January 20, 2021
Cyndi Rickards, EdD, associate teaching professor in the Department of Criminology and Justice Studies (CJS) at Drexel University, always learns from having cross-curricular students in her classroom. Their diverse perspectives will inform the readings she assigns, the questions she asks and the curriculum she sets.
But following a “Places of Justice” class (CJS 262) previously offered to Pennoni Honors College students and taught side-by-side with members of the local Mantua and Powelton Village communities, Rickards heard from several students about how they wanted to do more to explore their chosen disciplines through the lens of social justice. In turn, she wanted to do more than just make tweaks for the next time she taught the class. Instead, she wanted to start something new.