Black Justice Undergraduate Certificate

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us at SOE_Certificates@redlands.edu with any questions.

The Black Justice Undergraduate Certificate will strengthen individuals by analyzing how racism manifests in schools, classrooms, business, workplace, and everyday life. The coursework will enhance the individual's understanding of how racism affects everyone. This Certificate will provide tools to address race and racism and gain strategies to support a culture of respect, equity, and inclusivity. By the end of the Certificate, participants will deepen their knowledge of the history and definition of race and racism. They will enhance their understanding of how race and racism manifest in classrooms, schools, and students' lived experiences, practice applying a racial equity lens to scenarios related to race and racism in the classroom, and gain strategies for creating racial equity in all places.

Coursework outlined for the Certificate will equip students with the knowledge and skills to fight racial prejudice and challenge intolerant attitudes. Additionally, students will learn how to use contemporary intersectional terminology to distinguish between race/racism and participating in racist acts.

Who Should Enroll?

  • CAS students
  • Johnston students
  • Graduate Students
  • Local Community Members
  • Alumni and friends living anywhere in the world
  • Teachers
  • Doctors
  • Business Owners
  • Anyone who is interested in having real conversations about race in America.

Program Structure 

Tuition Breaks and Scholarships:

Tuition Breaks and Scholarships are available. Please reach out to us via SOE_Certificates@redlands.edu to learn about these possibilities. 

RJCS-300 Anti-Racism (Required)

This course will give students the opportunity to develop and strengthen skills in learning and discussing the history of racism in America, how it presents in America today, and practical steps towards decriminalizing Blackness, and becoming an Antiracist country. Learners can use this course to devise methods to critically understand racism, effectively attack it, and undermine violence and complacency within racist structures.

RJCS-301 Black People & the Church (Required)

Students will examine the social, economic, political, and cultural history of African Americans/Black people in the United States beginning with the Civil War. Key political, social, and cultural developments of the post-war period will be explored focusing on various social movements.

RJCS-302 Racism: a Public Health Crisis (Required)

Racism has long been recognized by Public Health professionals as a determinant of health. The purpose of this course is to review the effects of racism as a social determinant of health while identifying ways of eliminating its effects on the health of those directly affected.

RJCS-303 Anti-Racism in Children's Literature

Students will understand how to select, evaluate, and analyze depictions of Black culture and social justice in children's and young adult literature. Learners will develop an informed awareness of complex perspectives and will consider topics such as power, empowerment, racism, diversity, violence, perspective, authorship, illustrations, and ideology.

RJCS-304 Black Queer Histories

Develop and strengthen skills in learning and discussing the historical development of Black LGBTQ+ identities. Learners can use this course to devise methods to critically understand the assimilation of Black LGBTQ individuals into mainstream social structures, effectively address systemic inequities, and overcome violence and complacency within white-supremacist heteronormative structures.

RJCS-305 Importance of the Black Dollar

Identify and examine the development of Black consumer markets in the United States. Students will learn historical context of the development of African American buying power from past to present. With this historical framing, students will comprehend the significance and effects of marketing to marginalized communities.

RJCS-306 Black Voices & Public Sphere

 Opening up space to hear Black voices that are in the public sphere. While these voices are often portrayed as representing a margin, they have always been present -- if less dominant. This course centers Black voices in the contexts of education, health, the economy, race issues, and artistic expression.

RJCS-307 What Is Whiteness?

What is whiteness? White supremacy shapes government policies, institutional practices, interpersonal relationships, and our own perception of worth, time, and money. In this course, we will explore the cultural context of white supremacy, the relationship between whiteness and wealth hoarding, and cultivate our capacity for collaboration and community care.