These course syllabi are from our ongoing Periclean Faculty Leadership (PFL) Program™, as well as an earlier Civic Engagement Course (CEC) Program™. The syllabi provide examples of how faculty members are incorporating civic engagement in a wide variety of disciplines in the fine arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.
Syllabi can be viewed by department, institution, or key word using the search box. On mobile devices, drag table leftward to bring off-screen columns into view.
Syllabi can be viewed by department, institution, or key word using the search box. On mobile devices, drag table leftward to bring off-screen columns into view.
Discipline | Institution | Course / Instructor(s) |
---|---|---|
American Studies | Hendrix College | American Ways of Life This course introduces traditions of civic engagement to international students, with special focus on students from the People's Republic of China, for whom the course was required. Professor: Jay McDaniel, Professor of Religion |
Anthropology | Elon University | Applied Anthropology: Meeting Human Needs This course applies anthropological theories and methods to local, national, and global human needs, such as adequate nutrition and health care, freedom and power, adequate educational supplies and well-trained teachers, and access to work that allows workers to provide adequately for themselves and their families. Professor: Kimberly Jones, Assistant Professor of Anthropology |
Art and Art History | Pitzer College | Topics in Native American Art History: Native California Through the study of material in museums, Indian casinos, cultural centers, and other institutions, students will examine Native American art and cultural history, focusing on patterns of contact, conflict, accommodation, government relations, education, economic revitalization, and cultural and political activism. Professor: Bill Anthes, Assistant Professor of Art History |
Art and Art History | Ursinus College | Museums and Their Communities This course examines the concept of the museum as a site of civic engagement, i.e., the museum as a partnership between the institution and its communities, between museum professionals and museum audiences. Professor: Susan Shifrin, Assistant Professor of Art |
Biology | Wagner College | The Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of the Genome This course examines scientific concepts and basic research that underlies the decoding of the Human Genome and explores the resulting biomedical revolution that has created a need for answers to questions such as what we can and should do with genomic research and calls into question the way people think about family structure, life expectancy, quality of life, expectations of health and medical care, privacy, the way food is grown, and attitudes toward religion. Professor: Ammini Moorthy, Professor of Biology Co-taught by: John P. Esser, Associate Professor of Sociology |
Business Law | Widener University | Business Law and Environmental Action In the course of examining contemporary law and ethics in relation to the formation and management of businesses and other organizations, students work with community and nonprofit groups to help alleviate environmental problems. Professor: Sandra K. Miller, Professor of Accounting and Taxation |
Communication Studies | Berea College | Political Communication Students design and execute a media campaign based on their study of communication theories, media influence on policy development, core issues for the 2008 presidential election, and the importance of speech writing for candidates. Professor: Billy Wooten, Assistant Professor of Speech Communication and Director of Forensics |
Communication Studies | Bethune-Cookman University | Introduction to Effective Oral Communication This introductory course is designed to help students develop thinking, research, organization, and speaking skills through study and analysis of a social problem of their choice, resulting in an informative speech, a speech of controversy, a problem-solution speech, and a motivational speech. Professor: Paula McKenzie, Assistant Professor of Speech Communication and Theatre |
Communication Studies | Hendrix College | Communication Analysis of Presidential Candidates' Nomination Acceptance Speeches Students examine selected nomination acceptance speeches at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions from 1980 to 2008, exploring the historical context, the candidates themselves, the outcome of the election, and the impact of the speeches on the election. In a forum setting, students compare Obama and McCain's speeches in 2008, and predict the winner of the election based on those speeches. Professor: Mary M. Richardson, Adjunct Instructor of Speech |
Communication Studies | Pace University | Youth, Media, Democracy In the context of historical and current debates about media and youth, this course explores, through readings, discussions, screenings, and service, how contemporary youth use the media to document their lives, produce social change, and put democracy into action. Professor: Emilie Zaslow, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies |
Criminal Justice | Widener University | Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Justice Students in this course, which provides academic grounding in such topics as theories of delinquency, the evolving concept of juvenile justice, the roles and duties of courtroom players, and the effectiveness of community-based treatment, detention, and diversion programs, assist with a community-based youth court in which young people deliver justice to first-time youth offenders. Professor: Nancy B. Blank, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice |
Ecology | Hampshire College | Agriculture, Ecology, and Society This course uses readings, discussions, field work, assignments, and independent and group projects to examine ecological systems and issues of agriculture, covering such topics as crop pests, pesticides and alternative methods of pest control, soil erosion and conservation, agricultural inputs and water pollution, food production, problems of local farmers and of developing countries, social issues, and community-supported agriculture. Professor: Brian Schultz, Associate Professor of Entomology and Ecology |
Economics | Wagner College | The Economics of Discrimination In the classroom and an optional service component, this course explores the proposition that the market reproduces and can reinforce economic inequality based on gender, race, and ethnicity and will examine the effects of globalization on these inequalities in developing countries and the U.S. Professor: Jayne Dean, Associate Professor of Economics and Department Chair |
English and Literature | Bethune-Cookman University | Literature and Writing This writing and composition course encourages social awareness and activism through a study of relevant literature and current events, and through participation in community projects such as tutoring, voter registration, and letter and editorial writing on social and environmental problems. Professor: Nancy Zrinyi Long, Associate Professor of English |
