Bulletin - John Jay College Of Criminal Justice - CUNY

Certificates, Programs and Minors
Counseling 3XX Work, Vocational Development, and Social Justice
in Human Service
Interdisciplinary Studies Program (ISP) - A designated number of
interdisciplinary studies courses can be used to complete
requirements when appropriate to the topic of Human Service
Contact the ISP Department (Room 433T) for details about courses,
and consult with the Human Service Minor coordinator before
registering.
Total: 18
HUMANITIES AND JUSTICE MINOR (Interdisciplinary
– see Minor Coordinator)
Description. The Humanities and Justice minor offers students the
opportunity to explore fundamental questions about justice from a
humanistic and interdisciplinary perspective. Embedded in history,
literature, and philosophy, the minor engages students in the study of
constructions of justice that underlie social policy and criminal
justice as well as in broader issues of morality and equity.
Rationale. The Humanities and Justice minor will provide students
who are majoring in the social sciences and sciences with an
important supplementary perspective for their study of issues,
policies, and laws concerned with justice. With its interdisciplinary
focus, the minor will also enrich the curriculum of students majoring
in one of the humanities. Its courses are designed to help students
develop the skills of careful reading, critical thinking, and clear
writing that are necessary for careers in law, public policy, civil
service, and teaching.
Minor coordinator. Professor Bettina Carbonell, Department of
English (212.237.8702, bcarbonell@jjay.cuny.edu)
Requirements. The minor in Humanities and Justice requires a total
of 18 credits of which 6 credits are required and 12 credits are
electives.
Credits
Required Subtotal: 6
Humanities and Justice 250 Justice in the Western Traditions
Humanities and Justice 310 Comparative Perspectives on Justice
This two-course sequence provides an introduction to a consideration
of "justice" as a personal, social, and political construction. Selected
texts from history, literature, and philosophy introduce students to the
complexities attending the meanings of justice from ancient to
modern times. Issues under study may include retribution and
revenge; justice as political and social equity; determinism, free will,
and the "unjust" act; divinity, hierarchy, and community as perceived
sources of justice (or injustice); the social construction of justice,
injustice, and crime; law as a structure of rules representing, defining,
and shaping justice. The sequence will explore how understandings
of justice clarify the ethical and legal frameworks defining religion,
the state, colonialism and national identity, race and ethnicity,
gender, ruling, class, the family, and similar structures.
Students in HJS 250 study works concerned with justice in the
western tradition (primarily historical, literary, and philosophical
texts of Europe, Britain, and North America). With its focus on works
from the Mideast, Africa, Asia, and the other Americas, HJS 310
expands student understandings of justice. It encourages comparative
assessments between western and nonwestern forms of justice by
studying contacts resulting from war and conquest, trade, and cultural
exchange. HJS 310 also develops and extends the skills students have
gained in HJS 250 by its comparative tasks, by supplementing
primary texts with theoretical readings, and by more complex and
lengthy writing assignments.
Electives Subtotal: 12
Students must take four courses in literature, history, and/or
philosophy selected from the humanities electives offered each
semester that count toward the Humanities and Justice major. At least
two of these courses must be at the 300 level or above. Students will
select their electives in consultation with the minor coordinator.
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