Certificate in Civic Engagement

About the Certificate

The Certificate in Civic Engagement provides a structured path for undergraduate students interested in deepening their knowledge and understanding of civic and community engagement by merging curricular and co-curricular interests. The certificate sets out expectations that students will be knowledgeable about theories of citizenship, democratic participation, civil society, and social action, familiar with their local community, and cognizant of ways in which the local, national and global are linked. Courses that are a part of the certificate focus on themes related to civic engagement and/or the practice of it. The certificate is acknowledged on each student’s transcript.

Students completing the Certificate in Civic Engagement will develop the capacity to:

1. Understand core concepts of civic engagement, civil society, civic agency, engaged citizenship and social action and their relationship to these concepts. (foundational knowledge);
2. Apply theory to practice by engaging with community partners through curricular and co-curricular experiences that develop their capacity to think critically about the context, impacts, challenges and opportunities of civic engagement activities (application);
3. Analyze types of civic actors (from small not-for-profits to transnational advocacy organizations), scopes of activities (local, national or global), and political (liberal democracies and authoritarian regimes) and economic environments (advanced industrial democracies or developing countries) in order to help understand their capacity and that of others to act effectively (contextualization);
4. Reflect on what it means to be an engaged citizen and the ethical implications of civic engagement activities (empathic practice);
5. Conceptualize and integrate applied skills, research, practice, and reflection to develop their own sense of agency, leadership, responsibility, self-confidence and civic skills (learning to lead).                                                                                                   

Eligibility

The application is open to first year, second year, and third year undergraduate students. Seniors are not eligible to apply. Third year students should weigh their anticipated course load and senior project plans. Prior to submitting an application, students should have completed two of the course requirements and 20 hours of co-curricular activities. If the two courses have not been completed, students should state which courses they are anticipating taking that fulfill the Certificate requirements in their application. To ensure curricular coherence, each student must obtain written approval from their program adviser.

Requirements

1. Courses: Four courses (16 credits or equivalent) that focus on a theory or practice of civic engagement. This must include:  a core course (4 credits); two or more Community-Engaged/Engaged Liberal Arts & Sciences courses (8 credits);  and one course which studies theories of civic engagement, democracy and social action (4 credits).
2. Co-Curricular/Extracurricular Activities: Students participate in 100 hours of co-curricular or extracurricular civic engagement activities during their course of study. The civic engagement activity can be developed through an on-campus program, an independent community engagement activity (such as volunteering for a campaign or non-profit), or an appropriate and approved internship. Students will also be expected to attend workshops on leadership and project management.
3. Final Reflection Paper: Upon completion of the four courses and the 100 hours of co-curricular or extracurricular civic engagement activities, students will be asked to submit a written reflection paper addressing the learning outcomes for the Certificate in Civic Engagement program and how the courses and civic engagement activities taught them how to be an engaged citizen. Alternatively, students can incorporate their engagement analysis into a captstone/senior project.