About the Program
The 'Staff as Students of Social Justice' (SSSJ) Program(link is external)(link is external) is an important expression of the campus’s commitment to staff’s intellectual and professional development, especially around issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice. This program is a keystone effort of the university’s work towards Becoming an Anti-Racist Campus(link is external)(link is external). Piloted in Fall 2020, the SSSJ Program is a unique opportunity to learn first-hand from leading scholars and American Cultures instructors about the intersections of race, ethnicity, and gender; dig into subjects of personal interests; and build connections with faculty, students, and campus colleagues. Previously, SSSJ allowed an opportunity for cohorts of up to 25 campus staff per semester (from the Division of Undergraduate Education and beyond) to audit an American Cultures course and participate in discussions about timely and important topics. Now continuing its fifth year, this program is 10-weeks long in the Fall and Spring semesters, offering a weekly seminar over Zoom, titled “Material Anti-Racisms,” led by the SSSJ Program Director of Pedagogy, David Maldonado. This seminar provides a deep study of abolitionism and higher education, incorporating content from the previous SSSJ lecture series “Aspirations of Material Anti-Racism: What’s Next.”
Program Overview
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Participate in a weekly discussion section with seminar course instructor SSSJ Director of Pedagogy, David Maldonado, Ph.D., facilitated over Zoom from February 11th, 2025 until April 15th, 2025
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Anticipate 3-4 hours of class/discussion/lecture viewing per week, plus additional time to complete readings
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No exams, grades, or academic credit
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Must attend at least 80% of meetings, partipate fully, and complete a final reflection to complete the course
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Upon completion, you will receive a certificate signed by Acting Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion Fabrizio Mejia, Vice Provost Oliver O’Reilly, and Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources and Chief People & Culture Officer Eugene Whitlock, and your achievement will be added to your HR personnel file
Application Process
The application period for the Spring 2025 cycle are now closed. Please check back for summer applications soon!
For the fall, we will continue offering the seminar for staff led by Director of Pedagogy David Maldonado: “Material Anti-Racisms”, a deep exploration of abolitionism and higher education paired with content from our previous lecture series “Aspirations of Material Anti-Racism: What’s Next.” Please contact us at sssj@berkeley.edu if you have any questions.