Bachelor of Arts in Community Studies - Economic Justice and Political Economy

Founded in 1969, community studies was a national pioneer in the field of experiential education, and its community-focused learning model has been copied widely by other colleges and universities. Community studies was also a pioneer in addressing principles of social justice, specifically inequities arising from race, class, and gender dynamics in society.

The major offers students the opportunity to combine on- and off-campus learning. On campus, students complete topical courses and a core curriculum enabling them to identify, analyze, and help construct sites for social justice movements, nonprofit sector advocacy, public policy making, and social enterprise. Off campus, students spend six months participating in and analyzing the work of a social justice organization. This intensive immersion is a distinguishing feature of the community studies major.

Study and Research Opportunities
B.A. in community studies
The full time field study represents a significant opportunity for individual research on a social justice issue involving theory and practice.

This concept refers to the study of the social relations, and especially the power relations (for example of race, class, gender, age, and sexuality), shaping the production, distribution and consumption of resources in society. In Community Studies, the political economy of cities and regions can be usefully thought of as the political economy of place. The focus is on developing knowledge about how people and communities gain access to basic human needs like housing, jobs, credit, even food.