Digital Justice Studies Minor (formerly GISES)
Digital Justice Studies (DJS) is sponsored by the Sociology Department at UC Santa Cruz. It is a rigorous and innovative program, developed in collaboration with the Everett Program for Technology and Social Change, that focuses on the equitable and fair access to, participation in, and governance of digital technologies and digital ecosystems. It aspires to create a new generation of well-trained advocates for social justice and sustainable development who use the tools of information technology and social enterprise to solve global problems. Practically, students develop projects in solidarity with local and global organizations to democratize globalization, deepen social justice, reduce poverty, support digital education, and advance the transition to a sustainable world. The Everett Program combines social entrepreneurship with peer-to-peer and near-to-peer trainings in information technologies with the aim that students learn how to be innovative and creative problem-solvers in order to increase the informational, communication, and organizational capacity of community and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
The DJS program provides an excellent foundation for students pursuing careers in non-profit management, social advocacy, sustainable businesses, and technology. Depending on a student’s major, there are two ways to enter the DJS program. If a student is a sociology major and wishes to participate in DJS, they should declare the sociology major with intensive concentration in DJS. A student who majors in any field other than sociology should declare DJS as a minor.
Students must take one course prior to petitioning for entry to the DJS minor: SOCY 30A, Introduction to Digital Justice Studies. In order to declare the DJS minor, students must first have declared a major and must also connect with the sociology advising office to review and complete the declaration process. For details, please review the Sociology Department webpage.
Course Requirements
Students minoring in DJS are required to complete the following courses and requirements. Courses may be taken for a letter grade or Pass/No Pass.
Lower-Division Courses
Lower-division preparation:
| SOCY 30A | Introduction to Digital Justice Studies | 5 |
Upper-Division Courses
Upper-division DJS core courses:
| SOCY 107A | Designing Digital Justice Projects | 5 |
| SOCY 107B | Project Implementation for Digital Justice | 5 |
Upper-division advanced coursework:
Three additional upper-division electives of 5 credits or more are required, selected from the Sociology Department elective courses (Sociology 110-189), or from the list of pre-approved courses. Students are strongly recommended to consult with the director of DJS before choosing their electives to ensure that their choices contribute to their selected project and/or their growth as a technology activist or technology linked social change advocate. Courses outside the list of approved courses may also be approved by the director of DJS. For more information on the process students must follow to have their courses approved, please visit the Sociology Department page.
Project practicum:
Students must enroll in SOCY 196G, Project Practicum, and complete their DJS capstone project. SOCY 196G is offered every fall quarter. Students may review the DJS webpage, or contact the program director of DJS (everettprogram@ucsc.edu) for more detailed guidelines regarding the DJS capstone project. Prior to enrolling in SOCY 196G, students must have completed SOCY 107A and SOCY 107B, which prepares and supports students in completing a project that makes a contribution to advancing a solution to a problem associated with global social justice and/or sustainable development. To complete the final requirements for DJS, the integrated project practicum—narrative and digital deliverable—must be mounted on the appropriate web-enabled database managed by the Everett Program.