Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice Program

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.

Every semester the RHRJ Certificate holds an information and advising session via zoom for interested Five College students. The next information and advising session will be Wednesday, April 2, 2025 at noon:

12-12:30pm: Introduction to the Certificate, Courses being offered, and the special project requirement.

12:30-1:15pm: Q&A and mingling and/or co-working space; Breakout rooms as needed

Please register here: https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/meeting/register/U-GopxfCS8iVax_p6OBG5w

Questions or need more info?  Contact jlnye@umass.edu

RHRJ Certificate Course Requirements

Number of Courses Required:  Students must take six sources from across three categories— one foundational course, one transnational/global course, one upper-level course (300 level or above) and three additional courses from any of the below categories.

• No course may satisfy more than one certificate distribution requirement (i.e. one course cannot count as both a foundational AND transnational/global course).
• Courses counted toward satisfaction of campus-based major, minor or another Five College Certificate’s requirements may also be counted toward the RHRJ Certificate.
• Courses may be in-person, on-line, hybrid, taken during any time of year, and must be 3-credits or more

Types of Courses that Count:  Courses must be from the approved RHRJ Certificate course list OR be a non-listed course that is approved by the student’s RHRJ Certificate advisor as counting toward the Certificate because the course meets the below category standards. Examples of non-listed courses that may count toward the Certificate with advisor approval:

• Study abroad courses
• Courses from other colleges/universities
• Five College courses that are enhanced with additional RHRJ content / assignments
• Evaluation of Non-Listed Courses:  Students should provide their advisor with (1) a short paragraph explaining why they believe the course meets the Certificate requirements and (2) a copy of the syllabus and relevant completed assignments (if possible). 

Course Category Descriptions

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.

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.

Program Chair:

Jennifer L. Nye, Senior Lecturer II in History, Law & Social Justice, Department of History, UMass Amherst 

Five College Staff Liaison:

April Shandor, Academic Programs Coordinator

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