Mission Statement
The Center catalyzes collaborations between WSU faculty, students and community partners to foster rigorous analysis of social, economic, racial and environmental justice issues and promote human rights and conflict resolution at the local, national and global levels through:
- Interdisciplinary community based research
- Interdisciplinary curricular innovations
- Conferences, workshops, and public events
- Media projects (video documentaries, websites, radio and T.V. programming, etc.)
History
Since 2002, the Center for Social and Environmental Justice (CSEJ) has worked to build a reputation for Washington State University Vancouver as a site of socially engaged research and community service. CSEJ has sponsored two regional conferences and has partnered with local universities and some fifty community organizations to sponsor lectures, and public forums on issues of concern locally, nationally and globally.
Many of CSEJ's programs, taped and edited by Fort Vancouver Cable Television (FVTV), have been broadcast repeatedly to the broader Vancouver and Portland metro areas, extending into the Tualatin Valley, with an estimated reach of 405,000 households; some are continuously available via podcasting on google video. One program, a lecture by award-winning photojournalist P. Sainath on globalization in India, has been broadcast over Free Speech TV on the Dish Network, with a reach of more than 25,000,000 households in 34 states.
CSEJ was instrumental in the development of WSUV’s curriculum in Social and Environmental Justice Studies, a fifteen credit certificate program, culminating in a seminar/ internship in Community Organizing and Development that provides students with opportunities for professional experience applicable to careers in law, medicine, nursing, government, human services, education, nonprofit start up and management, community organizing and sustainable business. The certificate serves the needs of community groups, businesses and governmental agencies that increasingly demand graduates with cultural competence and expertise who can provide necessary insights into the impact of social factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, education, and social class on organizational operations and dynamics. The program provides students with an education that will enable them to become engaged global citizens, informed and responsible participants in an increasingly multi-ethnic, global economy, and innovative leaders, shaping the communities and economies of SW Washington.
Download:
Information about CSEJ (PDF)
2010 Clark County Equity Report (PDF)
