Harper College
Social Justice Studies Distinction

Courses

The Basics

To earn the Social Justice Studies (SJS) distinction, you must successfully complete at least 3 SJS course sections in addition to the Social Transformation Capstone (CAP201). The SJS course schedule is carefully designed to allow you to complete the distinction alongside your degree. Aside from CAP201, you are welcome to choose any SJS course sections that fit your interests and goals.

What to Expect

Each semester, a cluster of special Social Justice Studies course sections will be offered. These courses are specially designed to engage students in an ongoing dialogue about the meaning of social justice and in an exploration of compassionate, equitable, and inclusive practices and strategies for achieving more just societies. The content of these courses provides opportunities for students to explore how their individual identities, cultural backgrounds, and chosen disciplines situate them in relation to systems of power and privilege. Enrollment in these courses will also offer students an opportunity to form meaningful relationships with instructors and fellow students who share their desire to co-create a more just and sustainable future.

All Harper students are encouraged to enroll in Social Justice Studies course sections and to participate in SJS programming at Harper. Social Justice Studies course sections will be designated in the course schedule by an “SJ” course section notation and a specialized title. Example: “ENG101-SJ1: Composition I/Social Justice.”

First Year Seminar & Capstone

The Social Transformation Seminar (FYS) is an opportunity for incoming Harper students to explore the role that college education plays in the process of social transformation and an introduction to faculty, curriculum, and alumni associated with our social transformation distinctions (Social Justice Studies, Global Scholars, and Sustainability Studies). Credits earned in this Social Transformation FYS count towards the credit requirements for each of the above-listed distinctions.

The Social Transformation Capstone (CAP201) must be successfully completed in order to earn the SJS Graduate Distinction. You are eligible to enroll in CAP201 once you have completed at least two other Social Justice Studies (SJS) course sections (see below).

Spring 2026 SJS Courses

The following course sections are being offered in Spring '26. Courses that also fulfill the World Cultures and Diversity and Global Scholars Distinction course requirements are listed with a "+".

Capstone

  • Instructor: Eric Bohman (ebohman@harpercollege.edu)
  • Banner Title: CAP201-001: Social Transformation Capstone (2 Credit) or CAP201-002: Social Transformation Capstone (3 credit)
  • Modality (PoT): Blended/Flex (16 weeks)
  • Meeting Time: Wednesday 4:45pm-5:45pm
  • Credits: 2 (no service/experiential learning component) or3 (includes service/experiential learning component)
  • Theme: Focuses on developing project design and management skills for the purposes of analyzing global movements and/or addressing social justice problems and solutions. Special emphasis will be given to interdisciplinary questions, methods, and applications related to information literacy, intercultural communication and collaboration, critical thinking, and civic engagement. Students will have the opportunity to reflect on their personal, professional and academic journeys with the goal of applying acquired knowledge toward fostering justice-oriented social transformation.
     
    Prerequisites: students must complete at least two SJS course sections to enroll in the capstone course. For special exceptions, contact program coordinator (socialjustice@harpercollege.edu).
     
    [Students must complete CAP201 to earn the SJS Distinction.] 
    [CAP201 will also be offered every Fall and Spring semester.]

Communications

  • Instructor: Andrew Berchiolly (aberchio@harpercollege.edu) 
  • Banner Title: ENG102-SJS: Composition II/Soc Justice
  • Modality (PoT): Online Asynchronous (16 Weeks)
  • Meeting Time: n/a
  • Credits: 3
  • Theme: TBD.
     
