The Humanities and Justice major offers students the opportunity to explore fundamental questions about justice from a humanistic, interdisciplinary perspective. Rooted in history, literature and philosophy, Humanities and Justice prepares students for basic inquiry and advanced research into issues of justice that lie behind social policy and criminal justice as well as broader problems of social morality and equity. Its courses are designed to help students develop the skills of careful reading, critical thinking and clear writing that are necessary for the pursuit of any professional career. This major provides an excellent preparation for law school and other professional programs, for graduate school in the humanities, and for careers in law, education, public policy and criminal justice. The Humanities and Justice curriculum involves a sequence of five interdisciplinary core courses in Humanities and Justice (designated with the HJS prefix) and seven courses from a list of humanities courses.
Major Requirements
HJS Courses That Meet General Education Requirements
Major Advising in Fall/Spring
Humanities and Justice major advising is being done mostly remotely in Spring 2023. Professor Russell encourages students in the major to contact him with questions. They can email him with a copy of their transcript.
Major Advising in Summer/Winter
Registration and Major Holds
Sophomores with 45-59 credits may have a major hold placed on their registration until they receive advisement from the HJS faculty. We do this to help you stay on track and graduate on time. Contact the HJS major coordinator (see Major Advising section above for contact info), who will arrange an appointment for you with one of the HJS major advisors. Note: You can receive advisement from other HJS professors, but they must send the major coordinator an email to confirm that you received their advice for your registration.
To prepare for your appointment, please print the HJS major checklist and check off your completed and in-progress courses. During the meeting, you will review your checklist with the HJS advisor and decide courses for the next academic term (and the following semesters if possible). The advisor will remove the hold immediately after you meet.
How do you know if you have a major hold? Go to CUNYfirst and complete the following steps:
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Check the Holds box of your CUNYfirst Student Center. If "Advisement Required" appears, click on “details.”
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Click on “Advisement Required.”
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See which type of advisement you need. If you must see a major advisor, then make a major advising appointment following the steps preferred by this department.
Avoid Course Planning Mistakes!
The HJS major has several courses that build on each other in a sequence, so it is important to be aware of this and plan accordingly. You should take the core courses of the major in the following order:
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If you are a transfer student or have switched to HJS from another major, make it a priority to take HJS 250 in spring of your sophomore year and HJS 310 in fall of your junior year.
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Remember that HJS 315 is offered in spring only, and you should take it in spring of your junior year. After that, as a senior, you should enroll in HJS 410 (offered fall only), before HJS 415 (offered spring only). This will help you graduate in May of that year.
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HJS requires a thesis, which allows you to research and write about a topic of strong interest to you in consultation with the HJS advisor. Plan to devote a lot of your academic attention to HJS 410 and HJS 415 during your senior year.
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You will need to take 21 credits from the HJS elective courses and at least 12 of these credits must be at or above the 300 level. Not all the courses on the list are offered every semester. See the HJS Major Checklist for course options.
- Remember that you will need at least a 2.0 GPA in the major and at least a 2.0 overall GPA to graduate.
Monitor Your Progress in the Major (Major Checklist, Sample 4 yr Plan)
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DegreeWorks degree audit - Use this online planning tool to track your overall progress toward graduation. You will see which of your general education and major requirements are completed, in progress, or still needed. Refer to the DegreeWorks FAQs to better understand how to use this helpful tool. Note: be sure to confirm the accuracy of your degree audit with a general advisor and major advisor.
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HJS Major Checklist - Fill out this printable worksheet to keep track of which major requirements you have completed and which ones you still need. If you enrolled for the first time at the College or changed to this major in fall 2017 or after, you must complete the major in the form presented on this checklist. If you enrolled prior to fall 2017, you may choose the form shown here or the earlier version of the major. Contact the HJS major coordinator to request the earlier version of the HJS checklist.
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Sample Four Year Plan - See an example of how you could complete all your degree requirements (major, general education, electives) and graduate in four years! Remember that this sample plan shows just one possible way to combine your requirements. Transfer students in particular should work with advisors to determine a plan that works best for them.
Meet with a General Academic Advisor
A General Academic Advisor will confirm what general academic requirements you still need, make suggestions about smart course planning that will help you graduate without delays, discuss your interest in adding a minor or second major, inform you about opportunities such as study abroad, discuss general questions and concerns, and make helpful referrals. Visit the Academic Advisement Center's webpage for more information.