English and Literature | Pace University | The Individual and Society: Folklore and Fairy Tales Through the study of literature and through reading to children who are clients of service organizations, students explore how individuals relate to literature according to age and culture and how literature may influence ideas of acceptable and deviant social interaction. Professor: Patricia Hamill, Adjunct Professor of Writing and Literature |
English and Literature | Pitzer College | Non-Citizens in Wartime America: A Periclean Course in Civic Understanding This literary and cultural studies course examines how immigration status, race, and class bear the signs of a wartime society in the present-day US, in order to understand democratic values in the context of these particular junctures. Students undertake analytical discussions on contemporary civic institutions and discourses, and pose ethical questions of democratic social processes and political governance in the post-9/11 world. Professor: Edith Vásquez, Assistant Professor of English and World Literature |
General Studies | Berea College | Questioning Authority This introduction to college reading, writing, and thinking is taught from a framework of free thought and skeptical inquiry to help students recognize and resist corporate, governmental, religious, and individual oppression, skills that the students will be expected to use in service projects, such as working with small business owners displaced by corporate mega-stores. Professor: David Porter, Professor of Psychology and General Studies |
General Studies | Berea College | Stirring the Pot: Food Politics, Gender, and Globalization This course examines food from a variety of interdisciplinary and global perspectives, with special attention on the role that women play in global food economies. Students designed their own research project exploring an aspect of food politics, often involving a presentation to community members or research about a local food issue, such as a nearby local-foods-only restaurant. Professor: Peggy Rivage-Seul, Associate Professor of Women's Studies Co-taught by: Chad Berry, Associate Professor of Appalachian Studies |
General Studies | Elon University | Development Issues in Ghana This seminar, the foundation course for Elon's Periclean Scholars program and open only to Periclean scholars, focuses on socio-economic development in Africa, especially Ghana, using case studies that address uneven development and access to resources by vulnerable ethnic groups, women, peasant farmers, and fishers. Its primary objective is to improve the lives of Ghanaians. Professor: Heidi G. Frontani, Associate Professor of Geography |
General Studies | Elon University | Volunteerism, Social Justice, & Civic Engagement in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina Through reading, research, reflecting, and engagement in service activities, students in this course examine responsibilities of and interrelationships among public, federal, state, and local governments and the media in times of natural disasters and engage in projects that relate their service activities to assigned reading. Professor: Ocek Eke, Assistant Professor of Communications |
Geography | Macalester College | Urban Geography Field Seminar Professor: David Lanegan, Professor of Geography and Department Chair |
Geography | Macalester College | GIS: Concepts and Applications Professor: Holly Barcus, Assistant Professor of Geography |
Geography | Macalester College | Cities of the 21st Century Students in three courses share field trips, guest lectures, and faculty expertise as they collectively prepare a public document that addresses selected issues concerning local watersheds. The report includes quantitative and qualitative research by students in the Urban Geography Field Seminar; maps of social and economic variables by students in GIS Concepts and Applications; and analyses of policy issues and proposed solutions by students in Cities of the 21st Century. Professor: Daniel Trudeau, Assistant Professor of Geography |
History | Allegheny College | Citizenship, Democracy, and the French Revolution Students will study the French Revolution through role-playing, which will allow them to experiment with modes of civic engagement including elections, parliamentary maneuvering, lobbying, street demonstrations, and protests and help them understand historical contingency and cause and effect. Professor: Barry Shapiro, Professor of History |
History | Berea College | Seminar in Modern European History: Social Responses to Poverty This course introduces students to European responses to poverty from the 17th through 20th centuries, covering criminalization of poverty, definitions of family, socialist critiques of capitalism, the rise of voluntary associations, and the relationship between philanthropic organizations and the state. The course employs an individual-focused historical analysis, exploring the engagement of those who wrestled with the rise of industrial capitalism. Students use forms of public writing to address these issues. Professor: Rebecca Bates, Assistant Professor of History |
History | Wagner College | Leadership in the Face of Conflict: Twentieth Century Crises Students identify exemplary models of leadership by examining case studies of select political and civic issues in the 20th century that prompted the mobilization of communities in the U.S. and abroad. The course focuses on the possibilities and liabilities of feminist activism, and involves a leadership project in partnership with local refugee groups. In collaboration with Patricia Moynagh's Political Science course, 'Crossing Boundaries, Raising Voices: The History and Politics of Feminist Activism' Professor: Lori R. Weintrob, Associate Professor of History and Department Chair |
Interdisciplinary Studies | Allegheny College | Envisioning Environmental Futures From an artistic, literary, ethical, political, economic, scientific, or spiritual point of view, students analyze contemporary environmental problems, create a project that provokes discussion of possible solutions, and collaborate with local residents to improve responsiveness of local planning to the environment and quality of life. Professor: Amara Geffen, Professor of Art |
Interdisciplinary Studies | Allegheny College | Environmental Geology Professor: Ron Cole, Associate Professor of Geology and Department Chair |
Interdisciplinary Studies | Allegheny College | Global Health Transitions Professor: Caryl Waggett, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science |
Interdisciplinary Studies | Allegheny College | Health Policy Professor: Melissa Kovacs Comber, Assistant Professor of Political Science |
