Program: Justice Studies Certificate - University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Apr 02, 2025

2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

The Undergraduate Certificate in Justice Studies (JUST) offers undergraduate students the opportunity to train in complex and collaborative sociolegal problem solving to address the diverse issues faced by marginalized rural and urban Appalachian communities, as articulated by those communities themselves. The certificate is offered through the newly established Justice Studies interdisciplinary program, home to the Appalachian Justice Research Center’s undergraduate curriculum. Working with interdisciplinary UTK faculty and community members, undergraduate students will train in capstone, intern, and/or community lab courses, alongside law, graduate, and clinical students. Students will select their courses from a menu of curated courses from across campus, in consultation with the program director/advisor. In addition to the core JUST curriculum, students are required to choose courses from 1) a foundational set of sociolegal and justice studies courses and 2) a robust set of transdisciplinary methods and skill sets needed for an emergent and transforming justice workforce. Completion of the certificate requires an online exit survey for program assessment purposes.

Applicants to the JUST undergraduate certificate program must submit a letter of application and record of coursework to the director(s) of the Appalachian Justice Research Center, including any relevant courses and community experience. Students should tailor their letter to their major’s skill sets, their justice interests, and their community background. The JUST certificate is intended as additional study for undergraduate students who are concurrently enrolled in another discipline at the University of Tennessee.

The JUST Undergraduate Certificate consists of a minimum of 12 hours, completed at the upper division level (300 or above), in interdisciplinary coursework outlined as follows. A maximum of 6 credits can overlap between the JUST certificate and the student’s home discipline, as approved by the program director. Courses for the certificate must be completed with a grade of “C” or better. Depending upon a student’s undergraduate program of study, prerequisite courses may be needed in order to complete the requirements of this certificate.

Campus

Knoxville

Undergraduate Certificate Type

Add-On

Credit Hours Required

The JUST Undergraduate Certificate consists of a minimum of 12 hours, completed at the upper division level (300 or above). A maximum of 6 credits can overlap between the JUST certificate and the student’s home discipline, as approved by the program director. Courses for the certificate must be completed with a grade of “C” or better. Depending upon a student’s undergraduate program of study, prerequisite courses may be needed in order to complete the requirements of this certificate.

Admissions Standards/Procedures

Applicants to the JUST undergraduate certificate program must submit a letter of application to the director(s) of the Appalachian Justice Research Center, including any relevant courses and community experience. Students should tailor their letter to their major’s skill sets, justice interests, and community background. The JUST certificate is intended as additional study for undergraduate students who are concurrently enrolled in another discipline at the University of Tennessee.

Requirements

JUST Core

Three (3) credits chosen from a JUST course.

JUST 300 - Foundations in Justice Studies 3 Credit Hours
JUST 400 - Special Topics in Justice Studies 3 Credit Hours
JUST 450 - Appalachian Justice Research Lab (Lecture) 1 Credit Hours
JUST 492 - Internship in Justice Studies 1-15 Credit Hours
JUST 493 - Independent Study in Justice Studies 1-15 Credit Hours

Foundational and Conceptual Requirements

Six (6) credits chosen from conceptual and foundational courses in sociolegal and justice studies.

