Heads up, AIC students – there’s a new minor in town, and it’s aimed at an in-depth understanding of society and culture, with an eye toward change.
The Advocacy for Social Change minor kicks off this fall, meaning students may sign on and register for needed courses during the week of March 27, and beyond.
The minor was designed as a collaborative effort among faculty in the Criminal Justice, Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, History, Public Health, Communications, Business, and Human Resource Development departments.
It includes 18 credits, a mixture of those studies.
History Professor Gary Jones said the minor will give interested students an opportunity to develop a focus on social injustice, and social change.
“AIC’s new Advocacy for Social Change minor strives to provide students with knowledge and skills which, combined with their own ideals and values, will enable them to take action to better people’s live and contribute to social change,” Jones said.
Political Science Professor Julie Walsh said she believes the minor will have appeal to students in a variety of majors, providing they have time in their schedules to take on the program.
“It is an ideal complement to several majors and worth consideration for all students concerned about social justice,” said Walsh.
The program description notes that the minor will apply knowledge needed to resolve the most important social ills of our time, or those resulting in injustice. Background will cover an understanding of the historical, political and social underpinnings of modern problems of injustice, such as those based on race, class, gender and sexual orientation.
The minor will have a focus on solutions and methods to bring about change for the better of society.
“This minor will appeal to all majors who seek to understand and address injustice, and will cultivate specific skills useful in a diverse array of careers, including but not limited to victim advocacy, health care advocacy, public policy, environmental preservation, and social services,” the program description states.
Program requirements are as follows:
Curriculum (18 credits):
POL 1400 Introduction to American Politics (3 credits)*
SOC 1400 Social Problems (3 credits)*
HST 3413 American Radical Tradition (3 credits)
SOC 4899 Internship in Sociology (3 credits)
ONE course (3 credits) from the following:
COM 3201 Public Relations
CRJ 3636 Community Relations and the Criminal Justice System
HRD 2000 Introduction to Human Relations*
MKT 1450 Principles of Marketing I
SOC XXX Sociology of Urban Communities
And ONE course (3 credits) from the following:
CRJ 3530 Victims and Witnesses in the Criminal Justice System
CRJ 3844 Ethics in Criminal Justice
ECO 1401 Principles of Economics I*
POL 2400 State and Local Politics
PSY 3609 Social Influence
SOC 1610 Complex Organizations