
Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice Program
The Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice (RHRJ) certificate provides undergraduate students at the Five Colleges with an opportunity to develop a strong understanding of the social, economic, legal, and political conditions that influence reproduction in the U.S. and transnationally.
Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice Program
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About
Founded in 2015, the Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice (RHRJ) Certificate aims to provide undergraduates from across the Five Colleges with a strong foundation in the field of reproductive politics. Reproductive health, rights, and justice scholarship examines the impact of reproductive policies not only on individuals, but also on communities, with particular attention to communities that have been historically marginalized. The field also includes study of the history of social movements for reproductive empowerment, including the movements for women's liberation, disability rights, racial justice, economic justice, LGBTQ rights, immigrant rights, and the women's health, reproductive freedom, and reproductive justice movements. By taking six courses across a range of disciplines and completing a special final project, RHRJ certificate graduates are prepared for graduate school, as well as careers in law, science, medicine, health, politics, social work, and community organizing.
Courses
Please note that this list may not include all courses that meet the certificate requirements. If you have questions about what courses can count toward the certificate, please contact your RHRJ certificate advisor.
A foundational course has 90–100% reproductive health, rights, and justice content, as reflected in the course title and description. Foundational courses introduce students to reproductive politics, including the reproductive health, rights and justice frameworks; introduce students to thinking intersectionally about reproductive issues, for example, how gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, disability and nationality intersect to shape women’s experiences of reproductive oppression, and their resistance strategies; and teach students to think systemically about reproductive issues, rather than just individually, that is, about the impact of reproductive politics not only on individuals, but also on communities, and how social, economic, legal and political conditions impact reproduction. The material may be covered through any disciplinary or interdisciplinary lens, including history, sociology, legal studies, public policy, women, gender and sexuality studies, political science, journalism, religious studies, American studies, transnational studies, etc.
A transnational/global course has 25% reproductive health, rights, and justice content, as defined above, with a transnational/global (i.e. non-U.S.) focus.
An additional course has 25% reproductive health, rights, and justice content, as defined above.
All courses used to fulfill the certificate requirements must be selected from the courses currently approved to count toward this certificate by the RHRJ steering committee.
Note that if you don't see classes from all campuses currently listed, they will appear as the campuses release their course schedules for the semester. The five campuses release their schedules on different dates. Visit this page for specific dates.