    [English 101 will be every Fall. ENG102 will be offered every Spring.]
  • Instructor: Ranjani Murali (rmurali@harpercollege.edu) 
  • Banner Title: ENG101-SJW: Composition II/Soc Justice
  • Modality (PoT): Online Asynchronous (16 Weeks)
  • Meeting Time: n/a
  • Credits: 3
  • Theme: In this ENG 102 section, we will explore oral narratives, cultural artifacts, and multimedia that dig deeper into Indigenous history in the U.S., including topics such as boarding schools and land treaties, particularly those related to Illinois. Students will be encouraged to explore how the language used by those with and in power was wielded to uproot and disenfranchise Indigenous communities and perpetrate a system of inequity. For their ENG 102 research project, students will be asked to explore ideas, solutions, and restorative justice practices that are used within, by, and for Indigenous communities for healing. Students will also be asked to discuss how non-Indigenous communities and individuals may engage constructively in dialogue on topics such as land reparations/ land back and restitution. 
  • Instructor:  Isaiah Carrington (ci12612@harpercollege.edu) 
  • Banner Title: SPE101-SJ1: Fund of Speech/Soc Justice 
  • Modality (PoT): TBD
  • Meeting Time: TBD
  • Credits: 3
  • Theme: Public speaking’s history is rooted in social justice movements. From the I Have a Dream Speech to advocacy around the world, speaking in front of an audience is a necessary skill to drive change in the world. In this course, students will develop the skills to present impactful discourse through using their own personal identities and stories to advocate for the change they want to see in the world. This course will require students to analyze their own voice, and to consider which voices are amplified, and which voices are silenced. Embrace the ethos of allyship as we navigate the intricate web of human rights advocacy together, fostering an environment where open-mindedness thrives and perspectives flourish. 

Physical & Life Sciences

  • Instructor: Virginia Turner (vturner@harpercollege.edu)
  • Banner Title: BIO103-SJB: Humans/Environment/Soc Justice
  • Modality (PoT): Blended (16 weeks)
  • Meeting Time: Thursday, 12:30pm-1:45pm
  • Credits: 3
  • Theme: How do social justice and environmental justice intersect? How have past actions shaped our environment and use of natural resources, and how are current actions shaping our future? Can we, as members of this planet, equitably utilize the available resources? In this course, meant for non-science majors, students will learn the fundamentals of environmental science, the history of the environmental movement, and about those instrumental in shaping environmental policies, both globally and in the United States. Bring your perspectives and join us as we explore and discuss these globally critical issues while expanding our worldview as it relates to our environment.
  • Instructor: Virginia Mchugh-Kurtz (vmchughk@harpercollege.edu)
  • Banner Title: BIO120-SJ1: Plants/Society/Soc Justice
  • Modality (PoT): Face-to-Face (16 weeks)
  • Meeting Time: Tuesday/Thursday, 11am-12:15pm (lecture) and 12:30-1:45pm (lab)
  • Credits: 4
  • Theme: This section of Biology 120: Plants & Society - Social Justice Studies focuses on the form and function of plants, their diversity, and the economic and environmental impacts of plants in our everyday lives and in society. The theme of this SJS course will be Cannabis and Society. Students will explore the botanical nature, history, environmental impact, public policy, and social disparities of Cannabis. A main component of the course will be focusing on the “War on Drugs,” decriminalization of Cannabis, policy reform, and racial justice. BIO 120 fulfills the life science lab requirement.
  • Instructor: Joseph Wachter (Jwachter@harpercollege.edu)
  • Banner Title: CHM103-SJ1: Chem Connection/Soc Justice
  • Modality (PoT): Blended/Flex (16 weeks)
  • Meeting Time: Monday/Wednesday 2pm-4:45pm (Lab – Wednesday only)
  • Credits: 4
  • Theme: Did you know that the Ancient Greek root of “pharmacy,” pharmakon (φάρμακον), means both medicine and poison? In this lab science course, meant for non-science majors, students will explore the social nature of chemistry by asking questions like: 
     
    What is the difference between medicine and poison? 
    Can chemicals be good? Bad? Neutral? 
    Who gets to decide? 
    Who has access to good chemicals? Bad ones? 
    Who is punished or rewarded for using certain chemicals? 
     
    Exploring these questions will take students on a tour of the chemical world, from the environmental chemistry of plastic waste, water quality, and climate change to the chemistry of drugs, medicines, poisons, and explosives, while also learning the fundamentals of chemistry in a lab-focused setting.