Interdisciplinary Studies | Allegheny College | Rhetoric and Civic Engagement These four courses form an interdisciplinary collaborative spanning the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences to address Water and Health from multiple perspectives. The collaboration is part of a larger effort at Allegheny, where more than 20 faculty members incorporate some aspect of public health into their courses, using specially developed case studies that include such issues as health disparities, environmental exposures, effective prevention, and the impact of globalization. Professor: Vesta Silva, Assistant Professor of Rhetoric |
Middle Eastern Studies | Hampshire College | Civil Society and the State This course, in which students critically rethink classical and contemporary theories of civil society, uses actual case studies from the West and Middle East to explore civil society's links to the state and other political institutions, examining alternative interactions between the state and a wide-ranging sphere of collective action and paying particular attention to the relation between civil society, religion, and nationalism. Professor: Berna Turam, Associate Professor of Sociology and Middle Eastern Studies |
Philosophy | Macalester College | Civic Engagement, Ethics, and Community This philosophy course, in addition to using traditional tools of reading, writing, and discussion, involves students as community volunteers to help them explore issues such as what it means to 'do good' or 'make a difference,' whether civic engagement is essential to a good life and a good society, whether citizens have a moral obligation to 'give back' to their communities, and what opportunities exist for meaningful and effective social involvement. Professor: Amy Ihlan, Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy |
Physics | Occidental College | Energy Conversions and Resources This course, which introduces students to the physics of energy conversion and its application to global energy resources, includes field trips to energy-generating facilities, student assessments of the energy needs, costs, and policies of community partners or of partners' recycling programs and student recommendations for reducing partners' energy costs. Professor: Adrian Hightower, Assistant Professor of Physics |
Political Science | Macalester College | Presidential Campaigns and Elections This course uses a combination of academic theory and focused field experiences to expose students to the complexities and inner workings of U.S. presidential elections. Students examine state primaries, caucuses, nominating conventions, and the Electoral College, especially focusing on the 2008 election, and conduct a community education project to share their knowledge with the larger community. Professor: Julie Dolan, Associate Professor of Political Science |
Political Science | New England College | Campaigns and Elections This course combines traditional coursework, which will be focused on candidates, the media, campaign finance, party politics, the internet, and voter turnout, with the opportunity to work on a presidential campaign and also with role-playing, a mock election, and a mock debate. Professor: Wayne Lesperance, Associate Professor of Political Science |
Political Science | Occidental College | Disaster Politics: New Orleans in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina This course uses both academic study and on-site participation in the New Orleans recovery effort to introduce students to the politics of disasters, including disaster recovery, federalism, local politics, grassroots politics, activism, race, and public policy through the lens of response to Hurricane Katrina. Professor: Caroline Heldman, Assistant Professor of Politics |
Political Science | Wagner College | Crossing Boundaries, Raising Voices: The History and Politics of Feminist Activism This course introduces students to topics in feminist theory, especially contemporary debates. The course also examines feminism in relation to issues raised by African-American, Third World, postcolonial, and poststructuralist thought. In partnership with a history course, students make connections between the history and politics of feminism, leadership, and community, and work in a leadership role with local refugee groups. In collaboration with Lori Weintrob's History course, 'Leadership in the Face of Conflict: Twentieth Century Crises' Professor: Patricia Moynagh, Assistant Professor of Government and Politics |
Psychology | Allegheny College | Community Psychology With attention to local and national issues, the course is an introduction to the dynamics of how communities function and how citizens can create change for the common good. Students' learning is enhanced by observation of, and participation in, community institutions. Professor: Elizabeth Weiss Ozorak, Professor of Psychology |
Psychology | Hampshire College | Returning to Hampshire Students returning from international programs or community internships in the U.S. or abroad examine their off-campus learning experiences and their multiple identities/positions within different community and institutional contexts, and then develop and conduct an independent research project based on questions derived from that examination. Professor: Kimberly Chang, Associate Professor of Cultural Psychology |
Psychology | Widener University | Multicultural Psychology The course introduces students to the principles, theories, and applications of multiculturalism so that they can acquire the necessary competencies for working with children and adolescents from diverse backgrounds. To enhance these competencies, students work as mentors or tutors in public schools and community-based organizations. Professor: Lori Simons, Associate Professor of Psychology |
Social Work | Widener University | Generalist Social Work Practice with Communities and Organizations Students in this course develop macro practice skills in social work, including organizing, building relationships with communities, and planning for community and organizational change. To exercise macro practice skills, students work with an Environmental Studies class to conduct an assessment of civic engagement by adults aged 55 and older to create an asset map of civic engagement resources in Chester, PA. Professor: Marina Barnett, Associate Professor of Social Work Co-taught by: Chad Freed, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science |
Sociology | Bethune-Cookman University | Introduction to Sociology Students examine institutions that comprise society, explore how people perceive and relate to the world around them, and investigate ways to apply sociological principles to improve the quality of life in local and global communities. Students elect to take this course in either a standard classroom format or in a separate on-line course. Professor: Linda Scola, Assistant Professor of Sociology |
Sociology | Elon University | Social Issues and Problems in the Local Community Students learn to use an interdisciplinary framework, grounded in sociological theory, to discover the interconnections between local, national, and global problems. Students work with local organizations in order to understand specific issues and apply sociological theory and analysis to these problems. Professor: Angela Lewellyn-Jones, Associate Professor of Social Justice and Department Chair of Sociology and Anthropology Co-taught by: Pamela Kiser, Professor of Human Services |