Fall 2023 RHRJ Courses: Foundational
Subject | Course # | Sect # | Course Title | Instructor(s) | Institution | Meeting Times |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ANTHR | 316EG | 01 | Reproductive and Genetic Tech | Jacquelyne Luce | Mount Holyoke College | M 01:30PM-04:20PM |
GNDST | 333EG | 01 | Reproductive and Genetic Tech | Jacquelyne Luce | Mount Holyoke College | M 01:30PM-04:20PM |
POLIT | 255PA | 01 | Politics of Abortion | Cora Fernandez Anderson | Mount Holyoke College | MW 11:30AM-12:45PM |
NURSING | 325 | 01 | Maternal-Newborn Nursing | Katharine Green | UMass Amherst | F 8:00AM 9:55AM |
NURSING | 398I | 01 | Maternal-Newborn Nursing:Pract | Katharine Green | UMass Amherst | 1:00AM 1:00AM |
NURSING | 398I | 02 | Maternal-Newborn Nursing:Pract | Nora Lynn Holland | UMass Amherst | 1:00AM 1:00AM |
NURSING | 398I | 03 | Maternal-Newborn Nursing:Pract | Lindsay DuBois | UMass Amherst | 1:00AM 1:00AM |
NURSING | 398I | 04 | Maternal-Newborn Nursing:Pract | Maud Low | UMass Amherst | 1:00AM 1:00AM |
WGSS | 230 | 01 | Politics of Reproduction | Laura Briggs | UMass Amherst | TU TH 11:30AM 12:45PM |
WGSS | 393M | 01 | S-Everything to Expect/Expctng | Kirsten Leng | UMass Amherst | TU TH 10:00AM 11:15AM |
Fall 2023 RHRJ Courses: Additional
Subject | Course # | Sect # | Course Title | Instructor(s) | Institution | Meeting Times |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ANTH | 245 | 01 | Medical Anthropology | Christopher Dole | Amherst College | M/W | 12:30 PM - 1:50 PM |
ARHA | 385 | 01 | Witch/Vampire/Monster | Natasha Staller | Amherst College | TU/TH | 1:00 PM - 2:20 PM |
BLST | 345 | 01 | Black Studies Workshop | Olufemi Vaughan | Amherst College | TU | 2:30 PM - 5:30 PM |
BLST | 347 | 01 | Race, Sex, US Military | Khary Polk | Amherst College | M/W | 12:30 PM - 1:50 PM |
EUST | 385 | 01 | Witch/Vampire/Monster | Natasha Staller | Amherst College | TU/TH | 1:00 PM - 2:20 PM |
HIST | 162 | 01 | U.S.History of Sexuality | Jen Manion | Amherst College | TU/TH | 2:30 PM - 3:50 PM |
HIST | 258 | 01 | Medical Injustice | Jen Manion | Amherst College | TU/TH | 1:00 PM - 2:20 PM |
LJST | 260 | 01 | Feminist Legal Theory | Nica Siegel | Amherst College | TU/TH | 10:00 AM - 11:20 AM |
POSC | 412 | 01 | Quirky Citizenship | Kristin Bumiller | Amherst College | TU | 2:30 PM - 5:15 PM |
SWAG | 162 | 01 | U.S.History of Sexuality | Jen Manion | Amherst College | TU/TH | 2:30 PM - 3:50 PM |
SWAG | 258 | 01 | Medical Injustice | Jen Manion | Amherst College | TU/TH | 1:00 PM - 2:20 PM |
SWAG | 310 | 01 | Witch/Vampire/Monster | Natasha Staller | Amherst College | TU/TH | 1:00 PM - 2:20 PM |
SWAG | 347 | 01 | Race, Sex, US Military | Khary Polk | Amherst College | M/W | 12:30 PM - 1:50 PM |
CSI | 0120 | 1 | Ethics and Language | Malgorzata Grebowicz | Hampshire College | 10:30AM-11:50AM TU;10:30AM-11:50AM TH |
CSI | 0208 | 1 | Bioethics: Gender, Race,sci | Jina Fast | Hampshire College | 01:00PM-02:20PM TU;01:00PM-02:20PM TH |
CSI | 0223 | 1 | Global Insecurity | Omar Dahi | Hampshire College | 02:30PM-03:50PM M;02:30PM-03:50PM W |
ANTHR | 240 | 01 | Medical Anthropology | Caroline DeVane | Mount Holyoke College | TTH 01:45PM-03:00PM |
GNDST | 101 | 01 | Intro to Gender Studies | Niamh Timmons | Mount Holyoke College | MW 03:15PM-04:30PM |
GNDST | 101 | 02 | Intro to Gender Studies | Sandra Russell | Mount Holyoke College | MW 11:30AM-12:45PM |
GNDST | 101 | 03 | Intro to Gender Studies | Sandra Russell | Mount Holyoke College | MW 01:45PM-03:00PM |