AFST 300 - The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the United States 3 Credit Hours
AFST 313 - Social Context of African American Health 3 Credit Hours
AFST 325 - Studies in Black Education 3 Credit Hours
AFST 343 - Race and Ethnicity 3 Credit Hours *
AFST 346 - African American Religious History 3 Credit Hours
AFST 354 - Black Men in U.S. Society 3 Credit Hours
AFST 359 - African American Intellectual History 3 Credit Hours
AFST 374 - History of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States 3 Credit Hours
AFST 375 - African American Women’s History from Slavery to the Present 3 Credit Hours
AFST 376 - The African American Experience from the Colonial Period to the Civil War 3 Credit Hours
AFST 380 - The African American Experience from the Civil War to the Present 3 Credit Hours
AFST 415 - Black American Politics 3 Credit Hours
AFST 425 - Black Feminist Theory 3 Credit Hours
AFST 435 - North America and the Diaspora 3 Credit Hours
AFST 442 - Comparative Poverty and Development 3 Credit Hours
AFST 444 - Black Masculinities 3 Credit Hours
AFST 456 - Race, Ethnicity, Crime, and Justice 3 Credit Hours
AFST 472 - Civil Rights Movement 3 Credit Hours
AFST 480 - African American Communities in Urban America 3 Credit Hours
ANTH 314 - Latinos in the United States 3 Credit Hours
ANTH 320 - American Cultures 3 Credit Hours
ANTH 325 - Migration and Transnationalism 3 Credit Hours
ANTH 413 - Dynamics of Health and Illness 3 Credit Hours
ANTH 414 - Political Anthropology 3 Credit Hours
ANTH 418 - Ethnographies of Trauma 3 Credit Hours
ANTH 419 - Anthropology of Human Rights 3 Credit Hours
ANTH 420 - Disasters 3 Credit Hours
ANTH 421 - Refugees and Displaced People 3 Credit Hours
ANTH 422 - Anthropology of Global Inequality 3 Credit Hours
ANTH 423 - Feminist Anthropology 3 Credit Hours
ANTH 424 - Queer Anthropology 3 Credit Hours
ANTH 425 - Humanitarianism 3 Credit Hours
ANTH 426 - Decolonization 3 Credit Hours
ANTH 432 - Anthropology of Warfare, Violence, and Peace 3 Credit Hours
ANTH 489 - Forensic Science and Human Rights 3 Credit Hours
CNST 439 - Race and Ethnicity in American Cinema 3 Credit Hours
CNST 465 - Latin American Film and Culture 3 Credit Hours
CNST 469 - Sexuality and Cinema 3 Credit Hours
ENGL 331 - Race and Ethnicity in American Literature 3 Credit Hours *
ENGL 439 - Race and Ethnicity in American Cinema 3 Credit Hours
ENGL 441 - Southern Literature 3 Credit Hours
ENGL 444 - Appalachian Literature and Culture 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 331 - Natural Hazards 3 Credit Hours *
GEOG 333 - Climate Change and Human Response 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 334 - Meteorology 4 Credit Hours *
GEOG 336 - Political Ecology 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 340 - Economic Geography in the Modern World 3 Credit Hours *
GEOG 341 - Introduction to Urban Studies: Social and Spatial Origins of Contemporary Cities 3 Credit Hours *
GEOG 344 - Population Geography 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 346 - Energy, Governance, and Sustainability 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 361 - Regional Dynamics of the United States and Canada 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 362 - Sustainable Development in Appalachia 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 363 - Southern Spaces and Places 3 Credit Hours *
GEOG 421 - Maps, Society, Power 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 425 - Human Dimension in GIScience 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 439 - Plants, People, and Climate in North America 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 441 - Cities as Economic Engines 3 Credit Hours *
GEOG 442 - Urban Spaces and Urban Society 3 Credit Hours *
GEOG 443 - Sustainable Cities and Landscapes 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 444 - The Age of Migration 3 Credit Hours *
GEOG 445 - Cities in a World System 3 Credit Hours *
GEOG 446 - City and Community Sustainability Planning 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 449 - Geography of Transportation 3 Credit Hours *
GEOG 455 - Physical Geography of the Urban Environment 4 Credit Hours
GEOG 462 - Geographies of Race and Racism 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 495 - Special Topics in Geography 1-4 Credit Hours
HIUS 374 - History of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States 3 Credit Hours
HIUS 376 - African American Womenʼs History from Slavery to the Present 3 Credit Hours
HIUS 379 - African American Experience from Colonial Period to Civil War 3 Credit Hours
HIUS 380 - African American Experience from Civil War to the Present 3 Credit Hours
HIUS 381 - History of Tennessee 3 Credit Hours
HIUS 382 - Appalachian History 3 Credit Hours *
HIUS 444 - History of the South 3 Credit Hours *
JMED 366 - Media and Democracy 3 Credit Hours
JMED 400 - Mass Communication Law and Ethics 3 Credit Hours
JMED 410 - Media Ethics 3 Credit Hours
JMED 455 - Media, Health, and Science 3 Credit Hours
JMED 466 - Media, Diversity, and Society 3 Credit Hours *
PHIL 382 - Philosophy of Feminism 3 Credit Hours *
