Diversity and Social Justice Requirement

About the Diversity and Social Justice (DSJ) Requirement

In fall 2021, LWTech implemented a new academic requirement for all new students. This requirement focuses on diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice, with a special emphasis on antiracism, and it applies to all programs of the college.  

The requirement reinforces the college's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion while aligning our standards with many other colleges in Washington State.  

The LWTech Diversity and Social Justice (DSJ) requirement dives deeper into diversity and social justice in either an entire course dedicated to or contextualized around diversity and social justice. The DSJ content may be contextualized to Prof-Tech or General Education courses. 

Every degree or certificate of proficiency-seeking student is expected to take, at least, one DSJ-designated course. This requirement doesn’t add costs to degree requirements and no additional time to meet required degree pathways. 

Students taking DSJ classes, would be invited to choose from a variety of DSJ-designated classes. The entire course will be dedicated to or contextualized around diversity and social justice. Some of the DSJ designated classes are technical, program-specific classes, while others are General Education courses. 

 

The goal of social justice education is full and equitable participation of all individuals and social groups. The process for social justice education should also be equitable, participatory, respectful, and inclusive. 

As social justice educators, our goal is to affirm, model, and sustain socially just learning environments for all participants. So that what the participants are learning and how they are learning it are aligned.

The DSJ Learning Outcomes 

To be approved and designated as a Diversity and Social Justice course, student learning outcomes and course content must satisfy 4 outcomes from the following three categories. DSJ Instructors choose the learning outcomes that align with their course contents: 

  • 2 outcomes from the Power, Privilege, Inequity category. 
  • One outcome from each of the other two categories (Difference and Communication). 

Communication Outcomes 

  • Communicate one’s own intersecting identities of difference and how they position oneself in relation to power, privilege, and inequity. 
  • Engage in intentional communication with awareness of intent and impact. 
  • Apply the principles of effective and ethical intercultural communication and demonstrate how individuals and institutions could more effectively communicate across differences in human communities and cultures for the promotion of equity andsocial justice. 

Difference Outcomes  

  • Discuss and analyze how categories of difference are or have been created, maintained, and experienced through power, privilege, and inequity. 
  • Describe and demonstrate how cultural differences and commonalities among people have been/are reflected in different time periods, institutions, and social systems. 

Power, Privilege, and Inequity Outcomes  

  • Define and apply key terms and concepts of diversity and social justice. 
  • Identify how power, privilege, and inequity are or have been reinforced and challenged atindividual,institutional, and systemic levels. 
  • Identify specific waysin which individuals and social and artistic movements attempted to disrupt systems of power, privilege,andinequity.   
  • Analyze and apply ethical practice in relation to diverse communities and cultures for the promotion of equity andsocial justice. 
  • Explain different types of knowledge and how knowledge construction maintains power, privilege, and inequity. 

 

The LWTech Library has a DSJ collection that consists of books and movies that educate regarding oppression to support the campus-wide DSJ requirement. Categories of oppression include sexism, homophobia, social oppression, classism, religious oppression, ableism, ageism, environmental justice, racism, intersectionality, critical pedagogy, level of education, immigration status, and ethnicity. This collection is located on the main floor of the library, between the computer lab and the west windows. 

All DSJ instructors are part of the LWTech DSJ faculty learning community. This is a community of educators, who learn together and develop their self-awareness to issues of diversity, inclusion, and equity. 

Before teaching a DSJ-designated course, faculty are required to complete a quarter long in-house LWTech training that focuses on DSJ concepts and pedagogy. The Faculty Training sets the foundations of our learning community and provides knowledge, resources, and tools. Each new DSJ instructor is also assigned with a mentor.  

In addition, all DSJ faculty participate in an ongoing collaborative DSJ Professional Learning Community that provides mentoring, support, and resources for DSJ courses. ​​​​​​​ 

The LWTech’s Diversity and Social Justice (DSJ) Requirement is on compliance with the Washington state legislation SB 5227, which requires diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism training and assessments at institutions of higher education. With this law, the legislature wanted to ensure that public institutions of higher education provide faculty and staff, as well as students, with training to give them tools to address matters related to antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion.  

 

Registering to DSJ Courses

To find a DSJ course, students can use the online class schedule and follow these instructions: 

  • Search for the course you want. 
  • Look for the D designation in the class Section. 

 

 

 

Approved DSJ Courses 2024-2025

Below are lists of approved DSJ courses in general education and professional programs, as of the 2024-2025 academic year.

