The Program in Poverty, Justice, and Human Capabilities (PJHC), which is housed in the Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality, provides students with a multi-faceted understanding of human well-being, both in the US and internationally. The PJHC has collaborated with a number of departments to offer Rice undergraduate students a minor in poverty, justice, and human capabilities. This unique interdisciplinary minor emphasizes a “capabilities approach,” which considers what people are able to do and be — for example, live to old age and engage in economic and political activities — rather than strictly what they have or don’t have. The program also acknowledges the central importance of a variety of additional influences on well-being beyond income, such as gender, racial and ethnic disparities, health status, education, human rights, political freedoms, and material necessities like food and shelter. A key goal of the PJHC is to enrich students’ understanding of poverty and inequality, so that, regardless of their choice of occupation, they will maintain a longstanding commitment to enhancing the well-being of all people. More generally, the program aims to train Rice students to be future leaders in solving global problems in human well-being.

The PJHC minor combines high-caliber undergraduate courses with internship experiences for students to work in the summer or as part of a study abroad program with agencies that help disadvantaged communities and people. The students are placed with organizations where they work directly with clients and gain experiential knowledge that broadens their perspective on human lives and capabilities. Through these academic and experiential learning opportunities, students explore a deeper understanding of the structural factors underlying poverty and human well-being and potential policy solutions. Furthermore, the program aims to promote dialogue among all disciplines about how to address issues of poverty alleviation and human well-being with a sophisticated understanding of the challenges and sound strategies for moving forward.

Although impediments to human well-being take many forms, barriers to the capabilities of women and girls persist across societies; women and girls are therefore disproportionately represented among the poor and those unable to attain their full capabilities.  Acknowledging gender inequality as a powerful influence on disparities in human well-being, the academic component of the program, including the content of core and required courses, recognizes gender as a central analytic category.

The program is housed in the Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality (CSWGS), which includes over forty affiliated faculty, and is directed by Diana Strassmann, Professor of the Practice and editor of Feminist Economics.

For more information contact:
Diana Strassmann, Director or Christine Medina, Program Manager
Program in Poverty, Justice and Human Capabilities
Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality
Rice University, MS-9
P.O. Box 1892
Houston, Texas 77251
713/348-6152, pjc@rice.edu

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