Sociology | Pitzer College | Nonviolent Social Change This class examines the history, philosophy, and practice of nonviolent social change, drawing on examples from both the U.S. and abroad. Students apply their knowledge by teaching about this form of democratic participation and social change at a juvenile detention center. Professor: Kathleen S. Yep, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies |
Sociology | Wagner College | The Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of the Genome This course examines scientific concepts and basic research that underlies the decoding of the Human Genome and explores the resulting biomedical revolution that has created a need for answers to questions such as what we can and should do with genomic research and calls into question the way people think about family structure, life expectancy, quality of life, expectations of health and medical care, privacy, the way food is grown, and attitudes toward religion. Professor: John P. Esser, Associate Professor of Sociology Co-taught by: Ammini Moorthy, Professor of Biology |
Urban Studies | Hampshire College | The Crafted City: Art, Urban Regeneration, and the New Cultural Economy This seminar explores the role of aesthetic practices in the politics and redesign of urban space, drawing on case studies of the use of art, culture, branding, and design to address urban economic problems and to contribute to area regeneration. Students work in groups to assist local arts and cultural organizations. Professor: Myrna Breitbart, Professor of Geography and Urban Studies |
Urban Studies | The New School | Engaging Urban Homelessness This course introduces students to the nature and extent of urban homelessness, the root causes of homelessness, and the principal societal and political responses to the problem. Upon placement in homeless service and advocacy organizations, students are encouraged to examine their field experiences critically and to think about creative, innovative, and unconventional ways to address the multifaceted problem of homelessness. Professor: Jürgen von Mahs, Assistant Professor of Urban Studies |
Writing | New England College | Art of the Essay: Making the Personal Public This course explores the different ways that essayists have employed personal reportage and the personal essay to engage with prominent civic issues of their times, particularly related to cultural identity, the environment, social justice, and political action. Students practice immersion journalism, positioning themselves in an area of local civic life, studying techniques for interviews and information-gathering, and considering the ethical questions that arise. Professor: Douglas Haynes, Assistant Professor of Writing |
Biology | Carleton College | Immunology In addition to exploring the function of the immune system in infectious disease, vaccination, autoimmunity, transplantation, allergy and asthma, students also build connections between course material and the world outside of the classroom by working with community partners involved in public health, learning to communicate and translate scientific ideas to a nonscientific audience. Professor: Debby Walser-Kuntz, Professor of Biology Peer: Barbara R. Biglan, Chatham University |
Business | Elon University | Business and Sustainability During this winter term course, students travel to the Yucatán, Mexico where they explore how an agrarian subsistence economy illustrates some of the central issues of sustainable development. The course introduces students to the basic sustainability framework, the triple bottom line, and to current critiques of private sustainability initiatives including externalities, price signals generated by existing markets, and the meaning of GDP and economic growth. Professor: Brian Nienhaus, Associate Professor of Business Administration Peer: Steve Snow, Wagner College |
Business | Wagner College | Post-Crisis Housing on Staten Island This course, from an assets-based approach, seeks to examine how socioeconomic factors effect and are affected by diverse communities' access to housing, with the goal of helping individuals answer the overarching question of whether to own or rent. Additionally, students work with the Neighborhood Housing Services of Staten Island (S.I.) and the community. Through the creation and distribution of a survey, the students: define the energy profile on S.I. to identify resources, identify what pockets on S.I. have the greatest needs (in order to target funding), sign homeowners up to receive a home energy audit and open up markets in different neighborhoods, and identify job opportunities, in the field of energy, where services are needed. Professor: Mary L. Lo Re, Associate Professor of Finance and Chair, Department of Business Administration Peer: Brian Nienhaus, Elon University |
Chemistry | St. Mary's College of Maryland | Instrumental Analysis of Oil and the Gulf of Mexico Environment This course has two overarching objectives. First is the examination of the theory and appropriate use of instrumentation found in most modern chemistry labs. The second is for upper level science majors to recognize and develop an appreciation for the link between science and the community. Students use their knowledge to focus on the issues associated with the 2010 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and its impact on the coastal community in order to meet both objectives. This is accomplished through touring the impacted coastline, interviewing various stakeholders, reading both the related scientific studies and media reports, as well as collecting samples and processing them on the instrumentation they are studying. Professor: Randolph Larsen, Associate Professor of Chemistry Peer: Thomas D. Eatmon, Jr., Allegheny College |
Communications | Bethune-Cookman University | Leadership Communication This course explores leadership communication through theory and application. It is designed to raise awareness of the complexity and power of the leadership communication process and to help students develop leadership skills cognitively, and behaviorally. Students produce an issue campaign, write a reflective essay, identify values via a current events journal, and create and deliver a problem-solution speech and a motivational speech. Professor: Paula McKenzie, Associate Professor of Speech Communication Peer: Seong-Jae Min, Pace University |
Communications | Pace University | Citizen Journalism and Deliberation This course examines new developments in democratic theories and journalistic practices. Beyond classroom lectures, students in the course take several different roles - news reporter, forum moderator, and discussant, experiencing participatory democracy through the analysis and deliberation of vital issues facing their communities and school. Professor: Seong-Jae Min, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies Peer: Paula T. McKenzie, Bethune-Cookman University |
