Oct 05, 2024
OHIO University Undergraduate Catalog 2024-25
SOC 3325 - Access to Justice
Access to Justice examines how structural inequalities lead to regional, national, and global justice gaps. The course investigates needs and problems confronted by communities; disparities in access to information and legal resources; how groups perceive and employ the justice system; representation and inclusion within the legal profession; and the attainment of substantively just outcomes. The course then explores strategies to address these concerns, including approaches traditionally employed by the legal profession and innovative legal, social, technological, and architectural solutions designed to bridge gaps between communities and justice.
Requisites: 6 hours in SOC including SOC 1000
Credit Hours: 3
OHIO BRICKS: Bridge: Diversity and Practice
Repeat/Retake Information: May be retaken two times excluding withdrawals, but only last course taken counts.
Lecture/Lab Hours: 3.0 lecture
Grades: Eligible Grades: A-F,WP,WF,WN,FN,AU,I
Learning Outcomes:
- Students will be able to describe and discuss theories of access to justice.
- Students will be able to document and explain how inequalities of class, race, gender, sexualities, and age result in disparities in access to justice.
- Students will be able to identify and discuss the challenges and needs of regional and global communities through a sociological lens.
- Students will be able to discuss and critically assess historical and contemporary strategies of increasing access to justice among marginalized communities.
- Students will be able to identify and analyze cultural biases and recognize the importance of diversity in relation to access to justice.
- Students will be able to interpret and discuss the experiences of culturally diverse groups with the justice system and develop supportive approaches that acknowledge diverse groups’ needs and challenges in accessing justice.
- Students will be able to analyze and compare how different cultural groups perceive, discuss, and utilize law, and propose effective strategies for bridging justice gaps across cultural boundaries.
- Students will be able to initiate and develop interactions with diverse groups and perspectives in relation to justice gaps while suspending judgment in valuing their interactions.
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