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Social Justice Minor

The social justice minor at Cabrini University is an interdisciplinary program designed to invite students of all majors to explore the principles and structures that promote the common good.

Students study an array of ideas about the meaning and pursuit of social justice as well as the various people and groups who are engaged in projects that are geared to promote justice in local, regional, national, and even global communities.

Many courses in the social justice minor include components that invite students to apply classroom learning to settings in the broader community through direct service, advocacy, and empowerment.

This program takes place in light of the dignity, rights and responsibilities of all people as affirmed by Judeo-Christian heritage in the context of the American democratic system and an increasingly interconnected world.

The minor reflects the legacy of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, who formed institutions to serve the poor and outcast by drawing upon the resources of the Catholic intellectual and social traditions, as well as the resources available within American society.

Requirements for the Minor in Social Justice 
(all courses 3 credits unless noted)

  • SOJ 150 - Social Justice in Theory and Action
  • SOJ 250 - Social Justice in the Field
  • Course in major or
    SOJ 400 - Social Justice in the Academy
  • REL 225 - Catholic Social Thought and Practice
  • REL 111 - Faith and Justice
  • SOJ 401 - Social Justice Seminar

Total Credits for Minor: 18


Learning Outcomes
Participation in the social justice minor will foster:

  • critical thinking skills that allow students to explore the causes and effects of human suffering
  • exposure to principles of faith and civil society that help them interpret these situations
  • communication and organizing skills that enable them to act upon that knowledge as members of the campus community and eventually as professionals in their chosen fields

Students will learn the theory and practice that has emerged out of the rich intellectual tradition and the varied practices of the Catholic commitment to social justice that has developed over two millennia.

Course content includes examination of global and domestic application of Catholic Social Teaching, as well as student action in the community.

Additionally, students will learn the connection between “faith,” broadly conceived, and “justice,” variously defined, in order to begin to see patterns across diverse groups of people who engage in justice.

By studying the rich history of the various motivations and practices of such groups, students will be prepared to think critically and to engage in collaborative work for social justice with an intellectual and scholarly foundation upon graduation from Cabrini University.

Students in this program will gain knowledge, experience, and training to enter into professional service that is already directly related to social justice. They also will see the ways in which their involvement and contribution to society—whatever their vocation according to their discipline—can be oriented toward social justice.

This revised social justice minor has been designed to complement and extend students’ Engagements with the Common Good in the General Education Program and coursework in their major field of study.