Spring 2023 Courses - Justice Education Initiative

AFRI 121- Africana Philosophy- Monday 12:30pm-3:30pm

Professor- Mukasa Mubirumusoke- Claremont McKenna College
Philosophical thought and the philosophical cannon cannot be restricted to the ‘great thinkers’ of western history. This course will be a general introduction to Africana Philosophy. We will unveil not only that philosophy is more than the western world and has points of origin in other places, such as Africa, but we will also discover how Africana philosophy serves as a challenge to the integrity of integral concepts and themes in modern western philosophy; for example, the subject, freedom, the human, and even ontology. We will achieve these insights through a survey of thinkers, writers, and people who address themes such as traditional Africana thought, black existentialism, black feminism, post colonialism, whiteness, and Afro-pessimism.

LGCS 114- Linguistic Discrimination- Tuesday 12:30-3:30pm

Professor- Nicole Holliday- Pomona College
This course examines the ways language serves as a potential site of social statement and, sometimes, social conflict, particularly with respect to questions of race and ethnicity. We’ll explore and investigate issues concerning multilingualism; regional and ethnically linked dialects; ideologies about language and language variation; linguistic diversity and language policy; hate speech and political correctness; and language-based discrimination in various public and private contexts. As we explore these issues, we’ll also examine what we know about language as a human phenomenon, including the ways we use language to construct and reflect social identities and social group boundaries. We’ll discuss how different aspects of social identity relate to language practice and use the critical lens of race and ethnicity to centermost of our discussions.

RLST 25- Religion, Punishment, and Restoration- Tuesday 6:00pm-9:00pm

Professor- Erin Runions- Pomona College
In this course we will explore the influence of religion on the secular sphere of criminal justice. We will consider questions such as: What religious ideas have shaped ideals and practices of punishment and rehabilitation in the U.S., past and present? Has religious thought impacted the duration, extremity, and social effects of punishment? What are religious arguments for and against the death penalty? What is the relation between religious ideas and practices of restoration, including restorative and transformative justice?

ANTH 189S- Language and Power- Wednesday 12:30pm- 3:30pm

Professor- David Divita- Pomona College
In this course we will interrogate how language is used to impose, maintain, and subvert relations of power. Students will be introduced to fundamental sociolinguistic concepts, such as linguistic prescriptivism, standard language ideology, and critical discourse analysis. We will also examine the role of language in current debates surrounding race, gender, bilingual education, and immigration.

WRIT 153- Introduction to Podcasting-Wednesday 6:00pm-9:00pm

Professor- Kimberly Drake- Scripps College
In this course, to ground us in the foundations of today’s rapid rise in audiobooks and podcasts, we begin with global traditions of oral storytelling. We will then examine a range of approaches to podcasting and the ways in which these approaches connect with and disrupt more other forms of argument-driven writing. Students will select a podcast and analyze the way it presents and tells a story about a specific topic, considering both the text and accompanying audio content and sounds. Students will then create and deliver their own podcast episode.