Minor in Service Learning and Leadership
The Minor in Service Learning and Leadership (SLL) is open to all students interested in issues of social and political justice in areas, such as healthcare and education, the development of business and economic opportunity among marginalized groups, and environmental conservation.
The SLL minor is open to all majors at the University of Mount Saint Vincent and complements both students’ liberal arts education and the mission of the University. Through interdisciplinary study and service experiences, students arrive to deeper understandings of social, cultural, and political problems from intellectual and practical standpoints.
The SLL minor is especially valuable for students who have a keen interest in developing the tools for making a difference in today’s ever-changing and dynamic world. Throughout the program, emphasis will be placed on how to make a difference in complex situations and the development of ethical and reciprocal partnerships.
Requirements
The Service Learning and Leadership minor is a 6-course, 18-credit program of study. The following courses are required:
- Students choose 2 of the 4 following as foundational courses (6 credits):
PBPL 200 Introduction to Public Policy
SOC 301 Social Problems
PHIL 369 Philosophy of Social Responsibility
RELS 430 Contemporary Moral Issues
- Students complete 3 elective courses (3 credits per course) each with an added-on service learning practicum component. The service learning practicum component is a 40-hour hands-on service requirement that is attached to an existing course. To earn SLL minor credit for a course designated as a service learning practicum component option, students must have completed a minimum of 40-hours of service attached to a particular course within a given semester. Students work collaboratively with course instructors, the program coordinator, and/or a member of the faculty/staff SLL Leadership Team to select courses and appropriate service learning practicum components. For all service learning practicum components (domestic and international), students will have a site supervisor who will work collaboratively with the SLL program coordinator (and/or a designated member of the faculty/staff SLL Leadership Team) in the on-going supervision and evaluation of their service practicum work. Toward the end of each SLL minor-designated elective course, students will be required to submit a reflection paper and simple portfolio. The reflection paper and portfolio, along with course instructor and site supervisor input, will serve as the basis for final evaluation and a determination of whether or not a student receives SLL minor credit for a particular course.
- All students must take SOC 374 Service Reflection and Practicum (3 credits) concurrent with their first elective course chosen for the minor.
- Criteria for choosing minor courses. The three guiding criteria for choosing SLL minor courses are:
- Courses that promote an ethic of care and service;
- Courses that increase cross-cultural awareness and communication; and/or
- Courses that promote deeper understanding of how service work is embedded within broader social, cultural, environmental, and political contexts. There are many courses offered at the University of Mount Saint Vincent that meet these criteria. At the end of this section is a list of sample courses that students may choose toward the completion of their minor in addition to their required courses.
Approved Courses
Below is a list of possible elective courses students can add a service learning practicum component too. Some courses may already have service components as part of the curriculum (i.e., ART 427). For those that do not, students will work collaboratively with the SLL program coordinator, the course instructor, and/or a member of the SLL faculty/staff Leadership Team to design a 40-hour (minimum) service learning practicum component that relates to the course content. In addition to the list below, special topics and other courses can be used if approved by the program coordinator.
| ART 427 | Topics in Art: Art and Social Intervention |
| ART 428 | Independent Study: Art as Social Intervention |
| BUSN 240 | Introduction to U.S. Healthcare Policy and Systems |
| BUSN 401 | International Political Economy |
| BIOL 211 | Microbiology and Human Disease |
| BIOL 221 | Introductory Nutrition |
| BIOL 223 | Ecology |
| BIOL 334 | Pharmacophysiology |
| BIOL 340 | Environmental Biology |
| COMM 344 | Introduction to Public Relations |
| COMM 351 | Intercultural Communication |
| COMM 353 | Interpersonal Communication |
| COMM 356 | Small Group Communication |
| COMM 370 | Topics: Environmental Communication |
| COMM 413 | Public Relations Project Management |
| HIST 201 | Natural Rights and Civil Rights |
| HIST 390 | Introduction to Political Science |
| HIST 463 | Crossing International Borders: World Migration, 1800-Present |
| HIST 467 | The United Nations and International Affairs |
| PHIL 110 | Introduction to Ethics |
| PHIL 302 | Philosophy of Human Nature |
| PHIL 314 | Ethical Theory |
| PHIL 320 | Social and Political Philosophy |
| PHIL 353 | Thought and Culture |
| PHIL 359 | Meaning and Happiness |
| PHIL 369 (F) | Philosophy of Social Responsibility |
| RELS 430 (F) | Contemporary Moral Issues |
| PSYC 321 | Social Psychology |
| PSYC 344 | Group Dynamics |
| PSYC 365 | Multicultural Psychology |
| SOC 101 | Introduction to Sociology |
| SOC 202 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology |
| SOC 203 | Social Diversity |
| SOC 205 | Culture |
| SOC 206 | The Sociological Imagination |
| SOC 301 (F) | Social Problems |
| SOC 302 | Race and Ethnicity |
| SOC 304 | Globalization and Inequality |
| SOC 305 | Urban Sociology |
| SOC 321 | Social Policy |
| SOC 335 | Culture Health and Illness |
| SOC 374 | Service Reflection and Practicum |
| SOC 399 | Gender and Society |
| PBPL 100 (F) | Public Service as a Career |
No more than 6 credits of coursework taken for the minor can be used toward the completion of core or major requirements.
Contact
(718) 405-3455
sll@umsv.edu