Please note that not all the sections of these courses meet the Diversity Requirement. To choose sections that meet the diversity requirement, please use the “Diversity and Social Justice” course attribute value in the Class Schedule.

 

Department Course, Instructor
English
  • ENGL93​, Paul Redman​
  • ENGL99, Paul Redman
  • ENGL&101, Johnny Calavitta
  • ENGL&101, Steve Cave
  • ENGL&101, Jess Flarity
  • ENGL&101, Wes Mantooth
  • ENGL&101, Paul Redman
  • ENGL&101, Paul Redman
  • ENGL&101, Rechelle Schimke​
  • ENGL&111​, Wes Mantooth
  • ENGL&102​, Johnny Calavitta​
  • ENGL&102​, Wes Mantooth​
  • ENGL&235​, Johnny Calavitta
Humanities
  • ART&100​, Amber Chiozza
  • CMST&220​, Steve Cave
  • CMST&240​, Christine Turpin
  • HUM215, Sharon Raz​
Math
  • MATH&105​, Hector Valenzuela
  • MATH&107, Sherry McLean
  • MATH&146​, Arlene Pandey
  • MATH&146​, Sherry McLean
  • MATH&146​, Hector Valenzuela
Science
  • BIOL311​, Barcin Acar​
  • BIOL&100​, Kimberly McClure
  • BIOL&100​, Amber Wyman​
  • BIOL&175​, Michael Rodriguez
  • BIOL&175​, Amber Wyman
  • CHEM&121​, Aurora Turgeon
  • ENVS&101, Richard Morgan​
  • GEOL&101, Anna Spaulding
  • NURT&101, Linda A Costarella
Social Science
  • CJ&101​, Lindsey Smith
  • POLS202, Meagan Carmack
  • POLS202, Ted Maloney
  • POLS202, Lindsey Smith
  • PSYC324​, Sharon Raz
  • PSYC441​, Joanne Bates
  • PSYC&100​​, Wendi Nancarrow-Carter
  • PSYC&100​​, Laura Toussaint
  • PSYC&100​​, Nomita Yadav
  • PSYC&200​, Joanne Bates
  • PSYC&200​, Sonny Campbell
  • PSYC&200​, Wendi Nancarrow-Carter
  • PSYC&200​, Nomita Yadav
  • PSYC&220​, Sharon Raz
  • SOC&101​, Wendi Nancarrow-Carter
  • SOC&101​, Laura Toussaint
  • SOC&101​, Nomita Yadav

Department Course, Instructor
Business Technology
  • BTE191, Matthew Keigley
Human Resource Management
  • HRM215, Renee Mangini
  • HRM230​, Laura Southard
  • HRM240, Laura Southard
  • HRM290, Rebecca Hamlin

Department Course, Instructor
Architectural Technology
  • ARCH100, Jon Balestri 
Baking Arts
  • BAKE109, Janet Waters
Design
  • ART252, Ben Meyer
Digital Gaming & Interactive Media
  • GAME108​, Ty Underwood

Department Course, Instructor
Early Childhood Education
  • ECED140, Renee Almatierra
  • EDUC&150, Erin Vasishtah
  • ECED&105, Erin Vasishtah
  • ECED&105, Karin Navarro
  • ECED300, Ninder Gill
  • ECED425, Shanti Conners
  • EDUC&130, Isabella Sebastiani

Department Course, Instructor
Mechanical Design
  • ENGT100, Andrew Short
Welding Technology
  • WELD203, Katelyn Wyczalek

Department Course, Instructor
Behavioral Health



  • BHAV110, Wendi Nancarrow-Carter
  • BHAV222, Wendi Nancarrow-Carter
  • ​BHAV411, Vanessa Villavicencio
  • BHAV412, Rex Rempel
Dental Hygeine
  • DHYG415, Danette Lindeman
Nursing
  • NURS221, Anita Headlund
Occupational Therapy Assistant
  • OTA110, TBD
Physical Therapy Assistant
  • PTA255, Molly Verschuyl
Public Health​
  • BIOL311, Barcin Acar

Department Course, Instructor
Computer Software Design
  • CSD298, Marcelo Guerra Hahn
Computer Security and Network Technology
  • CSNT115, Linda Epps

Department Course, Instructor
High School
  • ADHS 090, ​​Sean Marushia
  • HS+ AHSE 050, Maria Olivera-Deal

 

Key Contacts

Sharon Raz

Sharon Raz

Professor
Gen Ed/Hosp/Service