Humanities & Fine Arts

  • Instructor: Natasha Ruiz (npilipuf@harpercollege.edu) 
  • Banner Title: HUM102-SJ1: TBD/Soc Justice
  • Modality (PoT): Face-to-Face (16 weeks)
  • Meeting Time: Monday/Wednesday 9:30am-10:45am
  • Credits: 3
  • Theme: In this Social Justice Studies section of HUM 102, we will explore the various conventions,  ideologies, and contradictions that define “Western Culture.” We will explore key points of the humanist movement in the Renaissance and Reformation while at the same time discussing factors that gave rise to the Witch Craze of Europe; the atrocities of colonization as a shadow of the Age of Reason; the social unrest of the revolutionary days of Nineteenth Century Europe as a result of much-desired social and political reform in the wake of the American and French Revolution; how museums are organized and how the use of space creates barriers for art from places outside of the Western countries; and how art was impacted by wartime anxieties about chemical and nuclear weapons, and many other topics. Students will learn to recognize the monomyths of Western Culture and develop an understanding of the disquieting topics that have been left out of the conversation. 
  • Instructor: Michael Bentley (mbentley@harpercollege.edu)
  • Banner Title: HUM105-SJB: TBD/Soc Justice
  • Modality (PoT): Blended (final 13 weeks)
  • Meeting Time: Tuesday 12pm-1:40pm
  • Credits: 3
  • Theme:  In this Social Justice Studies section of HUM105, we will explore and analyze the personal narratives and creative works of 20th century artists, athletes, and public figures who exemplify the struggle toward self-definition and social transformation. Along the way, we will consider the processes through which our social, cultural, and political identities are formed and how they are reflected in one another. Our analysis will aim to uncover connections between lived experiences, formative relationships, political philosophies, and cultural creativity, paying particular attention to the interconnecting effects of race, class, and gender, and the defining narrative themes of freedom, protest, and patriotism.
  • Instructor: Michael Bentley (mbentley@harpercollege.edu)
  • Banner Title: HUM107-SJW: Cultures of Africa/Soc Justice
  • Modality (PoT): Online Asynchronous (final 13 weeks)
  • Meeting Time: n/a
  • Credits: 3
  • Theme: In this course we will explore how three ideologies, which were each essential to the African Independence Movement (Negritude, Afrocentrism, and Pan-Africanism) have empowered scholars, artists, and freedom fighters across the African diaspora to remember and re-imagine what it means to be African, to be human, and to be free. Students will have the opportunity to explore how these ideas challenge and empower them to think more critically about their own identities and their relationship to power. IAI HF 904N. 

    [HUM107 will be offered every fall and spring semester.]
  • Instructor: Michael Bentley (mbentley@harpercollege.edu)
  • Banner Title: HUM110-SJW: Women & Creativity/Soc Justice
  • Modality (PoT): Online Asynchronous (second 8 weeks)
  • Meeting Time: n/a
  • Credits: 3
  • Theme: In this asynchronous section of HUM 110 we will explore how activist art and autobiography have been used as powerful tools for representing and reshaping our world. We will study the life, work, and ideas of intersectional feminist and womanist artist-activists who have actively sought to re-envision the relationship between their womanhood and their world. In the process, you will explore how your own identity and experience influence your assumptions and expectations about the role of art and artists in today's world. Finally, you will have an opportunity to experiment with the creative power of telling your own story. IAI HF 907D.
  • Instructor: Ashley Palmer (pa07949@harpercollege.edu) 
  • Banner Title: LIT105-SJS: Poetry/Soc Justice
  • Modality (PoT): Face-to-Face (16 weeks)
  • Meeting Time: Monday/Wednesday 11am-12:15pm 
  • Theme: This course facilitates the understanding and appreciation for the ways that poetry addresses societal themes—inequality, oppression, discrimination and systemic injustice—using the power of language to promote awareness, empathy and activism. Throughout the semester, we will explore poetry of “marginalized groups” from American, European and other literary philosophies and movements. This course will challenge students to develop skills in responding personally to poetry and in developing literary analyses. Course objectives include connecting the link between the poem—particular literary qualities such as imagery, figurative language, allusion, connotation, sound and rhythm—with social issues throughout history to explore how poetry has been used to reimagine narratives, offer social commentary and galvanize changes through the arts.
  • Instructor: Andre Berchiolly (aberchio@harpercollege.edu)
  • Banner Title: LIT112-SJW: Lit & Film/Soc Justice
  • Modality (PoT): Online Asynchronous (16 weeks)
  • Meeting Time: N/A
  • Theme: In this course we will explore the historical and cultural context of film adaptations over time and in relation to social justice. This course will allow the opportunity to engage with original texts and ideas (the spirit of the text) and the context of representation relating to contemporary, modern, and post-modern adaptations. We will also look into social media responses (public discourse) relating to representation in film adaptation. We will explore such questions as: how are different aspects of society and culture represented in literature and film; how do culture and society influence adaptation; how, where, and when do you see yourself represented in media; and how do dominant and non-dominant cultures use.
  • Instructor:Nicole Manch (mn35524@harpercollege.edu)
  • Banner Title: LIT223-SJ1: Multicultural Amer Lit/Soc Jus
  • Modality (PoT): Face-to-Face (16 weeks)
  • Meeting Time: Tuesday/Thursday 2pm-3:15pm 
  • Theme: This LIT 223 course invites students to explore the vibrant intersections of Latinx literature, social justice, and cultural celebration. Through various pieces of literature, students will encounter Latinx authors and texts that delve into significant social, historical, and cultural issues, exploring themes of identity, socioeconomic status, and justice. Alongside critical engagement, the course celebrates the joy, resilience, and creativity cultivated within Latinx communities, recognizing literature as a dynamic form of both resistance and expression. By the semester's end, students will develop an appreciation for the genius of Latinx culture and literature, recognizing its role in shaping community, advocating for justice, and enriching the cultural fabric both inside and beyond the classroom.  
  • Instructor: Kaveh Aenehzodaee (aa23399@harpercollege.edu)  
  • Banner Title: PHI101-SJ1: Critical Thinking/Soc Justice 
  • Modality (PoT): Face-to-Face (16 weeks)
  • Meeting Time: Monday/Wednesday, 11am-12:15pm
  • Theme: This course introduces students to principles governing critical thinking and rational deliberation. We will learn how to leverage such principles in socially conscious and transformative ways. Among other skills, we will learn how to deal with bad faith arguments, to understand and counteract the mechanisms of stereotypes, and to pierce through propaganda and other forms of belief manipulation. In pursuing these skills, our approach will be interdisciplinary by drawing insights from cognitive psychology, philosophy, logic, as well as probability and decision theory. 
     
