Civic Engagement Minor

Evaluation and analysis of film, television, theatre, and radio performances, development of intelligent, ethical standards of judgment.

The course is an introduction to human impacts on the earth and ecosystem processes. The complexity of these issues is examined through a series of case studies examining global, regional, and local issues.

Exploration of changes in US and global economic landscape, 1970 to present. Approaches to sustainable economic development.

What are the responsibilities of citizenship? How do we define community? What are the ways we can participate in civic life? This course in civic learning and civic engagement helps prepare individuals for effective democratic participation, which in turn promotes growth of healthy communities, global economic vitality, social and political well-being, and democratic human interactions. Through a variety of readings and experiential activities, students are introduced to the 4 core pillars in the civic engagement field: civic and democratic knowledge, civic and democratic skills, civic and democratic values, and civic and democratic action.

Examines sub-national governments and politics in the United States; the structure and problems of these governments.

Examines the organization, functions, and methods of political parties; the role of interest groups in the American political process.

The nature and function of the United States Congress, including the complexities of the lawmaking process, Congressional elections, the relationship between individual members of Congress and their constituencies, major issues of public policy, and institutional relations between Congress, the presidency, and the judiciary.

This course examines political campaigns and elections in the United States, with a focus on the candidate nomination and electoral process, campaign structures and strategies, voting, political participation, public opinion, the media, political behavior, and the role of political parties.

This course introduces students to how American public policy is formulated and how public policies can be evaluated. These theoretical and structural frameworks are then applied to a series of case studies of public policies to examine the role of politics in how the policy process works and to develop a fuller understanding of the political and ideological debates over contemporary public policy issues such as welfare, social security, heath care, education, labor, criminal justice, and the environment.

This class analyzes the relationship between the United States government and racial and ethnic groups and explores the way that race is utilized in American politics. Students focus on issues affecting racial and ethnic communities in the United States, the politics behind racial and ethnic classification, and the use of racial and ethnic appeals in American political campaigns. The readings for this course cover topics such as affirmative action, criminal justice reform, and civil rights. It offers students an opportunity to analyze political speeches and advertisements that utilize race and ethnicity.

Investigation of the factors that determine the formation of public policy on the environment with consideration of the roles played by federal, state, and local regulatory agencies in the United States. Case studies include global climate change, air and water pollution, energy, land use, brownfields, waste management, endangered species, and population growth.

This course provides students with an analysis of law pertaining to civil liberties and civil rights in the Unites States, with attention also given to Massachusetts. Following the historical development of constitutional law in the United States, the course begins with pre-Civil War law to see how fundamental civil liberties and civil rights have been applied to the states.

Exploration from a multi-disciplinary approach of social power and its relation to decision making in urban communities. Emphasis on theories of power, understanding research methodologies, and policy implications.

This class looks at how public policy relates to the social construction of race, class, and gender categories and how urban residents navigate such policies as part of their everyday struggle for survival and stability. Students consider how popular discourse features dominant narratives of security, insecurity, and human worth when it comes to questions of how the social safety net is allocated. How do these narratives contribute to the way urban residents experience and interpret government on an everyday level? How do these narratives affect the way urban residents interact with the state and public institutions?

This course examines contemporary policy issues and problems deriving from cultural diversity. These include areas such as immigration, population, demographics, affirmative action, public assistance, integration, separatism, political correctness, gender equality, and the role of organized religion in contemporary politics.

Focuses on the social and educational implications of the internet and the application of its various search tools as a means of communication.

This course introduces students to the history of American journalism and the role of journalism in democratic and non-democratic societies.

This course introduces students to the conventions and ethical issues and the economics, political and socio-cultural forces that affect mainstream and alternative journalism today.

A beginning course in video program production, using lightweight and portable equipment.

This course covers the writing, research, planning, and problem solving necessary to provide media services for a nonprofit client.

Case study approach to public relations practices, problems, opportunities, and application to practical situations.

An overview of the US legal and justice systems and an examination of ethical issues in mass media.

The nature of morality and value and their place in the world of human action.

A study of the conditions, patterns, and consequences of social transformation with emphasis on institutional and individual patterns of adjustment and adaptation.

Processes by which new norms and forms of social organization emerge from group behavior, aggregate behavior, and social movements.