Online Degrees & Certificates
AA Transfer Social Justice Studies
Program Description
Social justice is the idea that all members of a society are entitled to equal rights and equal opportunities. Social Justice Studies recognizes the social inequality and inequities in society—particularly regarding race and ethnicity, and gender and sexuality—and works in its analysis toward creating a more equitable society. More specifically, Social Justice Studies analyzes the injustices in society, such as how racism, sexism, and homophobia are manifested through discrimination, economic disparities, and violence. Furthermore, Social Justice Studies examines social policies that aim to alleviate injustices and create a more equitable society.
The Associate in Arts in Social Justice Studies for Transfer Degree is designed to prepare students to transfer into the California State University (CSU) system. Students who complete the degree will be ensured preferential transfer status into the CSU system for Social Justice Studies majors and majors in related disciplines. The degree requirements will fulfill the lower division major requirements at many local CSUs. Students are advised, however, to meet with a counselor to assess the course requirements for specific local CSUs and to validate which CSUs are considered local.
The degree will enable students to develop a strong foundation in race and ethnicity, gender and women's studies, social research methods or quantitative reasoning, and understanding patterns of inter-personal behavior, and will also offer interdisciplinary perspectives on social inequality and social justice. In addition, students will develop strong critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills that will prepare them for the requirements of upper division course work.
Students who complete the Associate in Arts in Social Justice Studies for Transfer Degree will be awarded one degree, to be selected from one of the following three emphases:
- General Social Justice Studies: Provides a broad understanding of social justice and injustice
- Gender and Sexuality: Focuses on the experiences of women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer individuals
- Race and Ethnicity: Explores racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. and around the world
Learn more about the program on the Sociology website.
Program Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to identify and analyze the causes of race and gender inequality in the United States.
Students will identify and analyze social policies that have the potential to alleviate race and gender inequalities.
Units Required
Major: 28-33
Associate Degree Requirements
Associate in Arts in Social Justice Studies for Transfer requires completion of a minimum of 90 units to include:
- CSU General Education Breadth Requirements or the *Intersegmental Genearl Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) 49-58 units (full certification is required)
- Core and suppport courses (28-33 units, of which 12-31 units may satisfy the GE requirement)
- Transferable electives necessary to meet the 90-unit minimum requirement
* IMPORTANT NOTE: Although it is possible to fulfill the requirements for the Associate Degree for Transfer by completing the IGETC for UC pattern, admission to CSU requires completion of an Oral Communication course (IGETC Area 1C; CSU GE Area A-1); therefore, students who plan to transfer to CSU should complete this course as part of their GE or elective units.
NOTE: All courses pertaining to the major must be completed with a grade of "C" (or "P") or better. In addition, the student must obtain a minimum GPA of 2.0.
Online Courses for Social Justice Studies AAT
The courses listed BELOW are offered as online courses at least once every two years. Please see the Class Schedule for verification.
- For a complete listing of online courses offered during the current quarter, visit Online Course Information.
- If you need any additional degree information or confirmation, please contact the Counseling Division.
NOTE: Students having difficulty attaining an associate degree because of timing or availability of classes should consult with a counselor to submit a petition for course substitution.
