Meet some of our Critical Theory & Social Justice (CTSJ) majors.
Lulu Wiesemann
Hometown: Clarksville, TN
Majors: CTSJ, Music (vocal performance)
What was your motivation to major in CTSJ? Was there a specific inspirational moment or experience?
I arrived at Oxy never having heard the term “critical theory.” However, a late registration time and a need to fulfill core requirements put me in “Intro to Critical Theory” my first semester. It was in the first week of that class that my eyes were opened to a whole new way of thinking, of interrogating ideas and questioning why power structures exist the way that they do in our communities. For the first time, I was expected to be an active engager with class readings, all of which were focused on combating oppressive structures of various degrees. I was impassioned, and I declared my major that semester.
Are there any standout classes you’ve taken?
My favorite class in the department has been “Mother Goose to Mashups,” which studies the application of critical theory in the genre of children’s literature, including everything from books to movies and music videos. This course, like others in the department, allowed for alternate project options, and so along with writing papers, I created a children's book, produced a new folk song and wrote theoretical discursive fan fiction. This class broadened my understanding of how deeply integrated socially constructed ideologies are in our everyday lives.
[In one course]...along with writing papers, I created a children's book, produced a new folk song and wrote theoretical discursive fan fiction.
Can you describe your senior comps project?
For my senior comps, I am exposing the arbitrarity of the social construction of normative gender and explicating the force of its grip on society, which lays the foundation for a discussion of genderqueer youth as uniquely positioned within this social force. I develop this idea into an exploration of modern genderqueer youth actively engaging in subversive gender discourse to try to understand what barriers are inhibiting their access to free exploration of gender expression.
Do you have any advice for a student considering a major in CTSJ?
Go to office hours! Some of the best learning I experienced came from stepping into my professor's office with a list of questions. Even if you are not struggling in the class (and especially if you are), make a point to have one-on-one time with the professors because the CTSJ professors truly do care about your goals and how they might be able to help you develop inside and outside of the classroom. Office hours is where I really got to see into the personalities of my professors beyond their lecture mode, and I learned how much of an interest they would take in my life if I gave them the chance.
What is the “vibe” of the CTSJ department?
Our department is the perfect combination of incredible and diverse passion, intense rigor and supportive collaboration. It's honestly a pretty chill group of folx, nobody taking themselves too seriously, but everybody deeply cares for the material they interact with. We have very conversation-based courses, and our professors treat us as intellectuals in our own right. The department houses the internationally respected Critical Theory & Social Justice Journal of Undergraduate Research, the only academic publication of its kind, but we also have laid back Halloween parties and plenty of snacks and coffee to go around.
Mary Ambriz
Hometown: Fontana, CA
Major: CTSJ; minor: Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies
What was your motivation to major in CTSJ?
I took “Immigration & Education” my first semester at Oxy, and it was the first time I felt included in any sort of historical narrative. I'm a first generation Mexican-American in addition to being a first generation college student, and working through how immigration status as well as racial and ethnic identity systemically impact our route to education made clear the systems of power at play in my life thus far. The class put to words things that I've experienced but never knew how to describe—the end of that class was when I knew I wanted to stay in the CTSJ department.
Can you describe your working relationships with CTSJ professors? Are there any standout classes you’ve taken?
“Resistance Movements & the Law” (literally any class with Professor León), “Social Justice Bootcamp” (Professors Moazzam-Doulat & Heldman), “Whiteness” (Professor Griffin), “Settler Colonialism” (Professor Small), and “Intersectionality” (Prof. Heldman) have been some of the most enriching classes I've taken thus far. I'm currently in “Language & Power” with Professor Christianakis and I can tell this will be one of my most memorable classes as well.
As for the professors, I've never met people as passionate about their specialties as I have in CTSJ. They're all extremely well connected, and they'll do what they can to connect you to someone who knows someone related to a thing you're interested in. Professor Christianakis in particular is doing amazing work with the OxyGen program, which connects students (of all majors) with internship/work opportunities via alumni in a variety of fields. All of the professors are beyond supportive of anything their students ask about, whether it's starting conversations about inaccessibility or fat activism on campus, or giving advice on post-grad paths. I know I can go to any of them to talk about something, and they will always go out of their way to help.
Don't underestimate what you can do when you have an entire department supporting you.
Have you taken part in any student research opportunities at Oxy or elsewhere? Can you describe your senior comps project?
The past two summers I participated in the Summer Research Program, sponsored by the Undergraduate Research Center. I interned through the UEP/I Affordable Housing Summer Internship Program with East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice. I researched the police budgets of nine unincorporated cities in L.A. County as well as rent/mortgage moratoriums throughout the pandemic. This past summer, I began research