I began the process of creating the Social Justice Studies major my sophomore year. I submitted a proposal for the major in January 2006, and I began with a major called "Writing of Social Change." As I said in the narrative that introduces the written work section, my idea for this major has come full circle, and I finally settled on a more expressive form (the artist's book) for my senior project. What follows is my revised major proposal.

Social Justice Studies (revised February 2008)

            The Social Justice Studies major examines the concepts of race, class, and gender in society, and the ways in which writing has worked throughout history to bring about social change.  The interdisciplinary nature of the major allows me to examine social sciences, history, literature, and writing, and relate these subjects to the study of social justice.  I will study social sciences and humanities such as religion, philosophy, and political science to explore the theoretical frameworks used to analyze social justice, as well as studying individual and artistic means of expression related to social change.  I will complete the American Conversations program to understand the historical and cultural roles that race, class, and gender have played—especially in America during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries—and to study specific instances of social justice and revolutionary thought.  I will study literature, specifically literary works of social change embedded in history, to examine the ways in which writing has been used to shape the dynamics of race, class, and gender.  By obtaining an English major and focusing on book arts, I will develop my analytical and writing skills and use the arts as a venue to express my own analysis and thoughts on the subject.  The Social Justice Studies major focuses on connections between disciplines—social sciences, history, literature and writing—to provide a deeper understanding of social justice on many levels. 

            As I think about my topic, I find these focusing questions helpful:
-What common historical and sociological factors do race, class, and gender oppression have in common?  What patterns do we see in their causes and effects?

-What methods have played a role in social change?  How have individuals expressed themselves and integrated social change into their daily lives?

-What styles and genres of writing are most effective in communicating the need for and importance of social change?  What literary devices might one use in constructing an argument or a persuasive piece of writing?

-Who have the influential writers and artists been in the history of social change in America in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as well as contemporarily?  In what genres or styles did they (and do they) express themselves?  How effective were/are they?  Who was/is their audience?  How did/do they make their voices heard?  What methods of theirs were/are most effective?

II. Rationale:

In a global society dominated by intersecting oppressions and vast inequality, the study of social justice is crucial.  Understanding the concepts of race, class, gender, culture and sexuality not only affords me a broad and multifaceted perspective on social justice issues, but also engenders an understanding of how individuals and groups work for change on personal, communal and global levels. 

While St. Olaf offers an English major and several majors and concentrations that deal with issues of social justice, no major focuses specifically on social justice from an interdisciplinary perspective—I want to examine the intersectionality of oppressions as they operate in society as well as engender and understanding of expressions (religious, cultural, social, artistic) of peace and justice. 

The Social Justice Studies major will integrate the academic studies of religion, social sciences, history, literature and writing, honing in on the book arts as a means to create a senior project.  Moving between disciplines, the major establishes foundational knowledge of historical events in American history that have involved social change, examines theoretical approaches to literature and history that allow me to see events and writings from many different perspectives, and helps me develop rhetorical and creative skills that I will use to examine social justice on many levels of society, including self-expression and spirituality.  Each of the classes supports the goals of the major and allows me to develop the necessary skills to complete it (see section III of proposal).  The major makes excellent use of on-campus resources; St. Olaf’s outstanding faculty in various disciplines add their own perspectives to understanding social justice.  Extracurricular opportunities such as activism groups on campus, living in the Cooperative Justice House my senior year, editing the News section of the Manitou Messenger, and off-campus studies are also valuable resources for the major. 

The Social Justice Studies major is very well suited to a liberal arts education.  Examining analytical and interdisciplinary approaches to learning about social change and social justice, the major ultimately teaches me to think for myself.  The major educates the whole student—it teaches me to think critically, develop a capacity for empathy, and seize opportunities for hands-on experience, activism, and self-expression, as well as an understanding of social justice beyond the individual.  This major rethinks the concept of academic rigor, honoring individual self-expression and a plurality of voices, and working from the ground up as opposed to from the canon down.

St. Olaf’s R.I.C.H. statement emphasizes that the college values “Respect for the dignity of others, despite difference in our beliefs; Integrity in actions and intent; Celebration of the gift of community, by becoming engaged in it; and Honesty in all aspects of life, in and out of the classroom.”  This major encompasses all these values by teaching me to respect the experience of each individual in his or her own social context, demonstrate integrity in my actions concerning social justice, celebrate the gift of community and work to bring people together to work for justice, and be honest about my own thoughts and reactions.
III. Coursework and requirements for the Social Justice Studies Major:

(First number indicates year and second number indicates semester, i.e. 1.2=first year, second semester; 2.15=sophomore year, interim)

In order to complete this major, one must have a sound understanding of race, class, and gender in society.  Drawing on the resources of many disciplines, the student will examine ethical and theoretical frameworks that address these concepts.