Computer Science | Drew University | Innovation I (an interdisciplinary course offered under Civic Engagement) In this course, students study examples of innovation in historical and contemporary contexts. This course challenges students to act, think, and collaborate across disciplines by drawing from the arts and humanities, as well as social and natural sciences in formulating potential solutions. Students then implement a solution to a real-world problem that has social impact. Projects included creating prototype websites educating middle-school youth on web safety and helping learners find customizable educational resources based on their individual learning styles. Professor: Emily Hill, Assistant Professor of Computer Science Co-taught by: Andrew Elliott, Associate Professor of Theatre Arts Peer: Mark Goadrich, Hendrix College |
Computer Science | Hendrix College | Foundations of Computer Science This course is an introduction to solving computational problems, including the fundamentals of computer programming. Assignments incorporate a civic engagement component, such as analyzing public data to solve civic problems and creating programs that assist civic-related processes, such as filing taxes, registering to vote, and applying to be a U.S. citizen. Professor: Mark Goadrich, Associate Professor of Computer Science Peer: Emily Hill, Drew University |
Dance | Reed College | Community Dance and Collective Creation Community Dance is a project that brings together members of the Reed College and broader Portland communities. They practice community dance as a mode of dancemaking and social intervention based on the principles of collective creation. The course offers a forum for dancing and holding dialogue about social, cultural, and identity-based issues. The class also includes a residency with a local activist who is instrumental in guiding reflections on the relationship of “place,” belonging, and dance. The Fall 2017 resident was Teresa Raiford of Don’t Shoot Portland, a community organization dedicated to addressing racism. Professor: Victoria Fortuna, Assistant Professor of Dance Peer: S. Alexandra (Alex) Picard, New England College |
Economics | Drew University | Political Economy of Non-Profits The main goal of this course is to provide students with an overview of the non-profit sector both in the U.S. and internationally, with a particular focus on gaining an understanding of the types of economic decisions non-profits regularly make. A central question we examine is the extent to which non-profits should or do make decisions in a manner similar to for-profit firms, and the struggles non-profits face in terms of addressing economic realities while staying true to their mission. As part of the course, students work in groups with a non-profit organization, providing analysis of a current economic challenge or question with which the non-profit is grappling. Professor: Jennifer Olmsted, Associate Professor of Economics Peer: Matthew W. Broda, The College of Wooster |
Education | The College of Wooster | Issues in Education This course is designed to study contemporary issues in education: their theoretical, political, and social backgrounds, their current status, and ways to make decisions about them and inform practices regarding them. This course examines topics relevant to teachers at all levels including discipline; effective professional relationships; roles and responsibilities of various school personnel; collaborative teaching and learning; needs of the individual learner; multicultural education; legal and ethical implications of teaching; school finance; educational technology; professionalism; standards and accountability; and school reform. Professor: Matthew Broda, Assistant Professor of Education Peer: Jennifer Claire Olmsted, Drew University |
English | Morehouse College | Honors College Composition The course focuses on writing analytical academic essays and emphasizes the writing process in order to develop critical thinking and writing skills. It features a community dialogue module: collaborative study with, and mentorship of, local high school students, who join the class to study some of Martin Luther King Jr.’s most important essays and speeches. It culminates in a student symposium dedicated to the presentation of a collection of MLK’s most essential writings, with students from MLK’s college and high school almae matres working collaboratively in a dialogue on the relevance of his work to contemporary issues of social justice. Professor: Michael H. Janis, Associate Professor of English Peer: Glenn Stuart, New England College |
Environmental Science | Allegheny College | Environmental Education What is environmental education and why is it important for building a sustainable future? Can environmental education affect change in our abilities, attitudes, and actions as related to human-environment interactions? An examination of these questions is the central focus of this course. Professor: Thomas Eatmon, Jr., Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Peer: Randolph K. Larsen III, St. Mary’s College of Maryland |
Environmental Studies | Skidmore College | Political Ecology This course develops a critical and historical analysis of human-environment interaction that integrates the study of ecological and social-cultural processes. The class integrates a service-learning component that helps students learn theoretical concepts about power relationships, race, gender, and class embedded in nature-society interactions. The class extends this discussion through the opportunity to implement solutions at a local scale by working with a community organization, such as Sustainable Saratoga, advocating for ecologically sustainable practices and zero-waste initiatives. Professor: Nurcan Atalan-Helicke, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies Peer: Vanessa Volpe, Ursinus College |
Hispanic Studies | Macalester College | Cultural Survival: Resisting the Legacy of Colonialism in the Americas Students in this course trace the historical trajectory that connects early modern colonialism with contemporary struggles for cultural survival in selected sites of the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and North America. Historical texts, testimonial documents, and maps help us understand how and why cultures and languages have been threatened in the Americas, particularly among peoples of Native American and African descent. Students also examine colonial and postcolonial visual arts and verbal and performative expressions that contain strategies of resistance against dominant culture. A key learning component is students' collaboration with Latino, Native American, and African American cultural organizations in the Twin Cities. Professor: Margaret (Molly) Olsen, Associate Professor of Hispanic and Latin American Studies Peer: Erich W. Steinman, Pitzer College |
