Want to change the world? Action needs ideas. Action needs excitement, hope, and debate. We at the School for Cultural and Social Transformation are ready to think with you. Ready to shape the leaders—you—who will put ideas into motion. To act, we must think. We want to think with you.
Ethnic Studies
Race, history, lived experience and social justiceIn Ethnic Studies, we study history and culture from the perspectives of historically underserved communities, while considering the role that racism plays in today’s world.
Whether you want to take a broad approach or focus on a specific community, we’ve got you covered! Our major and five minor options allow you to expand your understanding of issues affecting disenfranchised communities.
-
Ethnic Studies B.A. / B.S.
30 Credits
Our interdisciplinary majors allow you to maximize your knowledge of issues affecting underrepresented communities. The curriculum explores differences in power as expressed by the state, civil society, and individuals, challenging social constructions of race, ethnicity, nationality, sexuality, and gender.
-
Ethnic Studies Emphases
12 Credits
Students pursuing an Ethnic Studies major can now choose to further refine their degree by specializing in one or more of the above major emphases. Completion of a major emphasis will be reflected on your degree transcript with no additional credits added to major requirements. Show your expertise to the world by pursuing an Ethnic Studies major with an emphasis in:
-
- American Indian Studies
- Asian American Studies
- Latinx Studies
- Migration & Diaspora Studies
-
-
Ethnic Studies Minor
18 Credits
Like the major, the Ethnic Studies minor takes a broader view across the intersection of race and gender, contemporary issues and your choice of several electives. Study history and culture from the perspectives of historically marginalized communities, while considering the role that racism plays in today’s world.
-
African American Studies Minor
18 Credits
African American Studies focuses on the historical and contemporary issues faced by peoples of African, African American, and African Caribbean heritage in the U.S. and how these issues shape the experiences of African American communities.
-
American Indian Studies Minor
18 Credits
American Indian Studies focuses on historical and contemporary issues faced by peoples of heritage from the indigenous communities of the U.S.
-
Asian/Pacific American Studies Minor
18 Credits
Asian/Pacific American Studies focuses on the historical and contemporary issues faced by peoples of the Asian and Pacific Islands diaspora within the U.S. and how these issues shape the experiences of their communities.
-
Chicana/o & Latina/o Studies Minor
18 Credits
Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x Studies focuses on the historical and contemporary issues faced by people with heritage linked to Chicanx, Latinx and Mexican American communities within the U.S. and how these issues shape their communities.
Disability Studies
Envisioning an accessible worldDisability Studies is an interdisciplinary field that explores social, political, cultural, and economic factors that shape disability; considers the ways disability is understood and constructed across different historical moments, cultures, and nations; examines the relationships amongst disability, race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality; and foregrounds the experiences and perspectives of disabled advocates, scholars, artists, and thinkers.
-
Disability Studies Minor
18 Credits
The Disability Studies minor offers an interdisciplinary learning experience about key disability issues, including accessibility, opportunity, political and social history, and bio-ethics, while also providing varied ways of thinking, communicating, and moving through the world.
-
Wanting more?
A graduate section is offered as one of the two required courses for the Disability Studies undergraduate minor. Interested graduate students may enroll, when it is offered, in GNDR 6880/DISAB 6880 Bad Bodies: Gender and Disability. Interested graduate students may also enroll in one of our Disability Studies electives, GNDR 6420, Race, Disability, and Illness, when it is offered.
Gender Studies
Power, identity, sexuality and cultureGender Studies is an interdisciplinary field that explores the intersections of gender with socio-cultural, economic, and political phenomena, including but not limited to race, class, sexual orientation, (dis)ability, and nationality.
Gender Studies offers a space for the study of a wide range of feminist thought and practices. The curriculum offers theory and practice; community-engaged learning; advocacy and professional development; lively debate, and professional skill-building.
-
Gender Studies B.A./B.S.
36 Credits
Gender Studies offers a space for the study of the intersections of gender with race, class, sexual orientation, and nationality. Our curriculum also addresses men’s lives, masculinity, the lives of people who identify as a part of the LGBTQ+ community, and a wide range of feminist thought and practices.
-
Queer Studies Emphasis
12 Credits
The Queer Studies emphasis centers the ways that LGBTQ people have been represented, and have represented themselves, in a variety of fields including history, politics, media, literature, the arts, and sciences.
degree requirements check your progress
-
Gender Studies Minor
21 Credits
Like the major, the Gender Studies minor focuses on interactions of gender with race, class, sexual orientation, and nationality. Your coursework covers topics such as gender theory, feminist thought and practices, queer and sexuality studies, and community engagement.
degree requirements check your progress
-
Gender Studies Graduate Certificate
15 Credits
The Gender Studies graduate certificate program provides a space for interdisciplinary engagement in gender and sexuality studies. The program provides support for your own research while expanding your teaching portfolio and preparing you for a diverse job market. The Gender Studies Graduate Certificate is an academic credential designed to complement any graduate degree.
Pacific Islands Studies
Solidarity in OceaniaPacific Islands Studies provides students with integrative learning, training and opportunities to engage with the Indigenous Pacific and the global Pacific Islander diaspora.
-
Pacific Islands Studies Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Certificate
15 Credits
The Pacific Islands Studies interdisciplinary undergraduate certificate provides courses that are designed from an Indigenous Pacific Islander perspective. The certificate seeks to complement any major and minor degrees and will help you fulfill general education requirements and prepare for any career!
The course of study is designed to facilitate integrative learning, providing students with opportunities to make connections between their major and the PI Studies Certificate and to think critically and reflexively about complex problems and their contexts. The certificate also provides students with opportunities to think globally, as the required courses offer broad historical and contemporary knowledge about the Indigenous Pacific and the global Pacific Islander diaspora.
Environmental Humanities and Transformative Justice
Cultivating Leaders of Environmental & Social ChangeThe Environmental Humanities and Transformative Justice Undergraduate Certificate provides an interdisciplinary and justice-oriented focus on environmental issues, through which students explore the social and cultural dimensions of environmental crises; synthesize ideas at the intersections of the sciences, the humanities, and our communities; and explore transformative possibilities for the future.
-
Environmental Humanities and Transformative Justice Undergraduate Certificate
21 Credits
The Environmental Humanities and Transformative Justice Certificate supports students in the exploration of a wide variety of interdisciplinary perspectives on social dimensions of environmental issues and equips them with action-oriented leadership, communication, and social advocacy skills with which they can address complex social and environmental challenges.
Students must complete 21 total credits across a range of academic disciplines, including Environmental Studies, Ethnic Studies, Gender Studies, Communication, History, Anthropology, English, Philosophy, Geology, Atmospheric Science, and Biology.
certificate requirements check your progress
Meet with an Advisor
Advisors advocate for students, help in navigating higher education, and assist students in accomplishing their academic goals. Through inclusion and connection, advisors can open doors to new opportunities for self-awareness and growth, and empower students to define their roles as citizens within local and global communities.
Connect with a director or associate chair for general questions, courses or information about professors. Book a meeting with our advisor now or email TransformStudents@utah.edu so that we may follow up with you, answer any quick questions or handle any other student-related needs.