PEP professors need the following items prior to starting the course:

1. Course Description
   • PEP professors are encouraged to consider 2-3 course titles and brief descriptions before deciding on their final course description. PEP leadership will share these descriptions with incarcerated students during Think Tank meeting before a final decision is made for the course. Think Tanks bring more stakeholders into the process of deciding which course is most desirable/preferred by the incarcerated students. 
2. Syllabus that outlines course description, course outcomes, required readings, course requirements (breakdown of grades and grading scale), participation description, detailed description of exams/projects/assignments, and course schedule outlined by week (i.e., Week 1, Week 2, etc.)
   • NOTE: Make sure page numbers on syllabus align with the course reader. Include syllabus in front pages of the course reader.
3. Course Reader
   • Students in the prisons do not have access to technology/digital devices. As a result, we ask that PEP professors provide a course reader with all assigned readings. The course reader is divided by week and includes a color divider for each week to make it easier to find/locate articles for each week. 
   • NOTE: Putting the course reader together takes time! Please have this done ONE MONTH IN ADVANCE of the course offering. We also let the facility read/review a copy beforehand.
   • NOTE: Professors must get permission to use material in the course reader prior to printing.
   • Use a creative front cover.

The Justice Studies Certificate is an interdisciplinary examination into global justice and injustices that exist in society. Incarcerated students acquire the certificate through the UCLA Extension Center. The curriculum examines a myriad of social issues. Through a diverse range of courses across various disciplines, students will acquire an understanding of the range of justice related issues and emerge with critical local and global perspectives enabling further study, research and work. Incarcerated students enrolled in the certificate program will take courses alongside current UCLA undergraduate students. These concurrent courses expose incarcerated students pursuing the certificate to a diverse set of perspectives on justice and they aid students to developing their own critical local and global opinions in light of their lived experiences. 

OBJECTIVES

Students completing the Justice Studies Certificate will:

1. Develop the ability to read and demonstrate comprehension of critical texts;

2. Hone the ability to apply basic research methods, issue analysis and interpretation;

3. Learn to identify social justice problems and evaluate problem-solving strategies;

4. Practice collaborative and creative pedagogical approaches for evaluating, integrating, and applying knowledge from diverse sources to produce cohesive, effective, persuasive arguments;

5. Train in participatory research techniques used to engage and dramatize experiences of injustice to generate, discuss, debate, disseminate and advocate alternate, just outcomes.

CURRICULUM

• UNITS: The Justice Studies Certificate requires the completion of seven (7) courses, totaling 29-31 units depending on course selection. This includes one required course and six electives.

• GRADING: Students must earn a “C-” or better in all seven courses to receive the certificate.

• COURSES: Below is a non-exhaustive list of courses applicable to the certificate. One course is required and the other six are electives. Up to seven courses in different disciplines will be offered each year. Courses are informed by student interest and selected by PEP.

*NOTE: Upon completion of the third course, students are to consult with their PEP Advisor and submit a reflection paper and evaluation to establish certificate candidacy. There is a reduced rate of $175 per course and a $150 candidacy fee. All incarcerated students qualify and are encouraged to apply for a full-tuition scholarship.

PEP professors are assigned a Teaching Assistant (TA). TAs are academically qualified and registered graduate students in full-time residence chosen for excellent scholarship and for promise as a teacher. They are assigned to assist in the delivery of instruction under the active supervision of a faculty member. A majority of graduate students who perform instructional functions are assigned to the Teaching Assistant title.

TA Responsibilities

• Assist the supervising faculty member by conducting discussion, laboratory or quiz sections that supplement faculty lectures

• Grading assignments or examinations

• May provide input into the development of assignments or exams, and hold office hours

The final responsibility for the content of the course rests with the supervising faculty member. A Teaching Assistant is not independently responsible for the instructional content of a course, selection of assignments, planning, examinations, determination of student grades or decisions on grade appeals; and they are not assigned full instructional responsibility for an entire course.

Weekly study hall sessions will take place in the prisons. The purpose of study hall is to provide a space for incarcerated students to visit with the PEP Program Coordinator to discuss work or assignments. Study hall sessions can also be used to resource students and request assistance in any area that is not understood by the student (i.e., description of assignment, clarification of an article, help with writing, etc.).

Jai Williams, PEP Program Coordinator, will facilitate these study hall sessions, which will take place on Wednesdays from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. Jai's email is jwilliams@pep.ucla.edu if you have any questions.