We are living in unprecedented times. The global COVID-19 pandemic, the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matters protests and advocacy for social justice that have followed, the many wildfires, hurricanes, and other natural disasters that increasingly have become the norm rather than the anomaly, have exposed the impact of interlocking systems of racism, inequality, and oppression, throughout American society. Advances in technology and increased globalization and migration are changing all aspects of our lives and the way we understand and interact with the world.

These dynamic changes will require graduates who are able to understand and solve complex social and cultural problems and who understand the world through an interdisciplinary lens. Graduates who possess the increasingly essential jobs skills of innovation, creativity, and cultural competence. The degree programs, classes, and extracurricular opportunities offered through the School of Culture, Gender & Social Justice provide students with a wealth of unique opportunities to develop and apply the important skills necessary to understand both today’s and tomorrow’s complex social issues and to be leaders and problem solvers regarding the same.

Mission Statement

The School of Culture, Gender & Social Justice (SCGSJ) provides a robust, interdisciplinary, liberal arts education that is informed by the historical, social, political, and cultural forces that shape society. Unique in its hands-on, practical approach, the SCGSJ enables students to understand complex social problems in a way that prepares them to be real-world problem solvers. Upon graduation, SCGSJ students are ready to advocate for justice, capable of developing innovative solutions to society’s most difficult problems, and prepared to do transformative, collaborative, work in any field they choose.