Humanities
1. Philosophy 245: Philosophy and Feminism (1.2)
Through the study of feminist political theory, students in this class critically examine issues that have prompted social change throughout history such as reproductive rights, motherhood, pornography, prostitution, and women in the workplace.  The class teaches feminist approaches to social issues, critical examinations of feminist philosophical theories, and effective legal rhetoric in bringing about social justice.  It also offers ethical standards by which one can judge social justice for women (see  Martha Nussbaum’s book Sex and Social Justice).

2. Political Science 255: Islam and Civil Society (3.1)
This course offers a framework through which students can analyze religion and social change, which is an important aspect of the major.  It is part of the Term in the Middle East abroad program, which deepens the student’s understanding of global interdependence and offers a global perspective on social justice studies.
Sociology 255, Moroccan Social Change, is another class taught on the program, which will allow the student opportunities to explore social change in a global context.

3. Religion 209: Introduction to Feminist Theology (2.1)
This course gives the student an opportunity to study feminism in a theological context, and allows her to develop the framework she needs to complete the EIN requirement.  As the course focuses primarily on language and images of God and evaluating arguments for and against the compatibility of Christianity and feminism, the student will develop critical thinking skills and rhetoric related to feminist thought.

4. Religion 295: Religious Pluralism and Community (3.2)
The study of religion and spirituality is a central part of social justice, especially in context of an interreligious America and an interreligious global society.  This course gives the student ethical frameworks through which she can analyze the interactions of communities, and it offers ethical frameworks by which she can assess social justice.

Interdisciplinary Studies
5. Women’s Studies 121: Introduction to Women’s Studies (1.2)
This class provides a solid foundation of the concepts and skills necessary to learn in an interdisciplinary manner.  Drawing on history, sociology, feminist theory, literature, and a plethora of other subjects, Introduction to Women’s Studies addresses issues relevant to feminism and social change, and allows exploration into the “gender” part of the major.  This class also addresses issues of social change concerning the gay, bisexual, lesbian, and transgender communities, which is a crucial component in understanding gender identity and social change.

6. Women’s Studies 399: Women and Language (3.2)
This course introduces a linguistic framework through which the student can analyze issues of social justice, and asks pertinent questions of the student: how does language function in society to uphold systems of oppression, and how can it be used to break down these systems?  What is my own personal responsibility within these linguistic systems?  How do complex linguistic factors come together to form a community of practice?

7a. American Conversations 201: Remaking America 1845-1945 (2.1)
Building on interdisciplinary concepts introduced in American Conversations 101 and 102, Remaking America focuses on aspects of social change relating to education, Native American history, and African American identity in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  The class not only gives a solid understanding of historical events, but also introduces literature embedded in periods of social change.  It explores the concepts of race, class, gender, and sexuality in American history, and how they interact in society.

7b. American Conversations 202: Pursuits of Happiness 1920-2000 (2.2)
This class focuses on changing attitudes in America in the twentieth century, examining how these attitudes have affected history and the social rhetoric employed by citizens.  Especially valuable to the major is the study of feminist writer Adrienne Rich, who had a profound influence on feminist social justice in the United States.  Pursuits of Happiness addresses the question of self-expression within a period of social protest and change; “dense facts” used to address this issues are the Freedom Summer, Wal-Mart, Adrienne Rich (as mentioned above), the Vietnam War, and environmental issues.

8. Interdisciplinary Studies 214: Art and Politics of the Book (3.2)
This class is imperative because it introduces the format for the Senior Project: the artist’s book.  The class focuses on the history of the artist’s book as a developing genre, as well as the social and political ways in which books have been and are currently used.  The techniques and foundational knowledge will be used in Senior Project I and Senior Project II, and I will serve as a teaching assistant for the class my senior year.

Literature and Writing
Reading and analyzing literary works embedded in these periods of historical social change is a crucial part of the Social Justice Studies major.  The student will not only analyze these works and understand their effects on society, but will also study effective rhetoric and literary devices that play a role in social change.  Eventually, the student will be able to emulate these techniques and develop them in an individual manner in order to write for social change.  Completing an English major will complement and enhance the student’s understanding of writing for social change.  English classes are listed at the end of this section.

