The Education, Democracy and Justice major (EDJ; pronounced as ‘Edge’) will provide opportunities to examine critical questions, theories, practices, and research in the field of education considered broadly and not only in relation to formal schooling. Courses in the major will provide the conceptual knowledge for students to engage in critical thinking about social and policy contexts as well as everyday practices affecting inequitable structures in schooling, society, and culture that have enduring impacts on the quality of our democracy and communities. The major’s course of study will explore the history and politics of education and public schooling and their relation to the formation of just and democratic societies; theories of cognition, learning, and pedagogy; and issues of equity and cultural and linguistic diversity in education and in public school policies and practices. The major will not focus on education in international contexts but will address the effects of immigration and globalization on U.S. education.
The department faculty and the program’s social justice orientations bridge theory and practice, drawing on a variety of fields and areas of study in the humanities and social sciences—including sociology, psychology, anthropology, history, philosophy—as well as critical interdisciplinary theories and the learning sciences. Core required courses and elective field experiences will incorporate history and insights from action and participatory forms of research and community organizing to highlight the relationship between education and democratic politics. These studies and field experiences will ground students in an understanding of the transformative power of the linguistic, cultural, epistemic, and social resources that individuals, families, social groups, and communities bring to bear on their circumstances, and how these resources provide the foundations for personal and social change to address historic and enduring inequities that have been barriers to education as a democratic project. The aim of the EDJ major is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to become leaders in their communities who can impact a wide array of educational and social institutions, including schools, and put their combination of coursework, research, and fieldwork experiences to work in improving the lives of the least advantaged to advance the welfare of all.
The Education, Democracy, and Justice (EDJ) major does not provide a professional education degree or teaching credential. However, for students interested in a future career as a K-5 teacher, it will provide a strong background for applying to a master's (M.A. or M.Ed.) teaching credential program. Students interested in 6-8 or 9-12 levels of teaching might wish to double-major in education to provide a strong educational context to support their major in a subject area (e.g. literature, history, science, math) if they intend to apply to a graduate program in teacher education. Students cannot teach in 9-12 grades in California schools with a single major in education. Students who complete the major with at least a 3.0 GPA along with other advised coursework and experiences will be given priority for admission into UCSC’s Master of Arts and Credential program in K-5 (multiple subjects) on the recommendation of the faculty.
The Education, Democracy, and Justice (EDJ) major’s sociocultural perspective emphasizes equity and social justice related education in and out of school, with a particular focus on how cognition, language, and knowledge production, circulation, and mobilization are related to social, cultural, and other identities and their processes of formation. Students will examine critical, transformative pedagogies that focus on meeting the needs of low-income, ethnically, racially, and linguistically non-dominant students and their families, and how these pedagogies support the development of more healthy and flourishing children and youth and a more just and democratic society.
Undergraduate Advisor
The undergraduate advisor offers specific information about navigating through the program and the curriculum and assists students with prerequisites, requirements, policies, procedures, learning support, guidance on internships, scholarships, and opportunities for undergraduate research. Please contact the EDJ undergraduate advisor at education@ucsc.edu.
Peer Advisors
Peer advising can assist in academic planning in regards to major and minor requirements, help prepare declaration of major and minor paperwork. Please contact the Education peer advising team at edpeeradvising-group@ucsc.edu.
Transfer Students should also consult the Transfer Information and Policy section below.
Major Qualification
To qualify to declare the EDJ major, students must have:
- Attended an Education, Democracy, and Justice (EDJ) Major Workshop
- Completed EDUC 10, Introduction to Education, and EDUC 60, Schooling, Democracy, and Justice. (Students may still petition to declare if they have completed one required lower-division course and are currently enrolled in the second required lower-division course.)
| EDUC 10 | Introduction to Learning | 5 |
| EDUC 60 | Schooling, Democracy, and Justice | 5 |
Appeal Process
Students who are informed that they are not qualified to declare the Education, Democracy, and Justice (EDJ) major may appeal this decision by submitting a letter to the program director within 15 days from the date the notification was made. Within 15 days of receipt of the appeal, the program will notify the student, college, and the Office of the Registrar of the decision.
How to Declare a Major
To officially declare the Education, Democracy, and Justice (EDJ) major, students must bring a completed Petition for Major/Minor Declaration and UC Santa Cruz Academic Planning Form to the Education Department’s undergraduate advisor. Students pursuing the EDJ major should meet with the Education Department’s undergraduate advisor as early as possible.
For specific instructions about how to declare a major in education and for the current Drop-in Advising Schedule, please refer to the Education Department’s website. For other inquiries, please contact the undergraduate advisor by sending an email to education@ucsc.edu.
Transfer Admission Screening Policy
Students planning to apply to UC Santa Cruz in the Education, Democracy, and Justice (EDJ) major are not required to complete specific courses for consideration of admission.
Transfer students considering the education major are strongly encouraged to complete most, if not all, general education requirements before transfer. Introductory education courses completed by transfer students at their prior institution will be reviewed to determine equivalency for EDUC 10 and EDUC 60. To ensure that students desiring a transfer to UCSC's EDJ major are on track for meeting these goals, they need to connect with their community college or university advisors for guidance and course planning.
| EDUC 10 | Introduction to Learning | 5 |
| EDUC 60 | Schooling, Democracy, and Justice | 5 |
Getting Started at UCSC as a Transfer Student
Transfer students can designate the Education, Democracy, and Justice (EDJ) major as their intended major and begin working on the requirements as soon as they arrive at UCSC.
Transfer students interested in pursuing the education, democracy, and justice (EDJ) major should complete EDUC 10, and EDUC 60 or courses taken at their previous institution that the Education Department has approved as equivalent. Transfer students should also attend a declaration workshop or meet with the department advisor.
After completing these requirements, students may petition to declare the education major.
Students who wish to pursue the education major should arrange to meet with the education undergraduate advisor as early as possible to discuss plans for enrolling in EDUC 10 and EDUC 60, if needed, declaring the major, and other course planning. Students should bring a copy of their UCSC Transfer Credit Summary to the meeting with the undergraduate advisor. This may be printed from the student portal.
| EDUC 10 | Introduction to Learning | 5 |
| EDUC 60 | Schooling, Democracy, and Justice | 5 |
Students seeking to study abroad must be declared in their major prior to studying abroad.
It is recommended that the students have the courses intended to be taken abroad reviewed and approved by the Education Department prior to departure. Up to two relevant courses taken through study abroad programs from which credits are transferable to UCSC may be used toward satisfaction of the Education, Democracy, and Justice (EDJ) B.A. elective requirements when the content is deemed appropriate and approved by the Education Department.