Program Overview

Introduction to the Interdisciplinary Concentration: Law, Diversity & Justice Emphasis, BA

The Fairhaven College Interdisciplinary Concentration: Law, Diversity & Justice Emphasis provides an opportunity for developing an individually designed major for the Bachelor of Arts degree. It allows maximal flexibility in formulating a program to meet personal and career goals, bringing together each student’s vital interests from more than one discipline into a cohesive whole.

Program Overview

The self-designed concentration process allows students to work with a faculty committee to articulate a sound rationale for their area of study and to develop a plan including courses, independent study projects, senior projects and, where applicable, internships and apprenticeships. Students are assisted in completing the concentration by faculty and other advisors and by the FAIR 303A, Concentration Seminar course. The Concentration Proposal rationale statement and accompanying Concentration course list form the plan of study for the Interdisciplinary Concentration major, after approval by the student’s Concentration Committee and filed in the Fairhaven College Records Office. As part of this plan of study, a minimum of three quarters of coursework, completing a minimum of 36 credits is required after the concentration filing quarter.

Why Consider an Interdisciplinary Concentration with a Law, Diversity & Justice Emphasis at Fairhaven College?

The Law, Diversity & Justice (LDJ) Concentration is designed for students with a strong interest in law, diversity and access to the legal system for under-served communities. The Law, Diversity and Justice Concentration is open to all Fairhaven students with a passion for social justice. The concentration welcomes students who desire to effect change and who have the potential to act as leaders and role models in their communities using legal knowledge and processes. The curriculum also emphasizes a critical examination of how issues such as race, class, gender, sexual orientation and disability intersect with the legal system.

Career Opportunities

With an interdisciplinary degree with this emphasis, the options are wide-ranging. Examples of careers of Fairhaven alumni with this degree include: attorney, domestic violence legal advocate, writer, tribal government leader, social entrepreneur, human resource professional, non-profit leader, social worker, community activist, lawyer, judges in the Washington Court of Appeals, and entrepreneur.

Admission Process

Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies has selective admission and enrolls first-year students, transfer students, and students from other WWU programs fall, winter, and spring quarters. New applicants to Fairhaven and to the University complete the WWU Undergraduate Application. Indicate interest in Fairhaven College on your WWU application.

Grade Requirements

A grade of ‘S’ in Fairhaven courses or C- or better in courses in other departments is required for this degree.

Fairhaven Core Curriculum

• Exploratory Studies (Stage One)
  • FAIR 101A - An Introduction to Interdisciplinary Study At Fairhaven College
  • FAIR 201A - Critical and Reflective Inquiry
  • FAIR 202A - Core: Humanities and the Expressive Arts I
  • FAIR 203A - Social Relationships and Responsibility: Theories and Critiques
  • FAIR 206A - Core: Science and Our Place on the Planet I
  • FAIR 301A - Writing & Transition Conference
  • One upper-division course in each of the following areas, with the specific course in each area, selected from a listing of approved courses found in the Fairhaven College website:
    • Humanities and the Expressive Arts II
    • Society and the Individual II
    • Science and Our Place on the Planet II
• Concentrated Studies (Stage Two)
  • FAIR 303A - Core: Interdisciplinary Concentration Seminar
  • FAIR 401A - Core: Senior Project
  • Coursework as approved by the student’s individual concentration committee
• Additional Requirements - Advanced Studies (Stage Three)
  • FAIR 403A - Core: Advanced Seminar

Law, Diversity & Justice Emphasis

• LDJ Required Curriculum:
  • FAIR 311B - The United States Legal System
  • FAIR 322K - Intro to Legal Analysis, Research and Writing
  • FAIR 412E - Advanced Topics in Law
  • FAIR 334F - International Law
  • FAIR 422K - Advanced Legal Writing and Analysis
  • One course from:
    • FAIR 334C - International Human Rights
    • FAIR 393B - Rights, Liberties and Justice in the U.S.

Fairhaven Graduation Requirements

• Fairhaven Core Curriculum
• Completion of at least 25 credits at Fairhaven and 50 credits outside Fairhaven
• 180 Minimum Total Credits
• 60 Minimum Upper Division Credits
• Residency Requirement
• Final Quarter Requirement
• Writing Proficiency Requirement (WP)