    [PHI105 will be offered every Fall. PHI101 will be offered in Spring.]

  • Instructor: Kaveh Aenehzodaee
  • Banner Title: PHI120-SJ1: Soc/Political Phi/Soc Justice
  • Modality (PoT): Face-to-Face (16 weeks)
  • Meeting Time: Monday/Wednesday 2:00pm-3:15pm 
  • Credits: 3
  • Theme: Political philosophy investigates a constellation of questions: what does justice demand? How should our social and political institutions be arranged? What, if anything, legitimizes the state? And how should we respond to deep political disagreements? Answering these questions involves generating distant visions of well-ordered societies and ideal public life. But crucially it also involves formulating concrete guidance for shifting the status quo—for dismantling persistent forms of injustice which have shaped our existing social world, including racial and gender injustice and the continuing legacy of colonialism. In this survey, we will examine a variety of theoretical and practical answers to these major questions. In the process, you will deepen your own political outlook in ways that are responsive to major injustices.

Social & Behavioral Sciences

  • Instructor: Amaziah Finley (fa17019@harpercollege.edu)
  • Banner Title: ANT202-SJ1: Cultural Anthro/Soc Justice 
  • Modality (PoT): Face-to-Face (16 weeks)
  • Meeting Time: Tuesday/Thursday 9:30am-10:45am
  • Credits: 3
  • Theme: This cultural anthropology course explores the vulnerability and resistance attached to our intersectional positions in society. We discuss topics of culture, including how resistance is natural to belonging to a culture. Within the topic of culture, we explore language and power, fieldwork and ethnography, race and racism, whiteness and white privilege, gender, class and inequality, the global economy, health and illness disparities, and art as resistance. For the final project, students will be asked to create a portfolio of resistance, conducting their own ethnography of sorts to prove that knowledge is power.  
     