PHIL 383 - Philosophy of Disability 3 Credit Hours *
PHIL 390 - Philosophical Foundations of Democracy 3 Credit Hours *
PHIL 391 - Social and Political Philosophy 3 Credit Hours *
PHIL 392 - Philosophy of Law 3 Credit Hours *
PHIL 441 - Global Justice and Human Rights 3 Credit Hours *
POLS 330 - Law in American Society 3 Credit Hours
POLS 341 - Judicial Process and Policymaking 3 Credit Hours
POLS 413 - Race, Ethnicity, and Politics 3 Credit Hours
POLS 414 - Gender and Politics 3 Credit Hours
POLS 415 - Black American Politics 3 Credit Hours
POLS 425 - Media and Politics 3 Credit Hours
POLS 430 - United States Constitutional Law: Sources of Power and Restraint 3 Credit Hours *
POLS 431 - United States Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Liberties 3 Credit Hours *
POLS 435 - Criminal Law and Procedure 3 Credit Hours
PSYC 430 - Health Psychology 3 Credit Hours
PSYC 434 - Psychology of Gender 3 Credit Hours *
PSYC 435 - Multicultural Psychology 3 Credit Hours *
PSYC 436 - Positive Psychology 3 Credit Hours
PSYC 440 - Organizational Psychology 3 Credit Hours
PSYC 471 - Psychology of Prejudice 3 Credit Hours *
PSYC 472 - Psychology of Trauma 3 Credit Hours
PSYC 473 - Youth Mentoring: Theory, Research, and Practice 3 Credit Hours
PSYC 476 - African American Psychology 3 Credit Hours
PSYC 481 - Intimate Partner Violence 3 Credit Hours *
REST 343 - Religion, Nature, and Ethics 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 303 - Sociology of Religion 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 310 - American Society 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 311 - Family 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 321 - Sociological Theory 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 341 - Social Inequalities 3 Credit Hours *
SOCI 342 - Globalization and Justice 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 343 - Race and Ethnicity 3 Credit Hours *
SOCI 344 - Political Sociology 3 Credit Hours *
SOCI 345 - Social Movements 3 Credit Hours *
SOCI 350 - Criminology 3 Credit Hours *
SOCI 353 - Criminal Justice 3 Credit Hours *
SOCI 354 - Black Men in US Societies 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 360 - Environment and Resources 3 Credit Hours *
SOCI 361 - Environmental Justice 3 Credit Hours *
SOCI 362 - Population 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 363 - Food, Agriculture, and Society 3 Credit Hours *
SOCI 375 - Gender in Society 3 Credit Hours *
SOCI 395 - Political Economy of Regions and Peoples of the World 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 400 - Special Topics 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 401 - Special Topics in Criminology 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 410 - Sociology of Culture 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 411 - Police and Society 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 415 - Visual Criminology 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 419 - Sociology, Science Fiction Film, and Artificial Intelligence 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 442 - Comparative Poverty and Development 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 444 - Black Masculinities 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 446 - The Modern World System 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 449 - Youth Justice 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 452 - Race, Ethnicity, Crime, and Justice 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 453 - Gender and Crime 3 Credit Hours *
SOCI 454 - Restorative Justice 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 455 - Law and Society 3 Credit Hours *
SOCI 456 - Punishment and Society 3 Credit Hours *
SOCI 460 - Capitalism and Racism 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 461 - Immigration Politics and Policies 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 463 - Community, Sustainability and Justice 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 464 - Political Economy of Natural Resources and the Environment 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 465 - Social Values and the Environment 3 Credit Hours *
SOCI 466 - Special Topics in Race and Ethnicity 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 472 - Civil Rights Movement 3 Credit Hours
WGS 320 - Gender, Sexuality, and Religion 3 Credit Hours
WGS 325 - Women in American History 3 Credit Hours
WGS 326 - Gay American History 3 Credit Hours
WGS 340 - Gender, Politics, and the Law 3 Credit Hours
WGS 354 - Black Men in US Society 3 Credit Hours
WGS 375 - Gender in Society 3 Credit Hours
WGS 376 - African American Women’s History from Slavery to the Present 3 Credit Hours
WGS 382 - Philosophy of Feminism 3 Credit Hours
WGS 425 - Black Feminist Theory Credit Hours
WGS 434 - Psychology of Gender 3 Credit Hours
WGS 436 - History of Gender and Sexuality in the United States 3 Credit Hours
WGS 444 - Black Masculinities 3 Credit Hours
WGS 453 - Gender and Crime 3 Credit Hours
WGS 469 - Sexuality and Cinema 3 Credit Hours *
WGS 484 - African American Women in American Society 3 Credit Hours

