Law, Diversity and Justice Concentration

The Fairhaven College Interdisciplinary Concentration: Law, Diversity & Justice Emphasis provides an opportunity for developing an individually designed major for the Bachelor of Arts degree. It allows maximal flexibility in formulating a program to meet personal and career goals, bringing together each student's vital interests from more than one discipline into a cohesive whole.

The self-designed concentration process allows students to work with a faculty committee to articulate a sound rationale for their area of study and to develop a plan including courses, independent study projects, senior projects and, where applicable, internships and apprenticeships. Students are assisted in completing the concentration by faculty and other advisors and by the Concentration Seminar course. At the conclusion of the program, a senior project and a concentration summary and evaluation help each graduate to evaluate her or his own work and to look toward the future.

The Law, Diversity & Justice (LDJ) Concentration is designed for students with a strong interest in law, diversity and access to the legal system for under-served communities. The Law, Diversity and Justice Concentration is open to all Fairhaven students with a passion for social justice.  The concentration welcomes students who desire to effect change and who have the potential to act as leaders and role models in their communities using legal knowledge and processes. The curriculum also emphasizes a critical examination of how issues such as race, class, gender, sexual orientation and disability intersect with the legal system.

Interdisciplinary Concentration: LDJ Emphasis Requirements

All Fairhaven Concentrations are designed in the Fairhaven College Concentration Seminar and students must gain the approval of a three-person Concentration Committee.

Credits required for LDJ Concentration: Variable under faculty advisement. The average concentration is 80-90 credits.

Admission to the Law, Diversity and Justice Emphasis:

1) Admission to Fairhaven College, and

2) FAIR 311b The American Legal System (5) or PLSC 311 Intro to Law and Judicial Process (5) (with grade of C or better), and

3) permission of the CLDJ Director. Additional LDJ Concentration Coursework Required: All of the Fairhaven Core Curriculum (instead of WWU GURs), and

4) Fairhaven Concentration Seminar (file LDJ Concentration and Major Declaration Form), and 5) At least ONE of the following two courses: * FAIR 393b Rights, Liberties and Justice in America (4) OR * FAIR 334c International Human Rights (4) 6) At least ONE section of FAIR 412e Advanced Topics in Law (2-5) (topic varies by quarter) (pre-requisite is FAIR 311b or PLSC 311) 7) FAIR 422k Advanced Legal Writing and Analysis (4) (senior year)

The Concentration Seminar

The Concentration Seminar (FAIR 303a) is required of all students pursuing the Interdisciplinary Concentration as their major. The Concentration Proposal must be completed and filed at least three quarters before graduation. Prerequisites: Fair 101a, 201a, 203a and 305a. See the courses page for further descriptions of these courses.

This seminar is designed to assist you with your development and writing of an interdisciplinary self-designed concentration. It will serve as a forum for discussion, guidance, and support during the proposal writing process. While your Concentration Committee must finally approve your proposal, you will work collaboratively in small groups, meeting with each other weekly, and meeting with the instructor individually in order to write your learning proposal and identify relevant courses and experiences to help you achieve your educational goals. Here are some of the questions we will examine through this process:

  • What are the appropriate guidelines and requirements involved?
  • What exactly is it you want to achieve in your degree?
  • How can your intentions be given effective shape and form?
  • Who should be on your committee?
  • How do the parts of your concentration work together conceptually?
  • What are the best vehicles for your learning?
  • What should you put in and what should you leave out of your concentration?

About the Center for Law, Diversity and Justice

The Center for Law, Diversity & Justice (CLDJ) was established in 2006 at Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies and:

  • supports the work of students, faculty and community members on issues of Law, Diversity & Justice
  • pulls together various threads of justice work at WWU, including Fairhaven, and among the diverse communities in Whatcom and Skagit Counties.
  • supports students designing interdisciplinary concentrations in areas of Law, Diversity, and Justice

Please direct questions to: Associate Professor Ceci Lopez, Director, Center for Law, Diversity & Justice (CLDJ),

E-mail: Ceci.Lopez@wwu.edu

Phone: (360) 650-2573