Social Justice Studies (SJS)

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Become a student

Our minor and diploma programs offer students the opportunity to wrestle with important questions surrounding wealth, racism, violence, labour, the environment and more.

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Discover our core courses

The minor and diploma programs require the completion of three core courses, as well as a selection of pre-approved electives.

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Our interdisciplinary approach

Our program is made possible through a diverse group of academics across multiple faculties, departments and programs, as well as a robust affiliated community.

What is social justice studies?

How is wealth distributed? What constitutes "privilege" within a society? Are opportunities different depending on demographics?

Our program seeks to explore these kinds of complex questions from an interdisciplinary angle, dissecting issues of social justice and inequalities from different academic and ideological approaches.

Aims of the program

Through minor and diploma options, we provide students with a thorough understanding of the range of ways in which scholars, researchers and activists address and engage with issues surrounding social injustices and initiatives promoting social justice in the contemporary world.

Our program helps advance UVic's vision by promoting civic engagement and global citizenship as well as valuing equal rights and dignity of all persons.

Interdisciplinary learning

The program draws on a wide base of research and teaching at UVic that includes three faculties, eight departments and eight programs.

Territory acknowledgment
We acknowledge and respect the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples on whose traditional territory the university stands, and the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.