BA in Liberal Studies, Global and Social Justice Studies

Strengthen your capacity to effect social change.

If you’re passionate about addressing urgent social problems, our Global and Social Justice Studies concentration can help you achieve the necessary competencies.  This concentration highlights the important role social movements have played throughout history in creating a more peaceful global society. Movements that have empowered youth, workers, indigenous communities, religious leaders, women, artists, cultural workers, and committed individuals of every color have effectively shaped the world that we live in. But these progressive movements were only started because of courageous leaders who were committed to a cause and showed immense bravery by challenging the status quo. Will you be next? This degree is offered by AU Seattle.

Program Overview

The goal of the Global and Social Justice Studies concentration is to prepare students to work within global and social justice organizations (e.g. nonprofit, governmental, educational, political, labor, philanthropic, humanitarian, and/or community-based organizations). Students interested in addressing urgent social problems, strengthening their own civic engagement, and/or pursuing graduate studies are encouraged to participate in this concentration. Global and Social Justice Studies foreground the important role social movements – consisting of diverse youth, workers, indigenous communities, religious leaders, women, artists, cultural workers, and committed individuals of every color – have played throughout history in creating a more peaceful global society. Through coursework and community-based learning opportunities, students will gain various political, theoretical, and organizational skills necessary to foster the conditions for empowerment and transformation within themselves as well as with their respective communities.

Customization is Key

In the BA in Liberal Studies program, each study plan is based on the student’s past experience, current needs and interests, and future goals. Students work in close collaboration with faculty advisors, instructors, and other students to shape their studies. Students build on earlier college work and on competencies learned at home, and at work, through independent reading and volunteer activities.

Degree Requirements

The Liberal Studies Bachelor’s degree requires 180 quarter credits, including a minimum of 60 upper-division credits, and a maximum of 120 lower-division credits. Graduation requirements include:

• 7 liberal studies courses
• an internship, or other in-the-world learning experience of the student’s choosing
• at least 40 credits in the Global and Social Justice concentration
• a senior capstone project

For detailed curriculum, degree requirements, and course descriptions, please visit the AUS catalog.

Example Coursework for Concentration Requirements

• Confronting Inequality
• Freedoms & Unfreedoms in US History
• Movements of the Marginalized
• Civil Rights Tour
• Narrating Change: Stories for Collective Action
• Beyond Homelessness
• Intersectional Coaching
• Sexualities, Genders & Identities
• Mapping Worlds: Wayfaring at the Margins
• LGTBQIA Voices
• Displaced Persons: Immigrants & Refugees
• Youth at Risk

Sample Community-Based Learning Experiences

• Women’s Education Project
• Washington Fair Trade Coalition
• Social Justice Fund
• King County juvenile justice program
• Field-based learning to organize/support an international human rights day event

Sample Synthesis Projects

• Design and facilitate an educational curriculum related to social/global justice issues
• Design a community-based research project with a local organization
• Interview and document the “counter-narratives” of community activists
• Organize an International Human Rights Day event/symposium

Career Outlook

The goal of the Global and Social Justice Studies concentration is to prepare students to work within global and social justice organizations, including:

• Nonprofit
• Governmental
• Educational
• Political
• Labor
• Philanthropic
• Humanitarian
• Community-based organizations