Social Justice and the Arts B.A./B.S.
The interdisciplinary BA/BS in Social Justice and the Arts curriculum creates multiple pathways for students to discover their potential to affect social change as members of local and global communities. Designed to serve both students with a background in traditional artistic disciplines and those who have not had extensive arts training prior to PSU, the degree connects topics across a range of disciplines and areas of study.
The 24-credit core curriculum centers themes of social justice, anti-racism, civic engagement, activism, social movements, non-violence, placemaking, advocacy and organizing. Students also select 12-credits of foundational (lower division) courses in COTA’s four schools (Music & Theater, Art & Design, Architecture, and Film), 12 credits of social justice-themed electives drawn from Anthropology, Child Youth & Family Studies, Conflict Resolution, Criminology, English, Political Science, Sociology, Social Work, Black Studies, Chicano/Latino Studies, Indigenous Nations Studies & Women, Sexuality and Gender Studies, and 8 credits of Race and Ethnic Studies. At the upper-division level, the degree offers students two concentrations that, while sharing common values of creativity, civic engagement and community-building, offer different pathways through the curriculum. The major culminates in a final practicum experience that integrates knowledge and establishes connections to cultural organizations locally and beyond.
A. Core Curriculum (24 credits)
COTA Artist as Citizen Curriculum
| COTA 135 | Artist as Citizen: A Survey of Art Activism | 4 |
| COTA 235 | Artist as Citizen: Social Justice Movements, Artistic Response and Impact | 4 |
| COTA 335 | Artist as Citizen: Engage in Art Activism | 4 |
Social Justice Core
12 credits to be selected from:
| Art 227 | Introduction to Art and Social Practices | 4 |
| CFS 487 | Examining Bias and Belief | 4 |
| COTA 199 | Navigating Conflict for Social Change | 4 |
| COTA 199 | Storytelling and Social Justice | 4 |
| COTA 199 | What About Love? | 4 |
| COTA 399 | Navigating Conflict for Social Change | 4 |
| COTA 399 | Storytelling and Social Justice | 4 |
| COTA 399 | What About Love? | 4 |
| CR 101 | Nonviolent Interaction | 2 |
| CR 201 | Social Movement Messaging | 2 |
| CR 301U | Introduction to Conflict Resolution | 4 |
| CR 302U | Peace Studies | 4 |
| CR 304U | Participating in Democracy | 4 |
| PA 311U | Introduction to Civic Engagement | 4 |
| PA 312U | Foundations of Community Leadership | 4 |
| PS 316U | Politics and the Arts | 4 |
| Soc 200 | Introduction to Sociology | 4 |
B. Disciplinary Foundation Core Courses: Appreciation, Theory, or Performance (12 credits)
Any 100- or 200-level Music course will count towards this requirement.
The following courses will also be accepted:
A more extensive list of disciplinary courses is available to students who also pursue a minor in Art Practice, Architecture, or Film.
Up to 2 credits of Applied Music may be used with advisor approval.
