Minor in Poverty, Justice and Human Capabilities
Program Learning Outcomes for the Minor in Poverty, Justice and Human Capabilities
Upon completing the minor in Poverty, Justice and Human Capabilities, students will be able to:
- Understand theoretical approaches to poverty and justice that draw from the capabilities framework, economics, history, sociology, philosophy, and other fields. Students will have in-depth knowledge of approaches to enhancing human flourishing and will understand the social, institutional, and political contexts that underlie deprivations and inequities.
- Demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the multiple influences on well-being beyond income and material wealth, including gender, racial, and ethnic disparities, and the impact of colonialism on the Global South. Students will be able to provide examples from different geographic regions, not exclusively from one country or region, and be able to apply the capabilities approach when evaluating these disparities.
- Gain, through direct service, experiential knowledge of the challenges faced in disadvantaged communities.
- Achieve an interdisciplinary knowledge of approaches to enhancing human well-being and mitigating human deprivations. Students will be able to apply this knowledge in evaluating potential policy solutions.
- Demonstrate the oral, written, and visual communication skills essential for sophisticated and successful advocacy.
- Become a global citizen by understanding the role that advocacy and service play in addressing poverty, strengthening justice, and improving well-being.
Requirements for the Minor in Poverty, Justice and Human Capabilities
Students pursuing the minor in Poverty, Justice and Human Capabilities must complete:
- A minimum of 6-8 courses (18-22 credit hours), depending on course selection, to satisfy minor requirements.
- A minimum of 3 PJHC Service Credits from the direct service learning experiences.
The courses used to meet the PJHC minor are open to all Rice students, including those not pursuing the minor; however, in some courses with limited space, preference will be given to declared minors.
The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this minor. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the minor’s academic advisor, or where applicable, the Program Director. (Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the minor's Official Certifier). Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.
Summary
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Credit Hours Required for the Minor in Poverty, Justice and Human Capabilities | 18-22 | |
Minor Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| PJHC 371 | POVERTY, JUSTICE, AND HUMAN CAPABILITIES | 3 |
| PJHC 394 | HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN GLOBAL AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES | 3 |
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Select 3 courses as Electives from the following categories (see below for course lists): | 9 | |
Global South | ||
Race and Ethnicity | ||
| Capstone Requirement 1 | ||
| Select 1 of the following options: | 3-7 | |
| Capstone Course Option | ||
| RACE, EDUCATION AND SOCIETY IN THE URBAN SOUTH | ||
or PJHC 470 | ADVANCED SEMINAR IN POVERTY, JUSTICE, AND CAPABILITIES | |
| Capstone Course Sequences Option | ||
Select 1 of the following: | ||
| COMMUNITY BRIDGES TRAINING and INEQUALITY AND URBAN LIFE | ||
| PRE-SEMINAR IN ENGAGED RESEARCH and ENGAGED RESEARCH PRACTICUM and ENGAGED RESEARCH SEMINAR | ||
| Direct Service Learning Experience | ||
| Students must complete a total of three PJHC Service Credits. See below for more information. | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 18-22 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| 1 | Students can use additional capstone courses to fulfill the General Elective requirement (SWGS 496, SWGS 497, or PJHC 470) or the Race and Ethnicity requirement (HIST 421 or SOCI 470). HIST 421 and SOCI 470 do not fulfill the Race and Ethnicity requirement unless a second capstone course is completed. Students who complete the entire Engaged Research course sequence (SWGS 494, SWGS 496, and SWGS 497) may use SWGS 497 to fulfill the General Elective requirement. |
Course Lists to Satisfy Requirements
Elective Requirements
Students must complete a total of 3 courses (minimum of 9 credit hours) from the Global South, Race and Ethnicity, and General Electives Categories as listed below to satisfy the Poverty, Justice and Human Capabilities minor's Elective Requirements. An additional course from the Global South or Race and Ethnicity list can be used to fulfill the General Elective requirement. Students must select separate courses to fulfill the Global South and Race and Ethnicity requirements. As course offerings may vary from year to year, students are urged to consult with the undergraduate advisors (see https://pjhc.rice.edu/) at the beginning of each semester. Please note that not all courses listed below will be offered every academic year.
