Austin Peay to offer new health and social justice certificate this fall
Beginning this fall, Austin Peay State University students will have the opportunity to pursue an interdisciplinary health and social justice certificate. This initiative is a collaboration among the APSU departments of sociology, psychological science and counseling, and health and human performance at Austin Peay.
“There is good data that illustrates that our health is affected by our race, class and sexual identity (among other things); this course will explore how structural injustices impact our health outcomes,” Dr. Jonniann Butterfield, chair of the Department of Sociology, said. “I think that this certificate is really something interesting that Austin Peay is offering that I don’t know that any other school in Tennessee is doing.”
The College of Behavioral and Health Sciences received a grant from the Tennessee Board of Regents to help reduce the digital divide in the state through programs that focus on diversity initiatives. The grant allows Austin Peay to provide laptops to the first 20 students who enroll to pursue the certificate.
“This is something really special and unique we can offer,” Butterfield said.
All students who enroll must take the “anchor” course, “Health and Social Justice.” In this course, students learn about the correlation between health and disease, inequalities in health outcomes and health consequences of chronic stress related to discrimination, oppression and poverty.
To receive the certificate, students must take 12 credit hours. Students can choose three courses from different disciplines and are encouraged to do so.
“I think any time you can get perspective from multiple disciplines on a particular issue, the student is going to be stronger for it,” Butterfield said. “Additionally, having a micro-credential (like a certificate) can make you stand out to employers.”
The fall 2021 semester will be the first run of the certificate offering, but students can get credit for classes they’ve already completed.
“It’s possible to have graduates of the program by the end of Fall,” Butterfield said. “That’s pretty cool.”
Students in different majors are eligible for the certificate. The certificate is not limited to the behavioral and health sciences majors.
“There are so many things that go into health that you can approach it from probably every discipline on campus and apply it to a career,” Butterfield said. “For example, in sociology, it may be learning how to fix and design infrastructure in communities that leads to better health outcomes.”
Today, society is more open to discussing social justice issues, mental health and physical health. The certificate will allow students to delve into discussions with psychology doctoral students that will create a “brave space” where the fear of discussion is stripped away.
“Sometimes students don’t understand what another group that’s unlike them is going through or experiencing or what their life circumstances are. So, one of our primary motivators is to be able to create an environment where we can really talk,” Butterfield said.
For more information about the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences, visit http://www.apsu.edu/behavioral-health.
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