GNDST | 221QF | 01 | Feminist & Queer Theory | Christian Gundermann | Mount Holyoke College | TTH 01:45PM-03:00PM |
GNDST | 333FM | 01 | Latina Feminism(s) | Vanessa Rosa | Mount Holyoke College | W 01:30PM-04:20PM |
GNDST | 333GS | 01 | Gender/Sexual Minority Health | Corey Flanders | Mount Holyoke College | TH 01:30PM-04:20PM |
POLIT | 233 | 01 | Intro to Feminist Theory | Kevin Henderson | Mount Holyoke College | MW 03:15PM-04:30PM |
POLIT | 387HE | 01 | Health and Inequality | Kevin Henderson | Mount Holyoke College | TTH 03:15PM-04:30PM |
BIO | 351ep | 01 | Sem:Evolu:T-Epigenetics | Laura Aline Katz | Smith College | M 1:40 PM - 4:20 PM |
GOV | 305ct | 01 | Sem:Amer-T-ConservativeTrad | Claire Leavitt | Smith College | TU 1:20 PM - 4:00 PM |
SWG | 150 | 01 | Intro Women & Gender | Kelly P. Anderson | Smith College | TU TH 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM |
SWG | 150 | 02 | Intro Women & Gender | Kelly P. Anderson | Smith College | TU TH 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM |
SWG | 222 | 01 | Gender, Law and Policy | Carrie N. Baker | Smith College | M W F 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM |
SWG | 241 | 01 | White Supremacy/ Age of Trump | Loretta Ross | Smith College | TU TH 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM |
SWG | 300qt | 01 | Sem:T-Queer&TransLives | Evangeline Heiliger | Smith College | TH 1:20 PM - 4:00 PM |
WGSS | 201 | 01 | Gender&Diff: Critical Analyses | Debadatta Chakraborty | UMass Amherst | TU TH 11:30AM 12:45PM |
WGSS | 201 | 02 | Gender&Diff: Critical Analyses | Laura Briggs | UMass Amherst | TU TH 1:00PM 2:15PM |
WGSS | 286 | 01 | History/Sexuality&Race/US | Tiarra Cooper | UMass Amherst | TU TH 11:30AM 12:45PM |
WGSS | 286 | 02 | History/Sexuality&Race/US | Derek Siegel | UMass Amherst | TU TH 2:30PM 3:45PM |
WGSS | 393M | 01 | S-Everything to Expect/Expctng | Kirsten Leng | UMass Amherst | TU TH 10:00AM 11:15AM |
WGSS | 395J | 01 | S- Imagining Justice | Laura Ciolkowski | UMass Amherst | TU 1:10PM 5:00PM |
Fall 2023 RHRJ Courses: Transnational/Global
Subject | Course # | Sect # | Course Title | Instructor(s) | Institution | Meeting Times |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
POSC | 407 | 01 | Contemporary Debates | Amrita Basu | Amherst College | W | 2:00 PM - 4:45 PM |
SWAG | 400 | 01 | Contemporary Debates | Amrita Basu | Amherst College | W | 2:00 PM - 4:45 PM |
ANTHR | 316EG | 01 | Reproductive and Genetic Tech | Jacquelyne Luce | Mount Holyoke College | M 01:30PM-04:20PM |
ASIAN | 215 | 01 | AndrogynyGndr in ChineseTheat | Ying Wang | Mount Holyoke College | W 01:30PM-04:20PM |
GNDST | 210JD | 01 | Women and Gender in Judaism | Mara Benjamin | Mount Holyoke College | TTH 01:45PM-03:00PM |
GNDST | 333EG | 01 | Reproductive and Genetic Tech | Jacquelyne Luce | Mount Holyoke College | M 01:30PM-04:20PM |
POLIT | 255PA | 01 | Politics of Abortion | Cora Fernandez Anderson | Mount Holyoke College | MW 11:30AM-12:45PM |
SPN | 250sm | 01 | T-Sex&Medieval City | Ibtissam Bouachrine | Smith College | TU TH 1:20 PM - 2:35 PM |
WGSS | 230 | 01 | Politics of Reproduction | Laura Briggs | UMass Amherst | TU TH 11:30AM 12:45PM |
Contact Us
Program Co-Chairs:
Cora Fernandez-Anderson, Assistant Professor of Politics, Mount Holyoke
Jennifer L. Nye, Lecturer in Law and Social Justice, Department of History, UMass Amherst
Five College Staff Liaison:
April Shandor, Academic Programs Coordinator