Global South Courses
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select 1-2 courses from the following: | 3-6 | |
| PERSPECTIVES ON MODERN ASIA | ||
| HISTORY AND ETHNOGRAPHY * | ||
| NEOLIBERALISM AND GLOBALIZATION | ||
| NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS IN AFRICA | ||
| THE FOURTH WORLD: ISSUES OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE | ||
| THE WORLD AND SOUTH ASIA | ||
| RELIGIONS FROM INDIA | ||
| SEX, MONEY, AND POWER AROUND THE WORLD | ||
| MODERN GIRL AND ASIA IN THE WORLD | ||
| BIOETHICS AND INDIAN TRADITIONS | ||
| URBAN LAB ISTANBUL | ||
| METABOLIC ENGINEERING FOR GLOBAL HEALTH ENVIRONMENTS | ||
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | ||
| ADVANCED TOPICS IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT * | ||
| THIRD WORLD LITERATURE | ||
| CONTEMPORARY ANGLOPHONE LITERATURES | ||
| GLOBAL FICTIONS | ||
| TOPICS IN CULTURAL STUDIES * | ||
| TOPICS IN LITERATURE AND CULTURE * | ||
| SUSTAINABLE WATER PURIFICATION FOR THE DEVELOPING WORLD | ||
| MODERN SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING | ||
| HISTORY OF SOUTH ASIA | ||
| MODERN ARAB HISTORY | ||
| GOLDEN AGE OF ISLAM | ||
| INDIAN OCEAN WORLD HISTORY | ||
| THE RISE AND FALL OF SLAVERY IN THE ATLANTIC WORLD, 1791-1888 | ||
| MODERN SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING: GLOBAL AND LOCAL | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS (minimum of 3 credit hours.) * | ||
| COMPARATIVE URBAN POLITICS AND POLICY | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN RELIGIONS | ||
| GENDER AND ISLAM | ||
| RELIGION AND GLOBAL POVERTY | ||
| THEOLOGY IN AFRICA | ||
| CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM IN AFRICA | ||
| MAJOR ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY ISLAM | ||
| CHRISTIANITY IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH | ||
| RELIGION AND POLITICS IN AFRICA | ||
| RELIGION AND LITERATURE IN AFRICA | ||
| IDENTITIES IN A DIVERSE WORLD | ||
| GENDER AND SCIENCE | ||
| FEMINIST AND QUEER THEORY IN THE AFRICAN DIASPORA | ||
Race and Ethnicity Courses
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select 1-2 courses from the following: | 3-6 | |
| GLOBAL IM/MOBILITIES: BORDERS, MIGRATION, AND CITIZENSHIP | ||
| ASIAN AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY COMMUNITIES | ||
| ANTHROPOLOGY OF RACE, ETHNICITY AND HEALTH | ||
| WOMEN IN CHINESE LITERATURE | ||
| RACE, CLASS, GENDER IN EDUCATION | ||
| URBAN EDUCATION: ISSUES, POLICY, AND PRACTICE | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO NATIVE AMERICAN LITERATURE | ||
| THE AMERICAN WEST AND ITS OTHERS | ||
| CHICANO/A LITERATURE | ||
| YOUTH STUDIES | ||
| BLACK MANHATTAN: 1915-1940 | ||
| THE BLACK IMAGINARY: 1775-PRESENT | ||
| RED, WHITE AND BLACK IN EARLY AMERICA CREATING RACIAL IDENTIES IN THE ERA OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION | ||
| HISTORICAL SURVEY OF JEWISH CIVILIZATION FROM ITS ORIGINS TO THE PRESENT | ||
| IMMIGRATION IN 20TH AND 21ST CENTURY UNITED STATES SOCIETY | ||
| RACE AND MEDICINE IN AMERICAN HISTORY | ||
| CONTEMPORARY CHINA | ||
| BLACKS IN THE AMERICAS | ||
| BLACK LIFE IN THE NINETEENTH-CENTURY UNITED STATES | ||
| MEXICO: 1910 TO PRESENT | ||
| COLONIAL SPANISH AMERICA | ||
| LATIN AMERICAN CULTURAL TRADITIONS | ||
| MODERN LATIN AMERICA | ||
| U.S. WOMEN'S HISTORY I: COLONIAL BEGINNINGS TO THE CIVIL WAR | ||
| U.S. WOMEN'S HISTORY II: CIVIL WAR TO THE PRESENT | ||
| CONTINUITIES AND CHANGES IN BRAZILIAN HISTORY | ||
| SLAVERY AND THE FOUNDING FATHERS | ||
| MODERN SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING | ||
| THE AMERICAN SOUTH | ||
| POVERTY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE IN LATIN AMERICA | ||
| ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE AND THE ORIGINS OF AFRO AMERICA | ||
| 19TH CENTURY WOMEN'S NARRATIVES | ||
| MODERN CHINA | ||
| BLACK AMERICA: FROM NADIR THROUGH THE GREAT DEPRESSION | ||
| JEWISH HISTORY, 1500-1948 | ||
| FREEDOM OF SPEECH * | ||
| CHINESE WOMEN THROUGH TIME | ||
| THE RISE AND FALL OF SLAVERY IN THE ATLANTIC WORLD, 1791-1888 | ||
| RACE, EDUCATION AND SOCIETY IN THE URBAN SOUTH | ||
| HISTORY OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, 1954 TO THE PRESENT | ||