9. English 286: Women’s Literature (2.1)
Examining works by female authors of varying backgrounds allows the student a cross-cultural perspective into women’s literature.  The class examines in depth several works that are embedded in periods of social change and that were written to raise awareness of limiting gender roles, such as Kate Chopin’s The Awakening and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper.”  Independent paper topics allow for exploration of feminist issues in literature. 

10. English 245: American Racial and Multicultural Literature (4.1)
Studying authors that focus on racial and multicultural concepts allows the students to experience the rhetoric of social justice.  The student will read works by Leslie Silko, Chaim Potok, Amy Tan, and Toni Morrison—all influential writers in the field of social justice—and study the concepts of voice and identity. 

Other courses that count toward major:

11. Integrative Studies 391: Senior Project I (4.1) see description and ideas below

12. Integrative Studies 392: Senior Project II (4.2)

 English Major:
The English major is an integral part of the Writing for Social Change major.  It establishes a firm foundation of critical and writing skills upon which I will build my own writing for social change. 
Majors are required to take nine English courses including English 185, 221, 222 and one course from a category designated “Global Literatures in English, 1850-Present” (GLE). Majors elect five courses. It is required that two of the electives be at Level III.
1. English 185: Literary Studies (2.1)
2. English 221: Literature in English to 1650 (2.2)
3. English 222: Literature in English 1650-1850 (3.2)
4. English 245: American Racial and Multicultural Literature (overlap) (4.1)
5. English 251: Creative Writing/Fiction and Poetry (4.1)
6. English 286: Women’s Literature (overlap) (2.1)
7. English 209: Colonialism and the Novel (GLE) (4.15)
8. English 371: Advanced Poetry  (4.2)
9. English 398: Independent Study (4.1)

Extracurricular Experience
In order to explore these skills outside the classroom, I have engaged in and plan to engage in quite a few extracurricular experiences:
1. During the summer of 2005, I experienced some grassroots social change when I canvassed for the Georgia Public Interest Research Group (Georgia PIRG), working for environmental change and gaining public support for a bill that would provide incentives for citizens to preserve their land instead of selling it to be over-developed.  I also volunteered at the DeKalb Rape Crisis Center in Decatur, Georgia, doing odd office jobs and helping the organization prepare for a rape crisis support training in the fall.  Both experiences gave me insight into the most basic aspect of social change: organizing citizens and raising awareness.  They provided me with knowledge and experience.
2. I write for the Manitou Messenger to develop my skills in appealing to an audience and general writing.  Topics have ranged from opinions on gas prices to reporting special events on campus.  My senior year, I became an editor of the News section of the paper, which has allowed me insight into how media organizations work and has offered my opportunities to be a part of a community dynamic.  In the future, I will work to use the rhetoric of social change that I will have developed in my coursework. 
5.  I will live in the Cooperative Justice Honor House my senior year with ten other women committed to social and environmental justice.  As a house, we will carry out projects that stem from our mission statement: a commitment to social and environmental justice on personal, house, campus, community and global levels.  We will collaborate with other honor houses and awareness organizations to engage the community in activism; we will also use living together as an opportunity to act out justice in our lifestyles and in the way we interact with one another.

IV. Description of learning and life experience leading up to this proposal:
In my Introduction to Women’s Studies course, I was struck by the study of the intersectionality of race, class, and gender oppression.  The systems of oppression proved to be similar, as did the methods of bringing about change.  I am from Atlanta, a city fraught with race conflict and a place that has been the center of much social change, and I am fascinated by these struggles that inform the social atmosphere in which I was raised. 

V. Initial proposal for a senior integrative project:
I will complete and artist’s book dealing with issues of social change as they manifest themselves on personal and social levels, addressing the ways in which nonviolence (a term which includes fighting social injustices) exists on personal levels and extends out to activism.  I will also compile a collection of essays that I have written on the subject of social justice.

VI. Description of index page of web portfolio, potential conceptual links within major and with outside resources:
The index page will feature different sections of my senior project: how I put the major together, my artist's books, my written work porfolio. I will also have a section about myself in order to root the viewer in a social location and particularity of experience, and I will have links to the justice community at large (by no means will this be a complete list! I will only have space to show a few of the many amazing activists that have web resources). The written work portfolio will follow the form of my own journey with justice, and the book section will be organized with images of the four artist's books I made.