University to offer 'Social Justice Advocacy' certificate

The University of Utah is now offering a “Social Justice Advocacy Certificate” to train students to “advocate for action and change.”

Starting this fall, students will be eligible to earn the certificate in “Social Justice Advocacy,” the creation of which was unanimously approved by faculty of the University of Utah School of School of Social Work in 2014, according to a school announcement.

The certificate was designed for students who are inspired after completing the school’s diversity requirement, according the school’s announcement.

“Many students attest to the importance of the inclusion of [required diversity courses] in any and every major,” the school noted.

“However, knowing is not enough; there must also be advocacy and action. Students, upon completing a diversity class, wonder what they can do with this new-found consciousness and knowledge.”

The school also argued that the certificate would be useful for students, since “we are becoming more and more diverse in society,” and because “there can be no social justice without action.”

“This certificate will give individuals an education that focuses on the opportunities to use a combination of multiple approaches to get to change and social justice,” they wrote.

Students who yearn to earn the certificate are required to take a number of social justice-focused classes, such as Social Diversity and Cultural Understanding, during which students will learn about issues including “discrimination, oppression, privilege, victimization, and exploitation,” and Social Justice Advocacy Techniques and Skills, which vows to provide “the tools for people to start engaging in the advocacy process.”

Electives include classes on immigration, “environmental justice,” Native Americans, and persuasion and political communication, according to the list of certificate requirements.

The University of Utah did not respond to a request for comment from Campus Reform.

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