Humanities (Core Curriculum) | New England College | Exploring Community in Our Towns: The New Hampshire Town Meeting This course examines the traditions of the New Hampshire town meeting process through a cross-disciplinary lens in order for students to broaden their understanding and concept of community, civic engagement, and participatory democracy. Specifically, students engage with local politicians, artists, writers, and academics to understand the complexity and dynamics of the decision making process in communities using the New Hampshire town meeting structure as a model. Professor: Maura MacNeil, Professor of Writing Co-taught by: Inez McDermott, Associate Professor of Art History Peer: Melvinia Turner King, Morehouse College |
Humanities Interdisciplinary | Hampshire College | Citizens(hip) and Colonialism in our Backyard: Puerto Rican History, Civic Engagement, and Decolonial Social Change The course teaches students the foundational knowledge to better understand the history, politics, and cultures of Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans, and how the legacy of U.S. colonialism shaped every aspect of the lives of Puerto Ricans residing within and outside of Puerto Rico. The course built on the ongoing collaborative partnerships between Hampshire College and local grassroots organizations based in adjacent cities of Holyoke and Springfield, which have large Puerto Rican communities. Professor: Wilson Valentin Escobar, Associate Professor of American Studies, Critical Ethnic Studies, and Sociology Peer: Ulrike Krotscheck & Bradley Proctor, The Evergreen State College |
Humanities Interdisciplinary | The Evergreen State College | Inventing the Citizen: The History of Political Action and its Limits The course’s goal is to educate students on the history of citizenship, how citizens become political actors, learn their rights, and use their power to make a social change. Students independently create projects engaging directly with the community, fostering civil dialogue and leadership, and serving the needs of both college and regional community. Student led projects include creating a voter education program and a bilingual after-school program for at-risk rural youth. Professor: Ulrike Krotscheck, Member of the Faculty in Archaeology and Classical Studies Co-taught by: Bradley Proctor, Member of the Faculty in History Peer: Wilson Valentin-Escobar, Hampshire College |
Law | Pace University | Business Law – Civic Engagement The course discusses the notion of citizenship within the context of examining laws governing aspects of business including contracts, real property, personal property, torts, and crimes. A major learning goal is to develop and foster critical thinking, problem solving, and decision-making skills in the context of the study of law. The course teaches socially responsible business practices and examines issues of justice and equity in a business context by encouraging students to integrate classroom learning and experiential learning by pursuing internships at The New York City Bar and the Coalition of Concerned Legal Professionals, to understand the application of legal principles to real-world issues. Professor: Jessica Magaldi, Assistant Professor of Legal Studies and Taxation Peer: Casey Schreiber, Dillard University |
Leadership Studies | Morehouse College | Leadership and Civic Engagement This course introduces students to the academic study of leadership from both theoretical and practical perspectives, as well as a variety of settings. Leadership as a field is shaped by many disciplines such as business, sociology, psychology, political science, religion, and philosophy. The course includes educational innovations to advance civic engagement, such as thematically linked learning communities, community-based research, collaborative projects, service-learning, mentored internships, and reflective experiential learning where knowledge and skills from the course must be implemented and practiced. Professor: Melvinia Turner King, Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies & Interim Executive Director of Leadership Center Peer: Maura A. MacNeil, New England College |
Mathematics | Goucher College | Data Analytics This introduction to data analytics course incorporates elements of statistics, computer science, geographic information systems (GIS) and principles of data visualization. Three particularly important objectives in the course are interacting with publicly available data, analyzing data visually, and communicating conclusions drawn from data analysis. Students engage with a local health access clinic to generate data visualizations of community need, clinic effectiveness. and access to healthy food and green spaces. Professor: Phong Le, Assistant Professor of Mathematics Peer: Lynne Steuerle Schofield, Swarthmore College |
Mathematics | Swarthmore College | Topics in Statistics, Data Analysis for Policy Reports Students in this course learn sophisticated data analysis methods while working on a semester-long research or evaluation project for local community organizations. The organizations receive free statistical consulting; while the students discover the many challenges that come with working with real data sets. Professor: Lynne Steuerle Schofield, Associate Professor of Statistics Peer: Phong Le, Goucher College |
Political Science | Swarthmore College | Democratic Theory and Practice This class combines normative political theory (to determine how U.S. democracy ought to operate), empirical political science (to assess how U.S. democracy actually does operate), and community-based learning with a range of community partners in a socio-economically diverse area (to seek ways in which together we might close the gap between theory and practice). Professor: Ben Berger, Associate Professor of Political Science Peer: B. Welling Hall, Earlham College |
Politics | Earlham College | Civic Engagement Toolkit for Legislative Process The course is designed to help students learn about Congress from the perspective of a Congressional staffer. Students develop a portfolio of writing samples to use in applying for internships and entry level legislative positions. Professor: B. Welling Hall, Professor of Politics and International Studies; Plowshares Professor of Peace Studies Peer: Benjamin F. Berger, Swarthmore College |
Psychology | Ursinus College | Minority Health and Health Disparities This course integrates institutional, interpersonal, and individual-level factors to examine both the health challenges and strengths of individuals from marginalized communities. Through this course, students gain foundational knowledge that will enable them to build successful initiatives for social justice and health equity at individual and organizational levels. Students practice civil discourse as they move beyond the classroom to engage with the diverse perspectives of local community partners and develop feasible, sustainable, and appropriate community health projects that address disparities. Professor: Vanessa Volpe, Assistant Professor of Psychology Peer: Nurcan Atalan-Helicke, Skidmore College |