    [ANT101 will be offered every Fall. ANT202 will be offered in Spring.]
  • Instructor: Alina Pajtek ( apajtek@harpercollege.edu)  
  • Banner Title: LNG205-SJ6: Language and Culture/Soc Justice 
  • Modality (PoT): Blended (Final 13 Weeks)
  • Meeting Time: Tuesday 5:30-7:10pm
  • Credits: 3
  • Theme: In this course, we will explore the relationship between language, culture, and society through a cultural relativist lens and an interdisciplinary perspective. We will draw on theoretical and empirical work in our in-class analyses and discussions on the relationship between language and thought, intercultural communication, regional and social variations of English, bilingualism and multiculturalism, and language loss. We will also delve into the linguistic construction of ideologies and socioeconomic class, and we will discuss language use to understand how language promotes and reflects gender stereotypes and inequities. This course will give you the opportunity to learn about other languages and cultures in an engaging class format.  
     
    [LNG105 will be offered every fall semester. LNG205 will be offered every Spring.] 
  • Instructor: Monica Edwards (medwards@harpercollege.edu)
  • Banner Title: SOC101-SJW: Sociology/Soc Justice
  • Modality (PoT): Online Asynchronous (16 Weeks)
  • Meeting Time: n/a
  • Credits: 3
  • Theme: In our time together, we will engage in analysis of the structure and dynamics of human society.  We will explore theoretical and empirical work to observe and analyze social norms, groups, intergroup relations, social change, social stratification, and institutions.  This course will dive into questions of social organization, social change, and social justice through an exploration of the intersection of food systems and systemic racism; we will do so with a focus on outcomes related to the climate crisis and Covid pandemic.  Emerging from sociological analyses of our complex interdependence is a push for compassion and solidarity; as such, the policies of the class will reflect this larger sociological--and feminist--ethos of care.  IAI S7 900. Open Educational Resources, Social/Behavioral Sci-AA/AS, Sociology Elective, Social/Behavioral Sciences-AAS.

  • Instructor: Kelly Pinter (pk33410@harpercollege.edu)
  • Banner Title: SOC205-SJ1: Social Problems/Social Justice
  • Modality (PoT): Face-to-Face (16 Weeks)
  • Meeting Time: Tuesday/Thursday 2:00pm-3:15pm
  • Credits: 3
  • Theme: This section of Social Problems explores various approaches to determining what lies at the root of societal issues and injustices. Students will be introduced to theoretical points of view that aim to critically examine social problems in relation to class (conflict theory), race (critical race theory), gender (feminist theory), and other social identities. Topics include problems in education, family violence, and environmental issues. Student projects will focus on efforts to improve police-community relations, decrease domestic violence and sexual assault on college campuses, create more sustainable lifestyles at both the micro and macro level, and making educational experiences more equitable for all students.

Electives

  • Instructor: LaVonya Williams (lwilliam@harpercollege.edu) 
  • Banner Title: DIV101-SJW: Diversity in US/Soc Justice
  • Modality (PoT): Online Asynchronous (16 Weeks)
  • Meeting Time: n/a
  • Credits: 3
  • Theme: In DIV 101, students will examine their intersecting identities while discussing dimensions of their own culture. The cultural and historical experiences of socially marginalized groups in the United States are also explored. Students will analyze the dynamics of prejudice and discrimination between groups and the impact of social power differences on peoples’ lives. Human rights, social change and social movements will be introduced. The experiential nature of this course will give students the opportunity to dialogue about diversity and social justice topics and to develop skills necessary to interact effectively in a diverse society. Students will complete a final course assignment addressing a diversity or social justice issue of their choosing with instructor approval. 

    [DIV101 will be offered every fall, spring, and summer semester.]
  • Instructor: Maham Khan (mkhan3@harpercollege.edu) 
  • Banner Title: MCM130-SJ6 – Intro to Journal/Soc Justice 
  • Modality (PoT): Face-to-Face (First 13 Weeks)
  • Meeting Time: Monday/Wednesday 1:00pm-2:45pm
  • Credits: 3
  • Theme: This course explores language and focuses on issues of social justice in English language education in the U.S.—Specifically, we will study language origins, properties, use, structure, and meaning. Through studying sound, word-formation, and syntactic systems, we will look at language hierarchies in American society and how one’s language proficiency is attached to one’s worth in society. Students will learn and research past and current pedagogy used for bilingual education through a critical lens to address equity gaps in the different models and try to determine best practices for equitable English language education.  

For more information, contact the Social Justice Studies Coordinator:

Michael Bentley

847.925.6271

socialjustice@harpercollege.edu  

 

Last Updated: 11/3/25