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The Center for the Study of Social Justice

The Center for the Study of Social Justice (CSSJ) facilitates interdisciplinary research in areas of inquiry that inform scholars and policy makers about what is fair, equitable, and beneficial for people. Toward that end, the Center offers a forum for faculty and graduate students to share their expertise, collaborate on research projects, and disseminate their work to a broader audience. CSSJ fosters research and teaching related to social justice beyond the boundaries of individual departments and colleges at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. More than 65 UTK faculty members from 22 Departments in seven Colleges are affiliated with the Center as research fellows. CSSJ Fellows recognize the importance of bridging disciplinary boundaries in order to generate science-based solutions to everyday problems. The CSSJ is divided into 16 divisions dedicated to some of the most pressing social problems facing our world. The Center promotes path-breaking insights and new forms of collaboration that advance social justice research and theory.


UPCOMING EVENT:


SOCIAL INEQUALITY IN CLIMATE, MOBILITY, ECOSYSTEM, AND WELL-BEING

SPEAKERS:
Courtney M. Cronley, College of Social Work
Jennifer M. First, College of Social Work
Hannah Herrero, Department of Geography & Sustainability
Alex Bentley, Department of Anthropology

Monday, April 10, 1:00-2:30pm

https://tennessee.zoom.us/j/5266870713

RECENT EVENTS:


Dr. Tony Reames

A Renewed Commitment to Environmental and Energy Justice

Calling for a renewed commitment to environmental and energy justice, Dr. Tony Reames will deliver remarks at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy in an event co-hosted with the Center for the Study of Social JusticeCenter for Ultra-Wide-Area Resilient Electrical Energy Transmission Networks (CURENT) and Tickle College of Engineering.

Reames is the deputy director for energy justice at the U.S. Department of Energy, where he leads the department’s new Office of Energy Justice Policy and Analysis in the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity.

The event will be held on Monday, October 3 from 1:00-2:30 pm, in the Toyota Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public.


RECENT EVENTS:


CSSJ Fellow Spotlight 2

May 6, 2022


CSSJ Fellow Spotlight 1

March 23, 2022

Alex Moulton, Assistant Professor of Sociology
Anthony J. Knowles, PhD Candidate, Department of Sociology
Leah Christiani, Assistant Professor of Political Science
Timothy Gill, Assistant Professor of Sociology
(Host:  Harry F. Dahms)



(click on image for link to pdf)

R. Scott Frey Memorial Lecture 2022:

ETHICS, POLICY AND SOCIOLOGY:
An Environmental-Justice Perspective

Dr. THOMAS DIETZ

University Distinguished Professor, Michigan State University
Gund Institute for Environment Affiliate, University of Vermont

When:
Wednesday, April 13
12:10-1:30pm


RECENT EVENTS:


Social Inequality in
Energy, Environment, and Technology

A Virtual Workshop
September 10, 2021

Many faculty and researchers are conducting research related to social inequality in energy, environment, and technology.  To connect researchers and support interdisciplinary efforts at a number of different universities, NSF Engineering Research Center, University of Tennessee and Center for the Study of Social Justice, will host a virtual workshop on Social Inequality in Energy, Environment, and Technology, on September 10th (Friday), 2021. 
Please register to attend here. The workshop will feature a series of lightning talks delivered by faculty members. If you are interested in submitting a five-minute presentationplease register by August 29th, 2021and indicate your interest, presentation title, and a short summary on the registration form.  
Lightning talks will be followed by discussion between participants to identify future research goals and steps. This event will be relevant to researchers who are interested in studying environmental and energy justice, technology adoption, social inequality, and the impacts of these injustices on all factors of life and society. This event could include many topics on environment, technology, transportation, internet, computer, and health infrastructure on energy burdens, economics and socio-demography, mental and physical health, the impacts of the pandemic, and so on. 
The goal of this workshop is to bring potential collaborators together and stimulate the conversation around environmental, technological and energy injustices, share ongoing research initiatives, and build a community of interest with whom this community can communicate emerging research opportunities and bring the concept of inclusion into research.
If you know other faculty members who might be interested in this event, please feel free to forward the link to this page (http://cssj.utk.edu). If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact Chien-fei Chen at cchen26@utk.edu.

The session was recorded and is available at this link.


Social Inequality in
Energy, Environment, and Technology

A Virtual Workshop
August 13, 2021

The workshop featured a series of lightning talks delivered by UTK faculty members.

Lightning talks were be followed by discussion between participants to identify future research goals and steps. This event was relevant to researchers who are interested in studying environmental and energy justice, technology adoption, social inequality, and the impacts of these injustices on all factors of life and society. This event included many topics on environment and technology on energy burdens, economics and socio-demography, mental and physical health, the impacts of the pandemic, and so on.  

The goal of this workshop was to bring potential collaborators together and stimulate the conversation around environmental and energy injustices, share ongoing research initiatives, and build a community of interest with whom CSSJ fellows can communicate regarding emerging research opportunities.  

The session was recorded and is available at this link.


Critical Race Collective (CRC)

SECOND CRITICAL RACE SYMPOSIUM:
THE IMPACT OF SYSTEMIC RACISM AND COVID-19 IN HIGHER EDUCATION

When:
Thursday, April 15, 2021, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
             Friday, April 16, 2021, 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Where:
Virtual, Webinar, Zoom
(for schedule, click here;
for
registration information, click here)


April 14, 2021, 1:00-2:30pm (EST)

Join via zoom: http://tiny.utk.edu/AAPIFaculty


Criminalizing the Mountain South:
Contemporary Issues (Part 3)

March 24, 2021

Guest Speakers Include:
-Felicia Arriaga (Assistant Professor of Sociology, Appalachian State University)
-Meghan Conley (Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of Tennessee)
-Jack Norton (Researcher, Vera Institute of Justice)

For video recording, click here!
For event posting, click here!


March 4, 2021, 6:00-7:00pm (EST)

Registration: tinyurl.com/2f5zq7z9


Criminalizing the Mountain South:
The Historical Roots of the Carceral State

February 24, 2021

Lindsey Elizabeth Jones
(Historian, Presidential Diversity Postdoctoral Fellow in Education,
Brown University)
Robert Hutton
(Senior Lecturer of History and American Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville)
Jessica Wilkerson
(Associate Professor of History, West Virginia University) 

For video recording, click here!
For event posting, click here!


Associate Director Stephanie Bohon on Police Killings

February 12, 2021

For video recording, click here!
For event posting, click here!


Criminalizing the Mountain South:
Persistent Inequalities

February 10, 2021

Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson
(Co-Executive Director, Highlander Research and Education Center)
Judah Schept
(Assistant Professor, Justice Studies, Eastern Kentucky University)
Sylvia Ryerson
(Artist, Journalist, PhD Student Yale University)

For video recording, click here!
For event posting, click here!