JUSTICE STUDIES

Glenn Hastedt, Chair

Daisy Breneman, Academic Advisor

What is justice?

JUSTICE is a concept that encompasses the principles of fairness, equity, and right action. Justice is necessary for sustaining and promoting the growth

and development of individuals and communities politically, economically, and socially.

What we Are• Liberal Arts program

• Social sciences and the humanities• Interdisciplinary• Looking at “puzzles”: rigorous analysis• Policy focused• Students develop a personal definition of justice

What We Are Not

• A Criminal Justice Major• Criminal Justice Minor at JMU, pre-professional focus• CRJU programs : applied problems to be solved• JUST views justice issues as a general class of social and

political problems to be understood; looks at puzzles that have multiple answers depending on perspective

• Pre Law School Major• JMU offers Pre-law as a pre-professional program; students select

major from a wide range of fields

THE JUSTICE STUDIES MAJOR• Core Requirements: • Track Requirements

• Track A: Crime and Criminology• Track B: Global Justice and Policy• Track C: Social Justice

• Senior Seminar

Pathway through the Major

• First semester: JUST 200• Second Semester: Track Foundation Courses• Third Semester and Beyond: Upper Level Track Courses• Last Two Semesters: Research Methods and Senior

Seminar

Common Themes

• Fairness• Standards• Rights• Responsibilities

TRACK A: Crime and Criminology• Focus is on the nature, causes and solutions for crime

• Provide an understanding of those behaviors that we have defined as criminal or deviant and how we respond to them

• Primarily focused on U.S. at the national level

TRACK B: Global Justice and Policy

• Explores issues of justice in global context; questions of security, equity and equality

• Topics covered include international law, national security, war & peace, cross cultural relations, democratization, environmental protection, conflict resolution and human rights

TRACK C: Social Justice• Designed to investigate what is fair, equitable and just

• Deals with oppression and liberation of vulnerable, exploited and marginalized populations; problems such as poverty, discrimination, environmental destruction

• Promotes sustainable and just solutions to social, political and economic problems.

PROGRAMS of INTEREST• Washington Semester

• JMU housing• Fall for Track A or C; Spring for B or C

• Internships• Detailed information on the Justice Studies website• Most do them in the summer• Students get their own internships

• Study Abroad• See Office of International Programs

TYPICAL CAREER INTERESTS

• Track A: local, state, federal law enforcement (police, Homeland Security, Secret Service, FBI,) Law

• Track B: federal law enforcement, peace corps, international aid agencies, NGOs

• Track C: mediation organizations, human services, overseas development organizations

• *But these aren’t the only possibilities

A Note on Careers

• Liberal Arts degree program

• Not preparing for a specific job

• Knowledge & critical thinking skills• Learn (how) to learn

CHOICES

• Think about academic and career goals, and what you want your college experience to be • Explore, learn more, use resources

• Where and what feels right

• What am I going to give back? • Engaged University

QUESTIONS