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Office of the Provost
Core Curriculum

ELSJ Summary for Advisors and Students

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Core Requirement: Experiential Learning for Social Justice

ELSJ Overview

The Experiential Learning for Social Justice (ELSJ) component of Santa Clara’s Core Curriculum cultivates social justice, civic life, perspective, and civic engagement.

  • ELSJ involves community-based learning with a social justice emphasis.
  • ELSJ courses integrate classroom assignments and activities with learning through the community contact.
    • Community-based learning experiences typically involve 16 contact hours over one quarter.
    • Immersion trips involve at least 24 contact hours, normally over a five-day period (or longer).
    • Other forms of community engagement typically involve 16 contact hours over 2 to 10 weeks (or longer).

Completing the Requirement

  • This requirement can be satisfied in two ways: with one of the approved ELSJ courses or with an ELSJ Milestone.
    • For a list of all ELSJ courses available for student enrollment during a particular quarter, see Course Availability (http://www.scu.edu/courseavail/). Using the Advanced Search feature, select "Experiential Learning for Social Justice" from the "Ugrad Core" drop-down menu.
    • For a list of all ELSJ courses, see the Undergraduate Core Curriculum Guide (http://www.scu.edu/core). This guide is updated on-line frequently.
    • For details on the ELSJ Milestone, see the Student ELSJ Resources page on the ELSJ website (https://www.scu.edu/provost/core/elsj/student-elsj-resources/).

Special Notes for Advisors and Students

  • ELSJ is part of the Integrations component of the Undergraduate Core Curriculum. Integrations are usually elements within existing courses for the Core or major, not additional required courses.
  • As an Integration component, ELSJ courses may also satisfy other Core requirements.
  • The ELSJ requirement can be satisfied any quarter/any year.
  • The ELSJ requirement must be completed while enrolled at SCU. (Transfer students cannot transfer in units that fulfill ELSJ or any other Integrations requirement.)
  • If you have additional questions, please review the ELSJ website (https://www.scu.edu/provost/core/elsj/).