Social Justice and Advocacy

If you've ever looked at the world and thought, "Someone should do something," this major challenges you to become that someone.

The world doesn’t change because people notice problems. It changes because people decide to do something about them.

The Social Justice & Advocacy major at McPherson College is for students who want to turn their passion into action. Whether you care about protecting the environment, improving mental health, reforming the criminal justice system, supporting immigrants and refugees, reducing poverty, creating more equitable schools, advocating for children in foster care, fighting food insecurity, promoting disability rights, advancing LGBTQ+ inclusion, or addressing countless other issues, this major gives you the knowledge and skills to make a real difference.

This isn’t a major that tells you what to care about. It’s a major that teaches you how to create meaningful change.

Course Information

Students selecting the major in Social Justice and Advocacy are demonstrating their commitment to building stronger communities by learning how they can use communication and knowledge about social problems to help bring about social, cultural, environmental, and political changes. This is an interdisciplinary major which draws from courses that help a student learn about social issues and problems impacting those on the margins of society, and provide students with the communication tools necessary to address these issues. The major is designed to be partially completed through the general education curriculum, which allows a student to pursue additional studies through minors or another major.

Foundation Courses (63 hours)

CM 125 Good Trouble: An Introduction to Social Justice & Advocacy (3 hours)
CM 320 Being Human: Building Empathy and Resilience (3 hours)

Communication and Advocacy Courses (20 hours)

CM 130 Interpersonal Communication (3 hours)
CM 140 Public Speaking (3 hours)
CM 310 Public Relations & Social Media Campaigns (3 hours)
CM 325 Conflict Communication (3 hours)
CM 330 Persuasion and Social Influence (3 hours)
AR 345 Art as Community & Social Practice (2 hours)
Choose one:
CM 135 Media Writing (3 hours)
CM 235 Magazine and Feature Writing (3 hours)
EN 313 Expository Writing (3 hours)
EN 420 Creative Writing (3 hours)

Social Issues Courses (12 hours)

SO 206 Social Problems (3 hours)
SO 260 Introduction to Human Services (3 hours
SO 275 Criminal Justice (3 hours)
SO 355 Juvenile Delinquency (3 hours)

Race/Ethnicity/Gender Literacy and Justice Courses (12 hours)

SO 202 Minorities in the U.S. (3 hours)
PS 215 Global Peace Studies (3 hours)
CM 221 Intercultural Communication (3 hours)
CM 240 Gender Communication (3 hours)

Senior Capstone Courses (3 hours)

CM 475A Senior Seminar in Service in the Community (2 hours)
CM 475B Senior Seminar in Career Exploration (1 hour)

Total: 53 hours

Recommended General Education Courses:

AR 220 Graphic Design for Non-Art Majors (3 hours)
HI 237 Topics in Social History (3 hours)
HS 190 Social and Behavioral Determinants of Health (3 hours)
ML 108 Spanish I (3 hours)
NS 141 Environmental Science (4 hours)
PR 204 Peacemaking: Religious Perspectives (3 hours)
PS 125 International Relations (3 hours) or G-PS 102 United States Government (3 hours)

Careers with this Major

A student who majors in Social Justice and Advocacy could pursue careers in a variety of settings:

Activism
Advocacy Director
Child Protective Services
Community Activist
Community Development
Campaign Organizing
Community Organizing
Community Outreach
Corrections Reentry Programs
Public Policy Analysis
Conflict Resolution
Disability Services
Domestic Violence Programs
Drug Treatment Services
Environmental Advocate
Food Insecurity Programs
Government Relations
Grant Writing
Homeless Services
Housing Advocate
Human Rights Advocate
Human Rights Organizations
Immigration Programs
International Agencies
International NGO’s
Intervention Services
Juvenile Justice
Legislative Aide
Mediation
Mental Health Advocacy
Nonprofit Coordinator
Patient Advocate
Political Campaigns
Public Health Educator
Public Interest Groups
Rape Crisis Counseling
Refugee Resettlement
Restorative Justice Practices
Social Justice Advocacy
Social policy analysis
Social Services
Veterans Services
Victim Advocate
Voter Engagement
Women’s Empowerment
Women’s Shelters
Youth Services

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Social Justice and Advocacy

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About the Major