Social Justice Studies

The work of social justice cannot be learned in the classroom alone. One thing that makes our major and minor in Social Justice distinctive is its deep dive into experiential learning as part of our Cooperative Education program. Students will receive both course credit and competitive compensation for their experiential learning in the program. Guided by experienced faculty and community mentors, students earning a Social Justice Studies degree explore the reality and consequences of systemic oppression. They also learn how to respond to those realities and consequences in ways that alleviate immediate suffering and lead to social transformation. Our Social Justice Studies degree prepares students for justice-related service work and multiple positions in for-profit and non-profit organizations. The degree is excellent preparation for graduate study in many fields, including law, communication, sociology, criminal justice, education and leadership development. As part of their education, minors and majors develop and implement a social justice project involving the wider community. “The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., urged us to recognize ‘the fierce urgency of now’ in relation to issues of social injustice,” said Rev. Julie Mavity Maddalena, Ph.D., Lakeland’s Chaplain, a faculty member and director of the Ulrich Center for Faith, Ethics, and Justice. “Lakeland recognizes this need as well as the need to shape leaders who understand the complexities of issues and the lives at stake, leaders grounded in strong values, leaders with experience, leaders prepared to participate in the response to Dr. King’s call."