Brea Muzykoski
The Law, Justice & Culture Certificate program has 25 students who are learning about law, justice, and culture through interdisciplinary coursework.
Brea Muzykoski is a second-year student majoring in Political Science–Pre-Law and minoring in African American Studies.
Muzykoski found herself interested in law, justice, and culture when she first began exploring different issues relating to the criminal justice system, from a local to a international scale, as a high school journalist.
These were issues that were not discussed in her high school classes, and when she realized how much more there was past what a high school education could offer, she knew she wanted to pursue an education related to law, justice, and culture.
In addition to this passion already beginning in high school, Muzykoski began to further explore her interests in the Law, Justice, & Culture Learning Community. She got to learn from Dr. Haley Duschinski, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Law, Justice & Culture, in both the community and the Breaking the Law theme seminar course.
Muzykoski’s coursework was already heavily involved with numerous different topics relating to law, justice, and culture, making the connection to the program seem even more right.
She was drawn especially to the certificate program because of how personalized the approach to an interdisciplinary education is within the program.
“You can really make the certificate specialized to your own learning interests, and each LJC scholar comes out with a different view on our world,” Muzykoski says.
Muzykoski says the most valuable thing for her that comes from the Certificate Program is the value of a liberal arts education.
“With each class I take, I come out more prepared to interact and understand people from all walks of life. I feel as though I have become a more individualized person. I have become more confident in sharing my opinions and being a better listener to my peers, as many LJC courses emphasize individuality and respect,” Muzykoski says.
One of the classes that she feels most encompasses this notion was a course in the African American Studies Department, titled African American Political Thought, with Dr. Daniel Moak, who is also a faculty member in the Center for Law, Justice & Culture.
“Dr. Moak leads the class in a way that allows students to come to their own conclusions about the complex and often heavily contested issues we learn about. In this class, I am able to form my own education opinions with the help of Dr. Moak and my peers in daily discussion,” she says.
Muzykoski says she hopes to use her education in law, justice, and culture to further her passions for learning about the intersectionality between race, gender, and class.
“An education in law, justice, and culture effects every aspect of our lives. No matter what profession I choose, my education in this certificate program will always equip me with the tools to be an effective leader, ever-evolving learner, and empathetic listener,” she adds.
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