Interest in social justice issues has skyrocketed the past few years, with current events leading many people to either recognize gaps in their own knowledge or wondering how to better communicate with people who view the world through a different lens. Shoreline Community College has classes for both.
The College has a long history of offering programs and classes that help build multicultural awareness and competencies, and winter quarter 2021 is no different. Whether you’re just starting to examine issues around diversity, equity, and inclusion or you’re looking to build upon your knowledge base and widen your worldview, there’s a class for you.
Winter quarter classes are online and begin January 6, 2021. Read on for our list of winter classes with a social justice bent:
Child Advocacy Studies 102: Child Maltreatment and Advocacy Studies explores child maltreatment and the intersections of race, racism, poverty, and access to education. The class takes a deep dive into the impacts of maltreatment on both children and resources, why solutions to the problem are so complex, and how society can adjust to better support children and families to increase safety and security.
Communications Studies 203: Communicating for Social Change invites students to engage in reflection, discussion, and thought-provoking activities to experience a wide range of cultural perspectives, think critically, and build empathy. You’ll explore the ways that power and privilege shape perceptions of race, class, gender, sexuality, age, and more, and will learn communication skills to effect social change.
Communications Studies 285: Critical Intercultural Communication explores the complexities of intercultural communication in both U.S. and global contexts through an experiential, skill-building framework. You’ll analyze how we as individuals are shaped by culture and positions of power and privilege, or lack thereof. You’ll learn how to develop and apply intercultural skills to effect social change.
Early Childhood Education 120: Practicum-Nurturing Relationships takes a culturally inclusive and research-based approach to exploring the power of building culturally competent relationships in early childhood education. The class will focus on the benefits of creating a nurturing, safe, and culturally responsive environment with children and peers.
Gender & Women’s Studies 285: Gender, Violence, and Social Change examines the dynamics behind why crimes of rape, partner violence, child abuse, and sexual harassment are committed at alarming rates. It tackles tough issues, like how racism in the criminal justice system relates to gender violence and why powerful people get away with so much abuse. You’ll uncover how your own community and culture can change to reduce rates of gender violence, and how you can be part of that change.
Philosophy 240: Introduction to Ethics looks at six different theories of social justice that give us six different perspectives on the topic. The class also dives into big questions about the nature of right and wrong, good and bad, and the big question: why be moral? The class is a 200-level course, but has no prerequisite. Bonus: there’s no textbook to purchase. All the reading material is provided in the online classroom.
Psychology 225: Drugs and Behavior dives into the war on drugs and its disproportionate effect on communities of color in America. The class examines the racist drug policies of the 20th century in particular, the societal framing of drug use as “criminal behavior”, and how discussions of decriminalization and legalization are really social justice issues in many ways.
Psychology 230: Multicultural Psychology is only offered winter quarter, so sign up before you miss it! This class asks: How does culture influence the brain? Why are stereotypes so widespread? And what is implicit bias? If you want to understand the relationships between identity, intersectionality, mental health, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic background, and culture and learn how sociocultural contexts influence psychological processes, this is the class for you.
Sociology 137: Theories of Professionalism in Criminal Justice focuses on the social, political, and economic theories and concepts of professionalism in criminal justice and other related careers. A great class for anyone interested in going into law enforcement, social work, or a mental health-related field.
Sociology 270: Race, Power, and Food examines the politics of nutrition in the age of globalization. The class will revisit, re-envision, and re-articulate dominant understandings of history and culture as they relate to food. You’ll start by focusing on histories of race, ethnicity, and gender and extend your learning from there.
View the full winter 2021 class schedule.