Skills-Based Methods Requirements

Three (3) credits chosen from research methods and skill-based courses. A research methods course from the student’s major may be considered for approval by program director.

AFST 460 - Africana Research Methods 3 Credit Hours
ANTH 416 - Engaged Anthropology 3 Credit Hours
ANTH 449 - Computational Social Science 3 Credit Hours
ANTH 453 - Public Heritage and Community Archaeology 3 Credit Hours
ANTH 486 - Introduction to Forensic Anthropology 4 Credit Hours
ARTC 435 - Narrative Filmmaking 4 Credit Hours *
ARTC 436 - Video Art 4 Credit Hours
ARTD 444 - Graphic Design Research 1-6 Credit Hours
ARTD 444R - Graphic Design Research 1-6 Credit Hours
CNST 435 - Narrative Filmmaking 4 Credit Hours *
CNST 436 - Video Art 4 Credit Hours
ENGL 369 - Writing Creative Nonfiction 3 Credit Hours *
ENGL 455 - Persuasive Writing 3 Credit Hours *
GEOG 311 - Geovisualization and Geographic Information Science 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 312 - First Steps in GIS Programming 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 313 - Geospatial Field Methods of UAVs, LiDAR, and GPS 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 409 - GIS for Environmental and Socio-Economic Applications 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 411 - Intermediate Geographic Information Science 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 412 - Environmental Modeling and Geospatial Analysis 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 413 - Remote Sensing of the Environment 4 Credit Hours
GEOG 414 - Spatial Data Management 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 415 - Quantitative Methods in Geography 4 Credit Hours *
GEOG 416 - GIS Project Management 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 420 - GIS in the Community 3 Credit Hours *
GEOG 422 - Geographic Software Design 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 424 - LiDAR Technology and Applications 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 454 - GIS for Terrain Analysis 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 490 - Internship 3 Credit Hours
GEOG 494 - Undergraduate Research Experience 1-3 Credit Hours
GEOG 496 - Field Experience for Sustainability 3 Credit Hours *
GEOG 499 - Practicing Geography and Sustainability 3 Credit Hours
JMED 336 - Video Production 3 Credit Hours
JMED 380 - Media Graphics 3 Credit Hours
JMED 390 - Photojournalism 3 Credit Hours
JMED 419 - Communicating with Data 3 Credit Hours
JMED 436 - Advanced Video Production 3 Credit Hours
JMED 446 - Documentary Video Production 3 Credit Hours
JMED 451 - Environmental Writing 3 Credit Hours *
JMED 480 - Media Programming in the Digital Era 3 Credit Hours
PSYC 373 - Youth Mentoring: Supervised Field Experience 3 Credit Hours
PSYC 396N - Internship in Psychology 3 Credit Hours *
PSYC 399 - Supervised Research and Field Work 1-3 Credit Hours
SOCI 331 - Sociological Research 3 Credit Hours *
SOCI 431R - Applied Sociological Research 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 433R - Participatory Action Research 3 Credit Hours
SOCI 492N - Internship 3 Credit Hours
* Meets Volunteer Core Requirement.

Non-Course Requirements

Completion of online assessment module (exit survey) upon completion of all other certificate requirements.