C. Social Justice Electives (12 credits)
| Anth 304 | Identity and Society | 4 |
| Anth 305 | Culture and Power | 4 |
| BSt 302U | The Contemporary African American Experience | 4 |
| BSt 304 | The Civil Rights Movement | 4 |
| BSt 318U/CFS 318U | Black Families in the U.S. | 4 |
| BSt 319U/Anth 319U | Traditional Cultures of Africa | 4 |
| BSt 325U | Race and Ethnicity in Latin America | 4 |
| BSt 326U | Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico | 4 |
| BSt 333U | Protests and People Power in Contemporary Africa | 4 |
| BSt 335U | The Multi-Racial Experience | 4 |
| BSt 339U | Afro-Futurisms/Black Science Fiction | 4 |
| BSt 342U | Black Feminism/Womanism | 4 |
| BSt 345U | Black Popular Music: Contextualizing the Black Experience | 4 |
| BSt 351U/Eng 351U | African American Literature I | 4 |
| BSt 352U/Eng 352U | African American Literature II | 4 |
| BSt 353U | African Women in Film | 4 |
| BSt 356U | Cuban Film: Politics and Culture | 4 |
| BSt 357U | Caribbean Spirituality and Resistance | 4 |
| BSt 359U | The African Diaspora in Europe | 4 |
| BSt 362U/Anth 362U | African Prehistory | 4 |
| BSt 363U | African Cinema and African Cultures | 4 |
| BSt 368U/WS 368U | Gender and Sexualities in Africa | 4 |
| BSt 372U/Intl 372U | Post-colonial Studies of Africa | 4 |
| BSt 377U | Vodoun, Rasta and Islam in the African Diaspora | 4 |
| BSt 378 | Philosophy of Race | 4 |
| BSt 384U | African Immigrant Communities in Oregon | 4 |
| CCJ 230 | Policing in America | 4 |
| CCJ 317 | Race, Crime, and Criminal Justice | 4 |
| CFS 340U | Queer Families | 4 |
| CFS 360 | Critical Disability: Impacts on Children, Youth, & Families | 4 |
| CFS 385U | Working with Diverse Families | 4 |
| CFS 388U | Sexual and Reproductive Justice in the United States | 4 |
| CFS 410 | TOP: MTHRS, MTHRNG & MTHRWRK | 4 |
| CFS 440 | Critical Youth Studies | 4 |
| CFS 450 | Youth Work Practice | 4 |
| CFS 460 | Grief and Loss in Families | 4 |
| ChLa 471/Hst 471 | Chicanx Labor History in the USA | 4 |
| Eng 372U/WS 372U | Topics in Literature, Gender, and Sexuality | 4 |
| Eng 373U | Topics in Literature, Race, and Ethnicity | 4 |
| Eng 422 | African Fiction | 4 |
| Eng 469 | Advanced Topics in Asian American Literature and Culture | 4 |
| Hst 442 | Race, Class and Gender in the American West | 4 |
| Hst 446 | Civil Rights and the Law: The History of Equal Protection | 4 |
| Intl 314U/USP 314U | The Global City in Film | 4 |
| Intl 342U | Globalization and Conflict in Latin America | 4 |
| Intl 360U | Bollywood: Communicating Contemporary South Asia through Cinema | 4 |
| Intl 380U | Globalization, Representation and Difference in Media and Film | 4 |
| NAS 399 | SPST: URBAN NATIVE AMERICA | 4 |
| PS 387 | Politics and Fiction | 4 |
| PS 418 | Contemporary Political Protest in America | 4 |
| PS 419 | Political Reform | 4 |
| PS 434 | The Making and Unmaking of American Racial Hierarchy | 4 |
| WS 451 | Interrupting Oppression | 4 |
D. Concentration Requirements (12 credits)
Complete one of the following concentrations:
Social Justice Concentration
12 credits to be selected from:
| ArH 398 | Contemporary Art | 4 |
| Art 327 | Intermediate Art and Social Practices | 4 |
| Art 328 | Art with Kids: Running a Museum in a Public School (KSMoCA) | 4 |
| Art 358/Des 358 | Video, Design & Community | 4 |
| Art 497 | A History of Art and Social Practice | 4 |
| Des 333 | Friendtorship: Design, Art and Social Change | 4 |
| Eng 326 | Literature, Community, and Difference | 4 |
| Mus 369U | Music and Social Change | 4 |
| TA 369U | Women, Theater, and Society | 4 |
COTA Concentration
12 credits to be selected from upper division courses in a single COTA discipline.
E. Race and Ethnic Studies from the School of Gender, Race, and Nations (8 credits)
Any course from the School of Gender Race and Nations (SGRN) course approved for the University-level Race & Ethnic Studies Requirement (RESR) may count towards this requirement.
This requirement also applies to 90-credit transfer students who otherwise only take 3 credits of RESR.
F. Practicum (4 credits)
As a culminating experience for the degree, students majoring in Social Justice and the arts will be required to engage in a 4-credit practicum. The SJA Practicum is intended to allow students to synthesize, integrate and reflect on what they learned throughout the course of their study, put their learning to work in the real world, and provide concrete opportunities to develop professional skills and abilities. The course will include weekly reflections, a curated community-based learning experience, an online seminar component, an interview with a professional in the field, and a final paper.
Total Credit Hours: 72