Religious Studies | Rhodes College | Death, Burial, and the Afterlife: Historical Engagement in Urban Cemeteries In this course students learn how rituals and beliefs develop and change, and also are involved in a local cemetery restoration project that helps them realize practical outcomes from our study of the past. Throughout the semester, they actively think about historical cemeteries in the city of Memphis and plan projects related specifically to a large cemetery that was founded by a group of African American families in 1876. Professor: Milton Moreland, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Archaeology Peer: Winona R. Somervill, Dillard University |
Science (Core Curriculum) | Chatham University | Environmental Health Issues This course addresses the connection between health and environment including environmental epidemiology, toxicology, policy, disease, and water, air, and soil quality. The work of scientists to discover, assess, and reduce exposure and risk to environment health problems is explored. Professor: Barbara Biglan, Associate Professor of Education Peer: Debby Rae Walser-Kuntz, Carleton College |
Social Science | Hampshire College | What is Africa to Me? Black Diasporic Encounters Recognizing the value of a complex diasporic lens that includes race, gender, and class, this course introduces students to some of the diasporic encounters that African descendants have experienced from the Harlem Renaissance to Hurricane Katrina. Professor: Christopher Tinson, Assistant Professor of African American Studies Peer: Laura Y. Liu, The New School |
Social Work | Widener University | Organization and Community Intervention This second course in the Social and Economic Justice sequence builds on the conceptual areas of the first course, but now moves the student into the domain of advocacy, policy change, and community practice. The course provides the student with the opportunity to understand community and communities, analyze community problems, formulate community level interventions, and develop advocacy skills appropriate to such tasks. Professor: Marina Barnett, Associate Professor of Social Work Peer: Domenick Scudera, Ursinus College |
Sociology | Bates College | Research Methods for Sociology This course is a practical introduction to research methods used by sociologists, including survey research, content analysis, participant observation/field research, and qualitative interviewing. The assumptions of various approaches to social science research are considered, along with application of methods of collection and analysis for both qualitative and quantitative data. These methods are explored through a community-based research project in the Lewiston community, offering students the opportunity to learn more about a specific social issue in our community and to contribute to addressing it through research linked to existing community efforts/organizations. During the Winter 2011 semester, the community-based research project focuses on food security. Professor: Emily W. Kane, Professor of Sociology Peer: Lisa A. Leitz, Hendrix College |
Sociology | Hendrix College | Gender and Sexuality This course examines how social institutions such as the state and legal system, the family, education, religion, and mass media shape gender and sexuality on the individual, interactional, and institutional levels. We pay particular attention to social inequality and systems of power, including gender & sexuality's relation to race, class, and other systems of stratification. The course includes a civic engagement project where students conduct group projects that include research into a community problem regarding gender/sexuality and in connection with community leaders develop a product to help with that issue. Professor: Lisa Leitz, Assistant Professor of Sociology Peer: Emily W. Kane, Bates College |
Sociology | Pitzer College | Colonialism, Racialization, and Renewal: Indian Nations of Southern California This course critically examines higher education as a site of decolonizing struggle within settler societies such as the United States. This course studies colonization and decolonization, the cultural specificity of knowledge production, the educational experience of indigenous peoples, and differences between Western and indigenous ways of learning and knowing. This class engages in the 'unsettling' of settler frameworks and identities, thus integrating institutional and personal aspects of Pitzer's relationships with the Indian Nations that are our neighbors and hosts. Professor: Erich Steinman, Assistant Professor of Sociology Peer: Margaret M. Olsen, Macalester College |
Theater | Ursinus College | Community-Based Theater and Civic Engagement In this course, students examine the history, theory, and practice of a variety of community-based theaters, and design and execute performance work tailored specifically to local communities. Students assess particular needs in under-represented communities or communities in conflict, gain the skills to address those needs through community-based performance practices, and become knowledgeable and responsible artists engaged with their local communities. Professor: Domenick Scudera, Professor of Theater Peer: Marina C. Barnett, Widener University |
Theatre | New England College | Language and Discourse: How a Resistance Can be a Production The intention of this course is to provide students with a richer understanding of the process of theatrical production from conception to execution and analysis, as well as to better understand the connection between the civic and natural world in which we live. The result is an original theatrical production created by the students, with civic engagement at its core. The production includes poems that reflect their personal stories and experiences, surrounding themes that include feminism, loss and grief, disabilities (both mental and physical), racism, LGBTQ community, marriage equality, and immigration. Professor: S. Alexandra (Alex) Picard, Associate Professor of Theatre Co-taught by: Glenn Stuart, Professor of Theatre Peer: Victoria Fortuna, Reed College, paired with Alex Picard; Michael H. Janis, Morehouse College, paired with Glenn Stuart |
Urban Planning | Dillard University | Housing Policy This course focuses on Housing Policy in the United States and highlights global housing themes. Using the city of New Orleans as a living classroom, students learn about housing policy, examining the city's affordable housing crisis, gentrification, and mixed-income development, while partnering with several community organizations. The course examines policy issues affecting urban housing such as real estate development, property taxation, homestead exemptions, race and class discrimination, and public housing. Students complete community-based activities within the housing policy sector. Students make connections with representatives from groups such as Neighborhood Development Foundation, which works on increasing homeownership in the African-American community, and Plant4Peace NOLA, which works on water management issues, as well as Habitat for Humanity, HousingNola, and the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority. Professor: Casey Schreiber, Assistant Professor of Urban Studies and Public Policy Peer: Jessica Magaldi, Pace University |
