SFSU faculty experts will discuss a wide range of issues relating to "Social Justice and Social Change: Race, Class, Gender, Disability and Sexuality at Home and Abroad" on Wednesday evenings this semester beginning Aug. 24, in front of about 50 students and other community members.

The two-unit course is designed to help the campus community and the public better understand issues of social justice, through panel discussions and lectures. Topics include: K-12 public education and the No Child Left Behind act, access and equity in higher education, health care, the criminal justice system, workforce issues, urban issues, environmental issues, and diverse social movements.

"There is no value more important than the way in which we treat people and our environment," said course co-facilitator Joel Kassiola, dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences.

Members of the general public are welcome to attend any of the sessions. Graded on a credit/no-credit basis, "Social Justice and Social Change" can also be taken by non-SFSU students through the College of Extended Learning.

The class will be held 7:15 to 8:55 p.m. Wednesdays from Aug. 24 to Dec. 7 in the Humanities Auditorium, room 133 of the Humanities building.

This is the third consecutive year that Kassiola has offered a topical lecture and discussion class to students and the general public. Last fall the course focused on the 2004 presidential election. In fall 2003 he taught "The United States and the World in the 21st Century," which featured faculty panels discussing U.S. policies and the use of military intervention in the post-9/11 world.

For details, visit the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences Web site.

-- Matt Itelson
Image: courtesy of Doug Minkler