All first-year students have to take an FYS to fulfill the General Education requirement in the Justice Core. You can select from a variety of courses with diverse section topics and perspectives.

Depending on your major and interests, you may want to enroll in one of the four themed LCs, which are designed to address the specific interests and goals of first-year students.

Read the course descriptions before your Advisement and Registration session so that you are prepared to talk to your advisor about your course preferences.

“I enjoyed the connection between classes. I also learned very much

from our visits to museums and galleries.”

—LC Student

“My seminar taught me the value of college work and showed me how

to study effectively.”

—FYS Student

peer mentoring small class setting

outstanding professors strong support network

exploration of campus resources outside classroom experiences study groups & friendships fascinating course topics

This section of AFR123 examines the various roles of African American youth in civil rights movements and community building in the 20th century. How do young people engage in organized struggle and collective action for political and economic justice? What is different about organizations run by Black youth? What challenges do they face; and what achievements have they made? Organizations such as the Young Negroes' Co-operative League (1930s), Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (1960s), Food from the "Hood (1990s), Toxic Soil Busters(2000s) will be studied.

Would you have played for Donald Sterling? Have today's Hip Hop artists like Kanye West, Trinidad James or Rick Ross dumbed down the art form? Do you think the N word is cool? Does your experience of racism anger you? Does your experience of inherited social privilege make you feel guilty? How should you channel your feelings about racism, white supremacist thought, and related forms of injustice? In this class we will tackle such issues head on. Readings include selections from W.E.B Dubois, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, bell hooks, and others as well as musical selections from Billie Holiday, James Brown, Public Enemy, KRS One, and Drexciya. Our goal is both clear and detailed understanding as well as ideas for practical action.

In this First Year Seminar course, we will examine how race, class and culture affect youth (the Millennial Generation) and review how the law will impact this new generation. We will discuss the historical, social and legal issues related to contemporary topics including: "Stop and Frisk" policies, "Stand Your Ground" laws, "Shopping While Black," the role of athletes (NBA players) and entertainers (Will.i.am) and the rights of individuals with a criminal record. The cases we will discuss include: Emmett Till, the Scottsboro Boys, the Central Park Five and Trayvon Martin's tragic death. This course will teach you to use social media sites (e.g., Pinterest, Newsvine, Flickr, and StudyBlue). At the end of the semester, you will be equipped with the skills and tools to become an agent of social change in your community.

This First Year Seminar examines the connections between capitalism and the criminal justice system in the United States. It investigates the relationships among economic injustice, poverty, wealth, anti-social behavior, crime and the criminal justice system. The course studies how the criminal justice system shapes the lives of individuals from a variety of socioeconomic classes.

What makes a society just? The course will consider several historical attempts to answer this question including some of the most influential theories of rightness and goodness, and then apply these theories to the creation and maintenance of a modern, just society. As a test case, the course will focus on the development of the American suburbs in the 1940’s (Levittown, NY in particular). Specific issues such as residential racial segregation, women’s subordination, and economic inequality will then be considered in light of the changes brought about by the rapid differentiation between the suburb and the city.

"The most fun part was us interacting with each

other, making friends, and learning new stuff.”

This First Year Seminar will examine the tensions around justice that exist between young people in New York City and the wider society in which they live. We will ask questions such as: What it means to grow up in a world with changing freedoms, restrictions, opportunities and expectations? How do young people try to achieve justice for themselves and others when the rules and the outcomes sometimes seem unfair? You will participate in a learning experience that provides a model for how to succeed in college and in life. It will do this by asking you to learn and use the skills that it takes to be a researcher, skills that will be useful for school and in your future career.

What do New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, Desperate Housewives actress Eva Longoria and Ugly Betty/ César Chavez actress America Ferrara all have in common? They are all Latina/o college GRADUATES! In spite of their successes, many challenges still remain for other Latina/os who dream of finishing college. This course will examine not only the past and present factors affecting the rates of enrollment and completion of Latina/o college students, but also how Latina/o families and individuals experience college. We will examine how issues like racism, segregation, immigration, etc., impact Latina/o college students in New York City. Special attention will be paid to Latina/o student activism in New York City, including how Puerto Rican students successfully fought for more Latina/os to be admitted into CUNY and to establish Puerto Rican Studies (now known as Latina/o Studies) departments across CUNY and at John Jay. Guest speakers will include CUNY administrators, New York State Youth Leadership Coalition representatives, Latina/o graduate school students and others.

Justice is not just about what happens in a courtroom or a police precinct. It’s also about having the opportunity to belong, to claim a rightful place in the life of the city. How well do Latinos and Latinas, who make up more a fourth of the population of New York City, belong to the city? Do they belong in its rich history? Do they belong in the city’s universities? In its government and boardrooms? In its many neighborhoods? This course is about how well Latinos and Latinas can claim to belong in the richest city in the world. It’s your city: do you belong in it?

