Minor in Poverty, Justice & Human Capabilities

To read more about the minor, please visit the PJHC website.

Approved in 2009, this new minor at Rice offers students the opportunity to pursue academic course work and practical experience focused on poverty, social justice, and human capabilities.  The minor grew out of a pilot program established in 2006 with the generous support of the Bridgeway Foundation and the Dean of Humanities.  The minor in Poverty, Justice, and Human Capabilities (PJHC) aims to give students a rigorous understanding of human well-being in the US and internationally. Well-being reflects not just levels of income and assets, but also human capabilities – what people are able to do and be. The minor therefore acknowledges the central importance of a variety of additional influences on well-being such as gender equality, racial and ethnic disparities, health status, education, human rights, political freedoms, and material necessities such as food and shelter. A key goal of the minor is to enrich students’ understanding of poverty and inequality so that, regardless of their choices in occupation, they will maintain longstanding commitments to enhancing the well-being of all people. The minor is directed by Diana Strassmann, Professor of the Practice and editor of Feminist Economics.