Do you want to learn more about race and social justice? Check out these spring classes.
For more information, contact Sarah Hentges at sarah.hentges@maine.edu and/or talk to your advisor to see how these classes fit into your overall major program.
Register for classes on MaineStreet
JUS 315: Tribal Law
The instructor for this course is Judge Eric Mehnert of the Penobscot Nation Trial Court, who developed a unique Wellness Court model, based on restorative justice principles and native healing practices. The Wellness Court deals with the aftermath of generations of systemic trauma and does an excellent job at restoring people to full participation in their community.
This is a completely different model from our usual court system. If you have an interest in social justice, substance abuse rehabilitation, child and family welfare, Native American culture, or cultural awareness, this course is for you!
HTY 321: US Immigration History
The history of immigration is central to both American history and evolving ideas of what it means to be an American. In this class, we will examine immigration history through several lenses, including social histories of diverse ethnic groups, evolving legal policies, waves of refugee and asylum seekers, and the shifting place of the “immigrant” in the American national imagination.
INT/HON 188: The Interdisciplinary Colloquium: Race and Social Justice
Spring 2022: Offered Thursdays from 4 to 5 pm (and online asynch “delayed viewing” section)
This year’s academic theme is Race & Social Justice. In this 1-credit spring course, students will learn about race and social justice from a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. Each week a different faculty member will present/lead discussion based upon an assigned reading, film, or other text. We will consider, for instance: literature/art/poetry, science, and social science approaches as well as health inequities, state violence, the prison industrial complex, identity and representation, embodiment, power and empowerment, and proactive and productive ways to work toward social justice. Students who are interested in earning 3 credits on the theme of race and social justice may choose to enroll in INT 389 in addition to INT/HON 188.
In short: each week for this class students will have a short reading or video to watch each week, a class meeting to attend (or recording to watch), and a post/reply or journal option or one-hour conversation group. A short final reflection will conclude the work for this course.
INT 389 (2 credits)
Topics in Interdisciplinary Studies: Race & Social Justice
Students who enroll in INT/HON 188 may opt to enroll in this 2-credit course, giving them 3 credits total. Students in this 2-credit course will be asked to engage in online discussion and to complete a paper/project on the theme of race and social justice to be presented at the UMA Student Research Conference on April 22, 2022. Offered asynchronous online.
AME/INT/WGS 430E: Embodied Social Justice: Racialized Trauma and Cultural Transformation
What does it feel like to be centered, grounded, and in your body? How does this state allow us to heal and hold space for others to heal? Embodied Social Justice is an interdisciplinary field/focus of study that combines and expands critical educational theories, critical race theories, and intersectional feminist theory along with trauma studies, transformative justice, Somatics, neuroscience, and so much more. In this course, we will explore theoretical foundations as well as embodied practices as we develop a deeper understanding of individual and structural transformation and empowerment. We will consider the role of the body in social and cultural movements, intergenerational and racialized trauma, compound and collective trauma, cultural appropriation, critical consciousness, and mind/body healing practices like yoga and meditation. 3 CR. Prereqs: any AME, INT, or WGS course OR permission of instructor.