“Now you're in New York/These streets will make you feel brand new,” but can Latinas/os actually feel “brand new” in the face of injustice? And what is “injustice” or “justice” anyway? Have you ever witnessed a racial, economic, or educational injustice? Who fights to fix these injustices? LAWYERS! But why are there so few Latina/o lawyers, or minority lawyers for that matter, to represent their communities? Join us as we explore issues surrounding Latino/a underrepresentation in education and law, and overrepresentation in prisons in New York City. Through discussions of legal cases and analysis of social movements, through high profile guest speakers, field-trips, and mini-research projects, we will engage in an interdisciplinary and comparative study of Latina/os and their experiences of justice, injustice and the legal profession in New York City, “ the concrete jungle where dreams are made of.”

This First Year Seminar explores the diverse history of sex work in New York City since 1900. We will look at the changing social, political, legal, and economic contexts of such labor as well as campaigns for and against the industry. In particular, the course will address the shifting relationship between sex work and law enforcement. The course culminates in an intensive “digital field work” research project that will map the location of NYC sex workers who advertise on the internet. In doing so, students will develop a deeper understanding of their own relationships to significant issues of justice as potential future criminal justice professionals.

How reliable are peoples’ memories? We will investigate this question both from a personal point of view, and also within the context of the criminal justice system. You will participate in hands-on learning exercises that are designed to demonstrate the limitations of our memories. You will explore some of the techniques that “memory masters” use to help them to remember enormous amount of information. You will have opportunities to assess whether these techniques help you to remember information in your college classes or everyday lives. You will also learn about the injustices that have occurred when eyewitnesses have made memory errors in identifying the perpetrator of a crime. You will find out about the research that helps us to better understand, why and when these types of errors occur, and what can be done to prevent these problems in future.

This First Year Seminar introduces students to ways that gender shapes ideas of justice, social activism and social change. We will explore the ways in which gender, in interaction with race/ethnicity and social class, shapes educational justice issues and activism, and how gender-based activism impacts institutions of education, particularly higher education. Students will apply the knowledge gained in the classroom to their study of specific forms of activism both at John Jay College and in the larger community. The course will introduce key terms in the interdisciplinary fields of gender and activist studies and some of the important debates in these fields, while providing an introduction to the college experience.

This course provides entering freshmen with the opportunity to learn how engaged citizens have used public speaking to influence the outcomes of a range of political and social issues. Students in this class will also learn to use traditional and contemporary methods when presenting their ideas or influencing decisions. Learning to organize ideas and to argue or defend positions is crucial to the relationship between democracy, justice, and public service. Students will also be supported in their transition into the academic and social community at John Jay.

Some people say you can tell how civilized a society is by how they care for the poor. Some people blame society for poverty, some people suggest the cause is ignorance or illness and some people believe the poor are immoral and lazy and their poverty is their own fault. This course examines how these ideas about poverty have changed over time. What social and political factors influence the way we think about the poor? How have those changed? What has been the impact on these attitudes on our laws and institutions? How can understanding these influences help us think about what we might do next—as a college, a city and a society.

This First Year Seminar examines the creation, operation, and dissolution of modern empires. Our topics will include the causes and dynamics of conquest, ideologies of rule, the nature of domination and resistance, critiques of empire, the course of decolonization, the nature of neo-colonialism, and the connection between imperialism and contemporary disparities of wealth and power between the West and the non-West.

This First Year Seminar explores the concept of gender and how it impacts the lives of men and women. It will dedicate particular attention to the questions of how different understandings of masculinity and femininity developed in various premodern cultures throughout the world, and how societies used law, religion, and social convention to regulate gender norms. Studying these issues helps us to understand the roots of modern notions of gender (in)equality, and the powerful assumptions and attitudes about men and women that shape our lives today.

The First Year Seminar (FYS) course, with a focus on Justice and the Individual, will not only introduce you to the unique justice mission of John Jay College, but will also give you an opportunity to explore this mission in a small class setting with other first-year students. Along with exciting, hands-on coursework, you will get to know the College and participate in activities designed to develop the skills you need to succeed here. FYS courses are taught by supportive and enthusiastic professors who have designed course topics around their particular expertise and interests. Regardless of which course topic you choose, an FYS gives you a chance to engage closely with faculty in the exploration of these topics and will help you further your own academic and career interests.

“My professor actually helps you with everything; asks questions like, Do

you understand this? What tips do you need?”

When you join the Adelante, Latino/a Success Program, you are making the first step toward becoming a leader! This comprehensive academic program supports the success of Latino students in and outside the classroom during their four years at John Jay. Through your class work, service learning and research opportunities, career exploration and leadership training workshops you will be given the knowledge, skills and experiences that prepare you for a successful career or graduate coursework. With the support and mentoring of outstanding faculty and dedicated staff, you will build your electronic portfolio that documents your academic and professional achievements, ready to be used when you apply for special opportunities.

What is the first step? Sign up for one of the LLS 100 Justice Core First Year Seminars linked to an ENG 101 Required Core course in fall 2014.