November 2, 2020
To CJS students and the Campus Community,
The Department of Criminology and Justice Studies would like to express support towards the Armenian community related to the ongoing conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and its consequences. We condemn the aggression towards Armenian people and consider the current situation a humanitarian crisis, consistent with the message sent by the CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison. The Department of Criminology and Justice Studies is against civilian violence and calls for the United States and other countries to come together to address actions related to civilian attacks in violent conflicts around the world. We understand that the Armenian Genocide, which took place in 1915, continues to have implications today and acknowledge that historical, social, and cultural contexts shape current events, including discrimination and violence towards people based on their nationality and ethnicity. Overall, recognizing the lack of interdisciplinary research and policy involving the global justice issues, we also call for social scientists, educators, policymakers and other stakeholders to work together to address more comprehensively global problems such as genocides, wars, and violent conflicts. These efforts will allow us to be more mindful members of the international community and to use our collective resources, scholarship, and pedagogical practices to help those in need.