JUST 300 Foundations in Justice Studies
In this course we survey the amazing interdisciplinary terrain of justice. What is justice? What does its study demand? What are its conditions, possibilities, and limits? What is Justice Studies and what specifically could and should it mean in our region of the world? Here, we introduce key concepts and methods in the study of law, justice, and community. We bring into focus the conceptual foundations, theoretical debates, historic movements, and contemporary issues surrounding the meanings of justice. And we do so in relation to community collaborative work in the diversity that is Appalachia with its connections to national and global issues. (Coming soon in Fall 2025)
JUST 400 Special Topics in Justice Studies
This course will offer rotating special topics in the area of Justice Studies whose content and instructors will vary. Potential course topics will draw from the wealth of scholarly expertise in the UT system to cover a range of classical and emergent forms of justice: restorative justice, reproductive justice, disability justice, economic justice, indigenous justice, racial justice, transformative justice, youth justice, housing justice, science and justice, philosophies of justice, digital justice, energy justice, design justice, environmental and land justice, and more! (Coming soon in Fall 2025)
JUST 455 / SOCI 455 Law & Society
At the intersections of justice are foundational relationships between law and society. The study of law and society is a look at law from the outside in: As the singular social institution which carries the force of violence and the protection of rights, what makes the law law? What is its structural role in society? How are laws and legal processes shaping and shaped by political forces, inequalities, and social change? How is social change impacted by laws (but often not in the way we might imagine)? How is law (always) present in our everyday lives? How – and to what extent – does social science and empirical research inform law and legal policy? How does law want us to think? Why do lawyers think the way they do? How is the profession transforming in the current moment? Got questions like these? This course is for you. Writing-emphasis course. (Currently offered)
Satisfies Volunteer Core Requirement: (SS) (WC)
JUST 460 / 461 Appalachian Justice Research Lecture and Lab
The Appalachian Justice Research Lab (AJRL) is an interdisciplinary laboratory space designed to conduct and disseminate research that supports the needs and priorities of marginalized communities in Appalachia. Working under the supervision of multi-disciplinary faculty and in collaboration with community partners, students from multiple disciplines will conduct research and produce work products appropriate to projects housed within The University of Tennessee’s Appalachian Justice Research Center. This is the centerpiece of the Justice Studies curriculum with limited student placements targeted to current community research projects, running fall and spring semesters. If you are looking to gain research experience and legal skills on the ground in Appalachian communities, this course is for you. (Currently offered. Application process required; applications will be released in mid-March 2024.)
(Undergraduate)
JUST 492N Internship in Community Justice Studies
The Internship in Justice Studies is an opportunity for students who have participated in the Appalachian Justice Research Lab to engage in further and more advanced community collaborative research roles supervised by Justice Studies faculty with the Appalachian Justice Research Center (AJRC). These opportunities will be defined by the research projects that are currently moving through the AJRC, the needs of the community organizations that we work with, and the skill sets that the student brings through their background and training. (Coming soon in Fall 2025)
JUST 493 Independent Study in Justice Studies
The Independent Study in Justice Studies is a space for students to engage more deeply with understandings of justice through a semester-long tailored course of study, appropriately aligned with a Justice Studies faculty member’s expertise (and availability). This course can supplement student theses and creative projects through intensive and concentrated study: deepening conceptual foundations, training in methods and approaches, developing key modes of analysis, preparing for public presentations and writing, and professional planning and portfolio development. (Currently offered with approval of JUST Director and selected faculty member)
LAW 860 / 861 Appalachian Justice Research Lecture and Lab
The Appalachian Justice Research Lab (AJRL) is an interdisciplinary laboratory space designed to conduct and disseminate research that supports the needs and priorities of marginalized communities in Appalachia. Working under the supervision of multi-disciplinary faculty and in collaboration with community partners, students from multiple disciplines will conduct research and produce work products appropriate to projects housed within The University of Tennessee’s Appalachian Justice Research Center. It is the centerpiece of the Justice Studies curriculum with limited student placements targeted to current community research projects, running fall and spring semesters. If you are looking to generate MA thesis and PhD dissertations, gain community collaborative research experience, and develop legal skills in relation to and in dialogue with Appalachian communities, this course is for you. (Currently offered. Application process required; applications will be released in mid-March 2024.)
(Graduate)