Humanities and Justice, Bachelor of Arts
The Humanities and Justice major offers students the opportunity to explore fundamental questions about justice from a humanistic, interdisciplinary perspective. Rooted in history, literature and philosophy, Humanities and Justice prepares students for basic inquiry and advanced research into issues of justice that lie behind social policy and criminal justice as well as broader problems of social morality and equity. Its courses are designed to help students develop the skills of careful reading, critical thinking and clear writing that are necessary for the pursuit of any professional career. This major provides an excellent preparation for law school and other professional programs, for graduate school in the humanities, and for careers in law, education, public policy and criminal justice.
The Humanities and Justice curriculum involves a sequence of five interdisciplinary core courses in Humanities and Justice (designated with the HJS prefix), six courses from a list of humanities courses, and a choice of one of two courses on theory.
Credits required. 36
Coordinator. Professor Kyoo Lee, Department of Philosophy (212.237.8342, kylee@jjay.cuny.edu). Students must review their course of study with major faculty.
Prerequisites. ENG 201; one of the general education courses in literature, history, or philosophy; one of the general education courses in the social sciences, and upper–sophomore class standing.
Please note: POL 101 (or GOV 101) is a prerequisite for POL 375 and LAW 203 or POL 301 is a prerequisite for LAW 301. Part III of the major requires either POL 375 (or GOV 375) or LAW 301.
Additional information. Students who enrolled for the first time at the College or changed to this major in September 2014 or thereafter must complete the major in the form presented here. Students who enrolled prior to that date may choose the form shown here or the earlier version of the major. A copy of the earlier version may be obtained in the 2013–2014 Undergraduate Bulletin.
Senior–level requirement. Students must complete HJS 410 Problems and Theory: Thesis Prospectus and HJS 415 Thesis in Humanities and Justice Studies.
Part One. Foundations
Required
| HJS 250 | Justice in the Western Traditions | 3 |
| HJS 310 | Comparative Perspectives on Justice | 3 |
| HJS 315 | Research Methods in Humanities and Justice Studies | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 9
Part Two. Humanities and Justice Electives
Students take six advanced elective courses in one or more of the humanities disciplines in order to explore how the fundamental assumptions, methods and general subject matter of these disciplines relate to issues of justice. These courses will be chosen by the student with faculty advisement, from the following list. Permission by the Humanities and Justice Coordinator is required for any course not listed below in Categories A, B, or C to count toward the major. A minimum of 12 credits must be taken at the 300–level or above.
| HIS 217 | History of NYC (was Three Hundred Years of NYC) | 3 |
| HIS 219 | Violence and Social Change in America | 3 |
| HIS 224 | A History of Crime in New York City | 3 |
| HIS 240 | Historiography | 3 |
| HIS 252 | Warfare in the Ancient Near East and Egypt | 3 |
| HIS 254 | History of Ancient Greece and Rome | 3 |
| HIS 256 | History of Muslim Societies and Communities | 3 |
| HIS 260/LLS 260 | History of Contemporary Cuba | 3 |
| HIS 264 | China to 1650 | 3 |
| HIS 265/LLS 265 | Class, Race and Family in Latin American History | 3 |
| HIS 270 | Marriage in Medieval Europe | 3 |
| HIS 274 | China: 1650-Present | 3 |
| HIS 277 | American Legal History | 3 |
| HIS 282 | Selected Topics in History | 3 |
| HIS 320 | Topics in the History of Crime & Punishment in U.S (was History of Crime & Punishment in U.S.) | 3 |
| HIS 323 | History of Lynching and Collective Violence | 3 |
| HIS 325 | Criminal Justice in European Society, 1750 to the Present | 3 |
| HIS 340 | Modern Military History from the Eighteenth Century to the Present | 3 |
| HIS 354 | Law and Society in Ancient Athens and Rome | 3 |
| HIS 364/GEN 364 | History of Gender and Sexuality: Prehistory to 1650 | 3 |
| HIS 374 | Premodern Punishment | 3 |
| HIS 375 | Female Felons in the Premodern World (was Female Felons in Premodern Europe & Americas) | 3 |
| HIS 381 | Social History of Catholicism in the Modern World | 3 |
| HIS 383 | History of Terrorism | 3 |
| HJS 380 | Selected Topics in Humanities and Justice | 3 |
| ISP 273 | The Stories We Tell | 3 |
| ISP 321 | Moral, Legal and Ethical Dilemmas that Shape the U.S.A. | 3 |
| ISP 322 | Making Waves: Troublemakers, Gadflies and Whistleblowers | 3 |
| ISP 335 | Violence in the Pursuit of Justice | 3 |
| LIT 219 | The Word as Weapon | 3 |
| LIT 223/AFR 223 | African-American Literature | 3 |
| LIT 265 | Foundations of U.S. Latino/a Literature | 3 |
| LIT 287 | Selected Topics in Literature | 3 |
| LIT 300 | Text and Context | 3 |
| LIT 305 | Foundations of Literature and Law | 3 |
| LIT 311 | Literature and Ethics | 3 |
| LIT 313 | Shakespeare | 3 |
| LIT 314 | Shakespeare and Justice | 3 |
| LIT 315 | American Literature and the Law | 3 |
| LIT 316 | Gender and Identity in Literary Traditions | 3 |
| LIT 326 | Crime, Punishment and Justice in the U.S. Literature | 3 |
| LIT 327 | Crime, Punishment and Justice in World Literature | 3 |
| LIT 340/AFR 340 | The African-American Experience in America: Comparative Racial Perspectives | 3 |
| LIT 342 | Perspectives on Literature and Human Rights | 3 |
| LIT 346 | Cultures in Conflict | 3 |
| LIT 380 | Advanced Selected Topics in Literature | 3 |
| LLS 322 | Latina/o Stuggles for Civil Rights & Social Justice (was Civil Rights & Civil Liberties in Urban Latina/o Communities) | 3 |
| PHI 203 | Political Philosophy | 3 |
| PHI 205 | Philosophy of Religion | 3 |
| PHI 210 | Ethical Theory | 3 |
| PHI 302 | The Philosophy of Rights | 3 |
| PHI 304 | Philosophy of the Mind | 3 |
| PHI 310/LAW 310 | Ethics and Law | 3 |
| PHI 315 | Philosophy of the Rule of Law: Theory and Practice | 3 |
| PHI 322/CRJ 322 | Judicial and Correctional Ethics | 3 |
| PHI 326 | Topics in the History of Modern Thought | 3 |
| PHI 340 | Utopian Thought | 3 |
| PHI 423/POL 423 | Selected Topics in Justice | 3 |
| SPA 308 | The Theme of Justice in Spanish Literature | 3 |
| SPA 335 | Themes of Justice in Latin American Lit & Film | 3 |
HIS 282, LIT 287, LIT 380: HIS 282 Selected Topics in History, LIT 287 Selected Topics in Literature, LIT 380 Advanced Selected Topics in Literature and LIT 401 Special Topics may be used to satisfy the six-course requirement of the Disciplinary Component when the topic is applicable to the Humanities and Justice major. To approve these courses for inclusion in the major, students and/or faculty must petition the program coordinator.
Total Credit Hours: 18
Part Three. Topics in Political or Legal Theory
Select one
Total Credit Hours: 3
Part Four. Problems and Research
Both are required
| HJS 410 | Problems and Theory: Thesis Prospectus | 3 |
| HJS 415 | Thesis in Humanities and Justice Studies | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 6
Total Credit Hours: 36