| MODERN SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING: GLOBAL AND LOCAL | ||
| TOPICS IN LATIN AMERICAN HISTORY | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS | ||
| LATINA AND AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN'S ACTIVISM IN THE URBAN METROPOLIS | ||
| CHICANA AND LATINA EXPERIENCE THRU FILM | ||
| AFRICAN AMERICAN POLITICS | ||
| LATINO POLITICS IN THE UNITED STATES | ||
| MINORITY POLITICS | ||
| RACE AND PUBLIC POLICY | ||
| SEX, GENDER, AND POLITICAL REPRESENTATION IN LATIN AMERICA | ||
| MULTICULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| RELIGION AND HIP HOP CULTURE IN AMERICA | ||
| RELIGION AND BLACK LIVES MATTER | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO THE BLACK CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES | ||
| THE RELIGIOUS THOUGHT OF MARTIN L. KING, JR. AND MALCOLM X | ||
| WHAT'S RELIGIOUS ABOUT BLACK RELIGION? | ||
| AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE AND RELIGION | ||
| SOCIAL INEQUALITY | ||
| HOUSTON: THE SOCIOLOGY OF A CITY | ||
| RACE AND ETHNIC RELATIONS | ||
| MULTIRACIAL AMERICA | ||
| SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION | ||
| RACE, SOCIETY AND POPULATION CHANGE | ||
| AFRICAN AMERICAN-JEWISH RELATIONS: RACE, RELIGION, POLITICS, AND POPULAR CULTURE | ||
| ART AND ACTIVISM: CRITICAL STUDY OF HOPE IN TIMES OF CRISIS | ||
| RACE AND ETHNICITY SEMINAR | ||
| RESEARCH SEMINAR: THE HOUSTON AREA SURVEY | ||
| SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION | ||
| IMMIGRATION IN A GLOBAL WORLD | ||
| INEQUALITY AND URBAN LIFE | ||
| THE CITY IN LATIN AMERICA | ||
| LATIN AMERICAN WOMEN'S CULTURE | ||
| THE FUTURE OF FOOD: FEMINIST, QUEER, AND CRITICAL APPROACHES | ||
| SEX AND GENDER IN MODERN JEWISH CULTURE | ||
| WOMEN'S SOCIAL MOVEMENTS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN | ||
| RACE, POWER AND THE POLITICS OF PLACE | ||
General Elective Courses
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select up to 1 from the following (or select an additional Global South or Race and Ethnicity Elective) | 0-3 | |
| ETHNOGRAPHIES OF CARE | ||
| MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS (minimum of 3 credit hours.) * | ||
| ASIA ON THE MOVE: GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND GLOBAL MIGRATION | ||
| BIOLOGY FOR VOTERS | ||
| APPROPRIATE DESIGN FOR GLOBAL HEALTH | ||
| HEALTH ECONOMICS | ||
| QUEER LITERARY CULTURES | ||
| FEMINIST THEORY | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL HEALTH | ||
| INTEGRATED APPROACHES TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT | ||
| PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC AND COMMUNITY HEALTH | ||
| VIOLENCE IN AMERICA: A PUBLIC HEALTH PERSPECTIVE | ||
| DISPARITIES IN HEALTH IN AMERICA | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN HEALTH SCIENCES * | ||
| AMERICAN URBAN HISTORY, 1609 TO TODAY | ||
| SEX, GENDER, AND FAMILY IN EUROPE, 1300-1700 | ||
| BIOMEDICAL APPROACH TO HISTORY | ||
| STREETS AND URBAN LIFE: PARIS TO ISTANBUL | ||
| HISTORY OF FEMINISM | ||
| AMERICAN RADICALS AND REFORMERS | ||
| WESTERN EUROPEAN WELFARE STATE, 1880-1980: ORIGINS, CONSOLIDATIONS, CRISIS | ||
| THE HISTORY OF HUMAN RIGHTS | ||
| SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY | ||
| ETHICS, MEDICINE, AND PUBLIC POLICY | ||
| ADVANCED SEMINAR IN POVERTY, JUSTICE, AND CAPABILITIES | ||
| ADVOCATING FOR IDEAS TO CHANGE THE WORLD | ||
| HEALTH POLICY | ||
| URBAN POLITICS | ||
| REPRESENTATION AND POLICY MAKING | ||
| POLITICS OF AMERICAN NATIONAL SECURITY | ||
| EDUCATION POLICY | ||
| PSYCHOLOGY OF GENDER | ||
| SOCIOLOGY OF GENDER | ||
| SOCIOLOGY OF WORK AND OCCUPATIONS | ||
| SOCIOLOGY OF IMMIGRATION | ||
| SOCIOLOGY OF GLOBALIZATION | ||
| MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY | ||
| SOCIOLOGY OF DISASTER | ||
| HEALTH DISPARITIES IN THE UNITED STATES | ||
| GENDER SEMINAR | ||
| SOCIOLOGY OF FOOD | ||
| POPULATION HEALTH SEMINAR | ||
| FAMILY SEMINAR | ||
| GENDER AND HEALTH | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO WOMEN & GENDER | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER STUDIES | ||