Core and Support Courses
Select one of the following emphasis options:
Option 1: General Social Justice Studies
Core Courses
| ONLINE COURSE | TITLE | UNITS |
|---|---|---|
| SOC 23 | Race & Ethnic Relations | 4 |
| SOC 28 | Sociology of Gender | 4 |
| Select ONE course from the following: (4-5 Units) |
||
| ANTH 2A | Cultural Anthropology | 4 |
| or ANTH 2AH | Honors Cultural Anthropology | 4 |
| COMM 12 | Intercultural Communication | 5 |
| ECON 25 | The Global Economy | 4 |
| ETHN 1 | Introduction to Ethnic Studies | 4 |
| ETHN 2 | Introduction to African American Studies | 4 |
| ETHN 3 | Introduction to Latinx Studies | 4 |
| ETHN 4 | Introduction to Native American Studies | 4 |
| ETHN 5 | Introduction to Asian American Studies | 4 |
| POLI 15 | International Relations/World Politics | 4 |
| or POLI 15H | Honors International Relations/World Politics | 4 |
| SOC 1 | Introduction to Sociology | 5 |
| or SOC 1H | Honors Introduction to Sociology | 5 |
| WMN 5 | Introduction to Women's Studies | 4 |
Support Courses
| ONLINE COURSE | TITLE | UNITS |
|---|---|---|
| List A: Complete FOUR courses from at least three areas, below: |
16-20 | |
| Area 1: History or Government | ||
| HIST 17B | History of the United States from 1812 to 1914 | 4 |
| HIST 17C | History of the United States from 1914 to Present | 4 |
| POLI 1 | Political Science: Introduction to American Government & Politics | 5 |
| POLI 15 * | International Relations/World Politics | 4 |
| or POLI 15H * | Honors International Relations/World Politics | 4 |
| Area 2: Arts and Humanities | ||
| ART 2E | A History of Women in Art | 4.5 |
| ART 2F | Introduction to Asian Art | 4.5 |
| ART 2J | American Art | 4.5 |
| ENGL 5 | Loud & Queer: Literature of Sexual/Gender Identity | 4 |
| ENGL 7 | Native American Literature | 4 |
| ENGL 12 | African American Literature | 4 |
| ENGL 22 | Women Writers | 4 |
| ENGL 31 | Latino/a Literature | 4 |
| ENGL 38 | Literature of Protest | 4 |
| ENGL 40 | Asian American Literature | 4 |
| MDIA 3 | Introduction to Film & Media Criticism | 4 |
| MDIA 11 | Introduction to Popular Culture | 4 |
| or MDIA 11H | Honors Introduction to Popular Culture | 4 |
| or HUMN 11 | Introduction to Popular Culture | 4 |
| or HUMN 11H | Honors Introduction to Popular Culture | 4 |
| MUS 8 | Music of American Cultures | 5 |
| or MUS 8H | Honors Music of American Cultures | 5 |
| PHIL 24 | Comparative World Religions: East | 4 |
| PHIL 25 | Comparative World Religions: West | 4 |
| PHOT 8 | Photography of American Cultures | 5 |
| or PHOT 8H | Honors Photography of American Cultures | 5 |
| THTR 8 | Multicultural Theatre Arts in Modern America | 4 |
| Area 3: Social Science | ||
| ANTH 2A * | Cultural Anthropology | 4 |
| or ANTH 2AH * | Honors Cultural Anthropology | 4 |
| ANTH 4 | First Peoples of North America | 4 |
| ANTH 6 | Perspectives from Africa | 4 |
| ANTH 20 | Native Peoples of Calfiornia | 4 |
| CHLD 51A | Affirming Diversity in Education | 4 |
| COMM 10 | Gender, Communication & Culture | 5 |
| COMM 12 * | Intercultural Communication | 5 |
| ECON 25 * | The Global Economy | 4 |
| ETHN 1 * | Introduction to Ethnic Studies | 4 |
| GEOG 2 | Human Geography | 4 |
| GLST 1 | Introduction to Global Studies | 4 |
| or GLST 1H | Honors Introduction to Global Studies | 4 |
| GLST 2 | Global Issues | 4 |
| HIST 10 | History of California: The Multicultural State | 4 |
| HLTH 20 | Introduction to Public Health | 5 |
| HLTH 22 | Health & Social Justice | 4 |
| PSYC 21 | Psychology of Women: Sex & Gender Differences | 4 |
| or WMN 21 | Psychology of Women: Sex & Gender Differences | 4 |
| PSYC 22 | Psychology of Prejudice & Discrimination | 4 |
| PSYC 49 | Human Sexuality | 4 |
| SOSC 20 | Cross-Cultural Perspectives for a Multicultural Society | 4 |
| WMN 11 | Women in Global Perspective | 4 |
| Area 4: Quantitative Reasoning and Research Methods | ||
| MATH 10 | Elementary Statistics | 5 |
| or PSYC 7 | Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences | 5 |
| or SOC 7 | Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences | 5 |
| PSYC 10 | Research Methods & Designs | 5 |
| or SOC 10 | Social Research Methods & Designs | 5 |
| Area 5: Major Preparation | ||
| ANTH 2A * | Cultural Anthropology | 4 |
| or ANTH 2AH * | Honors Cultural Anthropology | 4 |
| COMM 12 * | Intercultural Communication | 5 |
| ECON 25 * | The Global Economy | 4 |
| POLI 15 * | International Relations/World Politics | 4 |
| or POLI 15H * | Honors International Relations/World Politics | 4 |
| SOC 1 * | Introduction to Sociology | 5 |
| or SOC 1H * | Honors Introduction to Sociology | 5 |
| SOC 20 | Major Social Problems | 4 |
| Total Units | 28-33 | |
* May be completed only once for credit to satisfy either the core or support course requirement.
