhibitions, panel discussions and other extracurricular activities. The objective is to enrich the educational experience of students inside and outside the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
It is safe to say that the year 2020 did not go according to anyone’s plans. From the experience of a pandemic to public demonstrations of support for inclusion and diversity, the events of the year offered many opportunities for growth and strength.
The fight for environmental justice is both to demand that everyone – regardless of income, race, geography, gender – have the right to live in a healthy and clean environment and the forms of systemic racism that manifest themselves in the location of toxic facilities.
Monica Barra, professor of anthropology
“2020 will be forever written in the history books. The addition of a social justice themed semester couldn’t come at a more perfect time, and I’m very excited to be part of a college that saw value in these topics last year, ”said Issy Rushton, student and student president from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. “With a drive for more robust diversity and inclusion efforts and with a global pandemic hanging over the future of our country, these classes will train students from around the world who are ready to move the nation forward and become contributing members of the community. ”
The thematic semester will offer opportunities for students, teachers and community members to engage in debates, research and conversations on relevant justice issues in all arts and sciences disciplines. Both students and teachers are enthusiastic about this initiative.
“The fight for environmental justice is as much to demand that all people – regardless of income, race, geography, gender – have the right to live in a healthy and clean environment, as well as the forms of systemic racism that manifest themselves in the locality. of toxic facilities, ”says assistant professor Monica Barra, who will teach a class on environmental justice this fall. “The course emphasizes the ways in which communities suffering from environmental damage and discrimination seek and define social justice in a context of persistent racial, economic and political inequalities.”
The following are some of the other available classes that students have the option of taking this fall. These are just some of the options available for the Thematic Semester at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. For students interested in participating, enrollment is made on a first-come, first-served basis. Register soon for a class designed to challenge you in and out of the classroom.
ANTH 277
Forbidden archeology: fantasies, frauds and mysteries of the human past. Taught by Eric Jones, this class will explore three major fraudulent ideas about the human past – all related to the theme of justice this semester – and evaluate them using the theories and methods of archaeological science. Students will explore the connections between white supremacy, colonialism and imperialism and fantastic claims about ancient aliens and lost civilizations, such as Atlantis. The class will also cover how pseudoarcheology has been used for nationalist purposes, including the promotion of violent conquests and genocide and to expropriate native societies from land and cultural properties.
CRJU 591
Justice abortions. Taught by Deena Isom Scott, this course will provide an extensive investigation into the constructs of justice and the realities of errors in justice. It will highlight three central themes – lynching and racial terror, the death penalty and unfair convictions – although other forms of judicial errors are also discussed. This course will provide a critical and interdisciplinary examination of the historic and current functioning of the American criminal justice system. The course will challenge students to analyze the historical roots of contemporary forms of racial profiling, vigilantism and state control.
ENVR 348 / AFAM 348
Environmental Justice. Taught by Monica Barra, this course will focus on the emergence of the environmental justice movement in the United States and its transformation into a global social movement to address political and environmental inequality from the mid-20th century to the present. The class will explore local and global environmental injustice case studies and monitor how different communities face environmental discrimination based on race, class, gender and geography.
GEOG 310
Doing geography. Taught by April Hiscox, this course is a holistic introduction to geography. Although the topics are diverse, students will spend two weeks discussing the history and effectiveness of addressing social justice through the arts.
GEOG 321
Sustainable cities. Taught by Conor Harrison, this course explores social, environmental and economic aspects to make cities more sustainable. This class received the 2020 Theme Justice scholarship to incorporate citizen science efforts in detecting natural gas leaks in urban environments.
MATHEMATICS 399/599
Voting and Elections. Taught by Scott Dunn, a key part of this course will address the aspect of justice in elections – gerrymandering, suppression of voters and various constitutional amendments. This class is perfect for people interested or invested in the upcoming 2020 elections.
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Topics: students, teachers, academics, diversity, history, student voices, faculty of arts and sciences