| GENDER, SEXUALITY AND THE ADAPTATION OF TRANSNATIONAL LITERATURE TO PERFORMANCE | ||
| SEXUAL DEBATES IN THE U.S.: SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXTS OF SUPREME COURTS DECISIONS | ||
| ENGAGED RESEARCH SEMINAR | ||
Footnotes and Additional Information
| * | Note: these courses are special topics courses, and not all sections are eligible to be applied towards the minor requirements as an Elective course. Please see a minor advisor for more information. |
Direct Service Learning Experience
As part of the Poverty, Justice and Human Capabilities (PJHC) requirements, students must participate in an approved PJHC direct service learning experience. Students must complete 3 PJHC service credits. Students can choose from an array of options, including internships, service trips, and coursework to complete this requirement. Direct service learning experiences carry 1, 2, or 3 service credits. These options are described in detail at https://pjhc.rice.edu/service-learning-requirement/.
Policies for the Minor in Poverty, Justice and Human Capabilities
Program Restrictions and Exclusions
Students pursuing the minor in Poverty, Justice and Human Capabilities should be aware of the following program restriction:
- As noted in Majors, Minors, and Certificates, i.) students may declare their intent to pursue a minor only after they have first declared a major, and ii.) students may not major and minor in the same subject.
Transfer Credit
For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. The Office of Academic Advising maintains the university’s official list of transfer credit advisors on their website: https://oaa.rice.edu. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic program’s transfer credit advisor when considering transfer credit possibilities.
Program Transfer Credit Guidelines
Students pursuing the minor in Poverty, Justice and Human Capabilities should be aware of the following program-specific transfer credit guidelines:
- Requests for transfer credit will be considered by the program director (and/or the program’s official transfer credit advisor) on an individual case-by-case basis.
Distribution Credit Information
The determination of distribution eligibility is done as part of the new course creation process. As part of an annual roll call coordinated each Spring by the Office of the Registrar, course distribution eligibility is reviewed and reaffirmed by the Dean’s Offices of each of the academic schools.
Faculty and leadership in the academic schools are responsible for ensuring that the courses identified as distribution-eligible meet the criteria as set in the General Announcements. Students are responsible for ensuring that they meet graduation requirements by completing coursework designated as distribution at the time of course registration.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Poverty, Justice and Human Capabilities website: https://pjhc.rice.edu/.
Opportunities for the Minor in Poverty, Justice and Human Capabilities
Academic Honors
The university recognizes academic excellence achieved over an undergraduate’s academic history at Rice. For information on university honors, please see Latin Honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude) and Distinction in Research and Creative Work. Some departments have department-specific Honors awards or designations.
Susan McAshan Summer Service Internship
Declared Poverty, Justice and Human Capabilities minors are eligible to apply for funding to support a summer service internship. Students must have completed PJHC 371, PJHC 394, and at least one approved elective by the end of the spring semester before their internships. Funding supports student interns’ direct service work with international or US-based community service organizations. Students receive 3 service credits upon the completion of their Susan McAshan Summer Service Internship. Additional details may be found at the PJHC website: https://pjhc.rice.edu/summer-service-internship-funding/.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Poverty, Justice and Human Capabilities website: https://pjhc.rice.edu/
See https://humanities.rice.edu/student-life for tables of fellowships, prizes, and internships/practica that may be relevant to this minor.