Option 2: Gender and Sexuality
Core Courses
| ONLINE COURSE | TITLE | UNITS |
|---|---|---|
| SOC 23 | Race & Ethnic Relations | 4 |
| SOC 28 | Sociology of Gender | 4 |
| WMN 5 | Introduction to Women's Studies | 4 |
Support Courses
| ONLINE COURSE | TITLE | UNITS |
|---|---|---|
| List A: Complete FOUR courses from at least three areas, below: |
16-20 | |
| Area 1: History or Government | ||
| HIST 17B | History of the United States from 1812 to 1914 | 4 |
| HIST 17C | History of the United States from 1914 to Present | 4 |
| POLI 1 | Political Science: Introduction to American Government & Politics | 5 |
| POLI 15 | International Relations/World Politics | 4 |
| or POLI 15H | Honors International Relations/World Politics | 4 |
| Area 2: Arts and Humanities | ||
| ART 2E | A History of Women in Art | 4.5 |
| ENGL 5 | Loud & Queer: Literature of Sexual/Gender Identity | 4 |
| ENGL 22 | Women Writers | 4 |
| ENGL 38 | Literature of Protest | 4 |
| Area 3: Social Science | ||
| COMM 10 | Gender, Communication & Culture | 5 |
| HLTH 20 | Introduction to Public Health | 5 |
| PSYC 21 | Psychology of Women: Sex & Gender Differences | 4 |
| or WMN 21 | Psychology of Women: Sex & Gender Differences | 4 |
| PSYC 22 | Psychology of Prejudice & Discrimination | 4 |
| PSYC 49 | Human Sexuality | 4 |
| SOC 45 | Sociology of Sexuality | 4 |
| WMN 11 | Women in Global Perspective | 4 |
| Area 4: Quantitative Reasoning and Research Methods | ||
| MATH 10 | Elementary Statistics | 5 |
| or PSYC 7 | Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences | 5 |
| or SOC 7 | Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences | 5 |
| PSYC 10 | Research Methods & Designs | 5 |
| or SOC 10 | Social Research Methods & Designs | 5 |
| Area 5: Major Preparation | ||
| ANTH 2A | Cultural Anthropology | 4 |
| or ANTH 2AH | Honors Cultural Anthropology | 4 |
| COMM 12 | Intercultural Communication | 5 |
| ECON 25 | The Global Economy | 4 |
| POLI 15 | International Relations/World Politics | 4 |
| or POLI 15H | Honors International Relations/World Politics | 4 |
| SOC 1 | Introduction to Sociology | 5 |
| or SOC 1H | Honors Introduction to Sociology | 5 |
| SOC 20 | Major Social Problems | 4 |
| Total Units | 28-32 | |
Option 3: Race and Ethnicity
Core Courses
| ONLINE COURSE | TITLE | UNITS |
|---|---|---|
| SOC 23 | Race & Ethnic Relations | 4 |
| SOC 28 | Sociology of Gender | 4 |
| Select ONE course from the following: |
||
| ANTH 2A | Cultural Anthropology | 4 |
| or ANTH 2AH | Honors Cultural Anthropology | 4 |
| COMM 12 | Intercultural Communication | 5 |
| ETHN 1 | Introduction to Ethnic Studies | 4 |
| ETHN 2 | Introduction to African American Studies | 4 |
| ETHN 3 | Introduction to Latinx Studies | 4 |
| ETHN 4 | Introduction to Native American Studies | 4 |
| ETHN 5 | Introduction to Asian American Studies | 4 |
Support Courses
| ONLINE COURSE | TITLE | UNITS |
|---|---|---|
| List A: Complete FOUR courses from at least three areas, below: |
16-20 | |
| Area 1: History or Government | ||
| HIST 17B | History of the United States from 1812 to 1914 | 4 |
