Justice, Community and Leadership: Activism & Organizing Concentration, BA

The JCL Activism and Organizing concentration teaches students to apply the skills and strategies necessary to engage in social justice activism and community-based organizing. Through the completion of required courses and electives, students will strengthen their understanding of the foundational principles and practices that fuel successful activism and organizing efforts. They will also develop a comprehensive knowledge of the ways that self-care and community building can facilitate sustainability for organizers, helping to keep them from burning out. The concentration utilizes a panoramic framework to teach students how to activate communities and organize in the micro, meso, and macro realms. Our hands-on approach creates multiple opportunities for students to engage with local and global community-based partners and organizations.

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CURRICULUM

Program Degree Requirements

Learning Outcomes

PLO 1: DEMONSTRATE knowledge of the ways systemic inequities (e.g. economic, racial, gender, environmental) are reproduced and interconnected historically and in our contemporary world.
PLO 2: UTILIZE critical transdisciplinary lenses to analyze unjust power relations and systemic oppression, centering the experiences, histories, and visions of oppressed communities.
PLO 3: USE appropriate library and information literacy skills, evaluate and apply research methodologies in ways that challenge dominant assumptions about knowledge production to articulate, interpret and contribute to social justice.
PLO 4: COLLABORATE with diverse community formations to imagine, co-construct, organize for and sustain strategies that contribute to a more just social order.
PLO 5: UTILIZE oral, written, artistic, expressive and new media formats to advocate for transformative social change with attention to audience and power relations.
PLO 6: DEMONSTRATE cultural humility and an understanding of one’s positionality within historical and intersecting systems of power.

Requirements

Required Courses

Take the following required courses:

Intro to Jcl (3 units)
Intro to Community Engagement (2 units)
Intro to Community Engagement (1 units)
Theory and Inquiry in JCL (4 units)
Advanced Leadership Theory (3 units)
Adv Leadership: Engaged Learn (1 units)
Senior Capstone I (3 units)
Senior E-Portfolio (1 units)
Environmental Justice (4 units)
The Global Community (4 units)
Special Topics (4 units)

Activism & Organizing Concentration

Take the following required courses:

Praxis: Communities (1 units)
Managing & Leading Organizatns (4 units)
Social Justice Speakers Series (1 units)
Advertising & Civic Engagement (4 units)
Political Communication (4 units)
Communication & Social Justice (4 units)
Media Ethics and Ecologies (3 units)
Community Media (3 units)
California and Local Politics (4 units)
Pol Parties, Soc Mvmnt, Int Gr (4 units)
Introduction to Public Policy (3 units)
Politics of Mass Incarceration (4 units)
Human Rights (4 units)
Social Movements (4 units)
Special Topics in Ethnic Studi (4 units)
Youth Cultures, Identities and New Ethnicities
Topics in Chicano/Latino Studi (4 units)
Politics and Race (3 units)
Gender Politics (3 units)
Wealth and Poverty in the US (4 units)
Justice and Community (4 units)
The Bible & Economic Justice (3 units)
Colonialism, Race, and Relig (3 units)
Theologies of Liberation (3 units)

Activism & Organizing, BA + Teaching Credential

Earn a Justice, Community and Leadership: Activism & Organizing Concentration, BA and a Single-Subject Teaching Credential at Saint Mary's in just four years through our Single Subject Teaching Credential Integrated Pathway!

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What can you do with a degree in JCL: Activism & Organizing?

A JCL Activism & Organizing BA develops community organizing, coalition-building, policy literacy, and strategic communication for roles in advocacy, nonprofits, education, and public service.
(*Some careers may require additional certification or graduate study)

Saint Mary's Marketing Minor Students Studying on Campus

Community Organizer
Build coalitions, run outreach and issue campaigns, and mobilize volunteers to advance local priorities

Policy Advocate / Legislative Aide
Track bills, brief decision-makers, and craft policy recommendations informed by community input and research

Campaign Coordinator (Advocacy or Electoral)
Plan field strategy, manage canvassing and voter/constituent engagement, and analyze turnout or impact data

Nonprofit Program Manager
Design initiatives, set measurable goals, supervise staff, and report outcomes to funders and stakeholders

Communications & Media Strategist
Develop narratives, manage social channels and press, and produce toolkits that amplify campaigns and partners

Civic Data / Research Analyst
Collect and analyze qualitative/quantitative data, evaluate programs, and translate findings into actionable briefs

DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) Coordinator
Facilitate trainings, assess organizational climate, and support policies that improve equity and belonging

Youth & Community Education Coordinator
Create workshops and service-learning projects, mentor participants, and track learning and leadership growth

Saint Mary's Testimonials

“During my undergraduate studies I majored in Justice, Community, and Leadership on the Teachers for Tomorrow track. My graduate studies were done at SMC as well in the Masters of Education program. Both programs provided many opportunities to connect with knowledgeable professionals in an intimate educational environment. All of the lessons I learned during my five years have been applicable to my life and career as a teacher.”

Kaydee Valliere, Class of 2017

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