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Introduction

At Franklin, the Social Justice and Sustainability (SJS) major reflects our commitment to fostering a more just and sustainable world. This self-designed, interdisciplinary program empowers students to explore the connections between social justice and sustainability while developing the knowledge, skills, and experiences needed to address today’s global challenges.

Majors

The Social Justice and Sustainability major prepares students to understand, analyze, and address some of the most pressing issues of our time. Blending theory with practice, the program offers interdisciplinary and experiential learning opportunities—ranging from case studies and policy analysis to fieldwork, service, internships, and academic travel.

Students gain valuable skills in areas such as conflict resolution, advocacy, policy design and implementation, sustainability assessment, and communication. The program emphasizes real-world applications, helping students connect classroom learning to meaningful action.

Graduates are well-prepared for diverse career paths in the public and private sectors, including roles in international agencies, advocacy groups, community organizations, development and aid organizations, governmental institutions, think tanks, and consulting firms. Possible career directions include crisis mediation, policy analysis, conflict resolution, journalism, media production, organizing, and lobbying.

This major also offers a strong foundation for graduate studies in fields such as the social sciences, humanities, economics, environmental studies, and law, as well as further study related to social, political, and economic equality.

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Social Justice and Sustainability

The Social Justice and Sustainability (SJS) major builds on Franklin’s commitment to fostering a more just and sustainable world. A self-designed major, it aims to allow students to explore key topics, theories, skills and applications at the intersections of social justice and sustainability.

The SJS program has the explicit goal of helping the next generation of leaders, public servants, and private citizens to understand and navigate the key issues facing our world today. It provides students with interdisciplinary and experiential learning opportunities that link theoretical approaches to practical applications. This major helps students think across disciplines, through explorations of theories, concepts, case studies, and issues in Social Justice and Sustainability. The major is designed to develop skills in areas such as conflict resolution, advocacy, policy design, analysis and implementation, sustainable business plans, and sustainability design, assessment, and communication. The major integrates the practical application of theoretical knowledge and skills in the form of fieldwork, service, internships, and academic travels.

The major in Social Justice and Sustainability provides excellent preparation for a variety of careers in the public and private sectors. Potential future careers include possibilities in local and international agencies; with advocacy groups for human rights, environmental justice, welfare, or sustainability; in community organizations, in development and aid organizations, in governmental institutions, in think tanks, and in consulting firms. Graduates could work as crisis mediators, policy analysts, conflict resolution specialists, journalists, media producers, organizers or lobbyists. Depending on the focus chosen, this major is also an excellent choice for students considering graduate studies in the social sciences, the humanities, economics, environmental studies, and law, as well as further study related to social, political, and economic equality.

Major Requirements (48 Credits)

Foundation Course (3 credits)

SJS 100 Sustainability and Social Justice: Ethics, Equality, and Environments: One of the fundamental questions we all face today is how to counter the urgent challenges posed by global climate change and unequal economic development. Questions coalescing around notions of ethics, justice, equality, and human rights intersect with questions of how to shape a culturally and environmentally sustainable world. Exploring a wide range of theoretical and practical perspectives on Sustainability, Social Justice and Ethics, this cross-disciplinary, introductory course will give students multiple disciplinary frameworks to think critically and productively about the intersections between the social and the natural worlds. The course provides the gateway to the program in Social Justice and Sustainability (SJS).

Major Courses (39 credits): Individually designed programs include a total of 39 credits (13 courses) spread across at least three disciplines, 24 of which must be at the 200 or 300-level, including at least one 3-credit Academic Travel with a focus in social justice and sustainability.

Capstone Requirement (6 credits)

SJS 498 Capstone: Internship Project: Internship project in a related field to be coordinated with the Division Chair and faculty advisor.

SJS 499 Capstone: Research Based Thesis: Thesis proposals to be coordinated with the Division Chair and faculty advisor.

SJS 498: Students using US Federal financial aid must complete their internships outside of the U.S.

Eligibility and Requirements

This program is designed specifically for ambitious and independent students who wish to take on the challenge of designing their own major in Social Justice and Sustainability. Students with a GPA of 3.2 or higher after completion of 30 credits at Franklin (or who transfer in with 30 or more credits and a transfer GPA of 3.2 or higher) are eligible to pursue the program.

Administrative Procedures

The SJS major is designed by the student and closely monitored by the student’s academic advisor in collaboration with the SJS Advisory Board responsible for the major. The SJS advisors represent their majors at periodic SJS Advisory Board meetings. We encourage students to develop a topical focus that falls within one of four overarching topics: Understanding Poverty and Wealth, Environmental Limits, Human and Nature Rights, and Global Migration and Mobility.

1. To declare the major, students submit an application that provides a narrative describing the curriculum, its topical focus, and the role of each selected course; a list of the courses that will make up the curriculum, and a list of three internship possibilities. The application packet is available from the Registrar’s Office; students should also indicate their preferred academic advisor. After declaring their SJS major, students will continue to work closely with their advisor to refine and update their curriculum. This curriculum will be presented to the SJS Advisory Board as a formal proposal of study after completion of the foundation course.

2. After the initial approval, additional minor changes to courses can be approved through the academic advisor. Significant changes to the curriculum and topic need approval from the SJS Board.

Faculty

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Professor, Art History and Visual Communication

Ph.D. Université Paris X
M.A. Université Paris X
B.A. Université Paris X

Office: Lowerre Academic Center, Office 15
Phone: +41 91 986 36 51
Email: ggee@fus.edu

Gabriel Gee

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ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS

PhD Economics, Brikbeck College, University of London, UK
MSc Economics, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK
BSc Economics, Catholic University, Milan, Italy

Office: North Campus, by appointment
Email: rgalli@fus.edu

Rossana Galli

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Affiliated Professor, Environmental Humanities

Habilitation, ETH Zurich
Ph.D., ETH Zurich
M.Sc., ETH Zurich.

Email: ckschumacher@fus.edu

Christoph Kueffer Schumacher

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Adjunct Professor, International Management

M.B.A General Management, Entrepreneurship, Strategy, Harvard Business School, Boston 2009
M.A. Philosophy, Politics, Economics (P.P.E) Oxford University, UK 2003
B.A (Hons) in Economics, Delhi University, India 2001

Office: Kaletsch Campus (by appointment)
Phone: +39 3270178968
Email: rmehra@fus.edu

Rakhi Mehra

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Assistant professor, Environmental Science

Ph.D. Chemical and Environmental Science, Insubria University, Italy
MSc Environmental Science, Insubria University, Italy
BSc Natural Sciences, University of Milan, Italy

Office: NC Villa, North Campus, office 12
Phone: +41 91 986 36 35
Email: spiccinelli@fus.edu

Silvia Piccinelli

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Assistant Professor, Comparative Politics

Ph.D. European University Institute, Italy
Master of Research European University Institute, Italy
M.A. University of Florence, Italy
B.A. University of Florence, Italy

Office: Kaletsch Campus, Office 3
Phone: +41 91 986 53 33
Email: evolpi@fus.edu