| HIST 17C | History of the United States from 1914 to Present | 4 |
| POLI 1 | Political Science: Introduction to American Government & Politics | 5 |
| POLI 15 | International Relations/World Politics | 4 |
| or POLI 15H | Honors International Relations/World Politics | 4 |
| Area 2: Arts and Humanities | ||
| ART 2F | Introduction to Asian Art | 4.5 |
| ART 2J | American Art | 4.5 |
| ENGL 7 | Native American Literature | 4 |
| ENGL 12 | African American Literature | 4 |
| ENGL 31 | Latino/a Literature | 4 |
| ENGL 38 | Literature of Protest | 4 |
| ENGL 40 | Asian American Literature | 4 |
| MDIA 3 | Introduction to Film & Media Criticism | 4 |
| MDIA 11 | Introduction to Popular Culture | 4 |
| or MDIA 11H | Honors Introduction to Popular Culture | 4 |
| or HUMN 11 | Introduction to Popular Culture | 4 |
| or HUMN 11H | Honors Introduction to Popular Culture | 4 |
| MUS 8 | Music of American Culture | 5 |
| or MUS 8H | Honors Music of American Culture | 5 |
| PHIL 24 | Comparative World Religions: East | 4 |
| PHIL 25 | Comparative World Religions: West | 4 |
| PHOT 8 | Photography of American Cultures | 5 |
| or PHOT 8H | Honors Photography of American Cultures | 5 |
| Area 3: Social Science | ||
| ANTH 2A * | Cultural Anthropology | 4 |
| or ANTH 2AH * | Honors Cultural Anthropology | 4 |
| ANTH 4 | First Peoples of North America | 4 |
| ANTH 6 | Perspectives from Africa | 4 |
| ANTH 20 | Native Peoples of Calfiornia | 4 |
| CHLD 51A | Affirming Diversity in Education | 4 |
| COMM 10 | Gender, Communication & Culture | 5 |
| COMM 12 * | Intercultural Communication | 5 |
| ECON 25 | The Global Economy | 4 |
| ETHN 1 * | Introduction to Ethnic Studies | 4 |
| GEOG 2 | Human Geography | 4 |
| HIST 10 | History of California: The Multicultural State | 4 |
| HLTH 20 | Introduction to Public Health | 5 |
| PSYC 22 | Psychology of Prejudice & Discrimination | 4 |
| SOSC 20 | Cross-Cultural Perspectives for a Multicultural Society | 4 |
| Area 4: Quantitative Reasoning and Research Methods | ||
| MATH 10 | Elementary Statistics | 5 |
| or PSYC 7 | Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences | 5 |
| or SOC 7 | Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences | 5 |
| PSYC 10 | Research Methods & Designs | 5 |
| or SOC 10 | Social Research Methods & Designs | 5 |
| Area 5: Major Preparation | ||
| ANTH 2A * | Cultural Anthropology | 4 |
| or ANTH 2AH * | Honors Cultural Anthropology | 4 |
| COMM 12 * | Intercultural Communication | 5 |
| ECON 25 | The Global Economy | 4 |
| POLI 15 | International Relations/World Politics | 4 |
| or POLI 15H | Honors International Relations/World Politics | 4 |
| SOC 1 | Introduction to Sociology | 5 |
| or SOC 1H | Honors Introduction to Sociology | 5 |
| SOC 20 | Major Social Problems | 4 |
| Total Units | 28-33 | |
* May be completed only once for credit to satisfy either the core or support course requirement.
Note that this is a list of fully online courses that satisfy degree requirements.
For a list of on-campus courses that satisfy degree requirements, please visit .
Based on the 2024 - 2025 degree program.