Urban Studies | Eugene Lang College, The New School | Immigrant Communities in the City This course examines immigrant communities in the urban environment, ranging from mixed migrant neighborhoods to well-established enclaves. The course takes New York City as its primary case study with a focus on the intersection of immigration and labor as expressed in immigrant political activity. Students engage in term projects shaped in collaboration with community partner(s) actively involved in immigrant communities and neighborhoods. Professor: Laura Y. Liu, Assistant Professor of Urban Studies Peer: Christopher Matthew Tinson, Hampshire College |
Women's and Gender Studies | Berea College | Introduction to Women's Studies This required course for Women's and Gender Studies majors focuses on both a general introduction to the discipline, and more specifically, the issue of domestic violence within the Commonwealth of Kentucky. While the national statistics for domestic violence remain at 1 in 4 women, in Kentucky, 1 in 3 women are victims of domestic violence. Students are asked to think about this issue and ways in which we may decrease the incidence of domestic violence in the Commonwealth of Kentucky through legislation and a recognition of the issues that contribute to the higher incidence within our state. Professor: Linda Strong-Leek, Professor of Women's and Gender Studies & Associate Vice-President of Academic Affairs Peer: Monica L. Melton, Spelman College |
Women's and Gender Studies | Spelman College | Gender and Health in Cross Cultural Perspective This course examines current thinking about the politics of women's health and well-being by exploring the major issues and topical areas in the field of gender and health. Theoretically, the course is grounded in multi-racial feminism, black women's activist strategies, and health narratives. Professor: Monica Melton, Assistant Professor of Women's Studies Peer: Linda Strong-Leek, Berea College |
American Studies | Goucher College | Religions of Baltimore This course will provide an introduction to the world religions through attention to the religious life of Baltimore, MD and the engagement of religious communities in social justice work. Organized around two to three rotating themes such as housing, the environment, or gun violence, this course will explore the ways in which race, class, and imbalances of power and privilege contribute to structures of injustice. Readings and course work on the religious histories and theologies that inspire this work will be combined with community-based learning opportunities to increase the religious literacy and interreligious engagement skills of students. Professor: Ann Duncan, Associate Professor of Religion Peer: Ann Muse, Hendrix College |
Cinema & Media Studies | Carleton College | Nonfiction Media Production Course description coming soon. Professor: Laska Jimsen, Associate Professor of Cinema and Media Studies Peer: Melanie LaRosa, Pace University |
Education | New England College | Teaching Literature for Social Justice This course will explore the ways that texts can be utilized to open the dialogue around themes of social justice (and injustices) in a classroom. The definition of the term ‘text’ will be expanded, as this course will introduce students to media literacy theory as a teaching pedagogy. Students will analyze texts in all forms (from print to multi-modal) in order to understand how underrepresented voices are portrayed. A significant portion of this course will be dedicated to analyzing storytelling, both oral and written, as a literary mode to promote social and civic activism. Specific topics will include: gender, race, sexual orientation, politics, and propaganda. This course will include a practicum component where students will work with partner schools to develop, teach, and assess original curriculum that includes embedded themes of social justice. Professor: Christine Oskar-Poisson, Assistant Professor of Education Peer: Laura Beth Kelly, Rhodes College |
Education | Rhodes College | Issues at the intersection of Education & Immigration Course description coming soon. Professor: Laura Beth Kelly, Assistant Professor Peer: Christine Oskar-Poisson, New England College |
Interdisciplinary Studies | Widener University | Perspectives on Sustainability Course description coming soon. Professor: Bretton T. Alvaré, Associate Professor and Chair of Anthropology Peer: Bevin Ashenmiller, Occidental College |
Kinesiology & Economics | Occidental College | Planting Seeds: The collaborative approach to implementing green schoolyards n the urban environment In this community-based learning course, students will be introduced to educational, economic, environmental, and public health perspectives related to urban green schoolyard design and implementation. The course includes off-campus visits to school sites and presentations by experts in landscape design, water conservation, and public education. Throughout the semester, students will learn how to use social science and life science research tools to evaluate the impact of green schoolyards. The semester will culminate in a green schoolyard project with community partners in the Northeast Los Angeles neighborhood. Professor: Marcella Raney, Associate Professor of Kinesiology Co-taught by: Bevin Ashernmiller, Associate Professor of Economics Peer: Ashley E. Smith, Hampshire College |
Media, Communications & Visual Arts | Pace University | Multimedia Storytelling Course description coming soon. Professor: Melanie LaRosa, Assistant Professor Peer: Laska Jimsen, Carleton College |
School of Critical Social Inquiry | Hampshire College | Memory, Nation, Power, and the Politics of Place Course description coming soon. Professor: Ashley E. Smith, Assistant Professor of Native American Studies and Environmental Justice Peer: Marcella Raney, Occidental College |
Sociology | Berea College | Civic Sociology Course description coming soon. Professor: Andrea Woodward, Associate Professor of Social Sciences Peer: Jennifer Carroll, Elon University |
Sociology & Anthropology | Elon University | Citizenship in Crisis Course description coming soon. Professor: Jennifer Carrol, Assistant Professor of Anthropology Peer: Andrea Woodward, Berea College |
Theatre Arts & Dance | Hendrix College | Engaging Community Through Theatre: The Service of Others Can theatre change the world? Will the bridge to civil discourse and understanding be through theatre? This course introduces students to Social Justice through Theatre. The goals are to learn performance development through Moment Work and interview techniques associated with the process. The final project is performance piece based on interviews of local public servants. Professor: Ann Muse, Professor of Theatre Arts Peer: Ann Duncan, Goucher College |
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