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Humanics

Course Requirements

course requirments

Minor in Philanthropic & Community-Based Leadership

Certificate in Administration & Leadership for Community Benefit Organizations

The Humanics Program offers both a minor degree and a certificate, and they are parallell programs of study aimed at preparing students for career paths ranging from grassroots community organizing and work in nonprofit, community benefit and non-governmental organizations to social entrepreneurship or employment in government agencies, legislative offices, "think tanks," trade associations, or private consulting. Through an emphasis on applied project-based learning and service-learning pedagogy, the Humanics Minor and Certificate is designed to provide an interdisciplinary perspective to the study of diverse communities, issues facing these communities, and ways to address and alleviate various forms of injustice, while cultivating a relational, asset-based culture of abundance. Critical and creative analytical skills are honed in real-world settings to prepare individuals to work towards viable solutions to social problems. The Humanics Program applies a social justice approach and offers students hands-on experience in exercising critical sociological consciousness in venues concerned with pressing local, national, and international issues. Such knowledge and skills are essential for students to become leaders capable of transforming our region and society as a whole. The course requirements and co-curricular components are the same for both the Humanics Minor and Certificate, the only difference is that courses used towards a minor degree cannot be double-counted towards one's major or another minor, while certificate courses double count.

Requirements:

  • 18 units of coursework (see courses below)
  • 300 hours of internship experience with community-based organizations (3-6 units through approved courses, such as SOC185I)
  • participation in a professional development conference (eligible for 1 unit of credit through SOC190)

*Note: Both the Humanics Minor and Certificate require a 2.0 GPA and at least 12 units in residence. CR/NC grading is not permitted, except for courses offered only under CR/NC grading. 

Core Coursework (19 units):  See current offerings and schedule here.

RInterdisciplinary social science methods for approaching local and national social problems. Analysis of selected public issues emphasizing evaluation of social costs and benefits of alternative policies. F 

Reviews the history and evolving role of philanthropy in American society. Students investigate local social problems, research nonprofit organizations that address those issues, develop a request for proposals (RFP) to fund specific projects, and evaluate funding proposals. Includes a service-learning requirement (see SCS).  S 

Conceptual aspects of developing, writing, and evaluating a grant proposal. Emphasizes researching and preparing grant proposals as well as reading, discussing, and writing critiques of grant proposals and evaluating grant-funded programs. Includes a service-learning requirement (see SCS).  F

 

Introduces standards of excellence for effective community benefit organizations, including governance, administration and steward leadership, and fiscal management and oversight through service-learning activities in community-based settings.  Examines elements of becoming an independent consultant to CBOs, including client assessment, contracting, reporting.  Includes a service-learning requirement (see SCS).  F

Applies a team-centered, open-ended. problem-solving approach and assessment utilizing service-learning and entrepreneurial methodology to enhance the organizational capacity and long-term sustainability of community benefit organizations (CBOs). Includes a service-learning requirement (see SCS).  S 

Independent Study. Approved for RP grading. FS

Elective Coursework (3 units)

Prerequisites: grades of C or better in ACCT 120A and ACCT 132. Concepts, principles, and problems of accounting for governmental and nonprofit organizations. Budgeting, fund accounting, cost/benefit analysis, cash planning and control, and independent auditing are introduced in the context of making decisions in governmental and nonprofit organizations. F

An introduction to ethnographic field methods. Topics include the ethics of fieldwork, organizing data, and ethnographic writing. Students will conduct fieldwork on cultural locally. Can be repeated up to four times for credit.

Prerequisites: G.E. Foundation and Breadth Area D. Analysis of cultural variables and factors in the communication process and strategies for the resolution of intercultural problems; consideration of implications for education and programs necessarily involving intercultural communication. Multicultural/International M/I.

Theory and practice of selected leadership variables in groups and organizations; functions of leadership in formal and informal structures, understanding and analysis of role-playing techniques.

Examination of organizational communication from a multiple discipline perspective. Through the study of theory and experiential learning in simulations, students develop skills necessary for planning, staffing, developing, decision-making, and problem-solving in organizations.

Provides students with an understanding of the communication processes involved in the evolution of social systems. Students will examine a full range of social settings (small groups, organizations, cultures, etc.) from a variety of theoretical and analytical perspectives.

Development of skills necessary for effective communication consulting in business, government, and the professions. Includes theory and practice of needs assessments, planning and conducting training activities, and evaluation of educational activities; topics relating to adult education and client-consultant relationships.

This course examines the management techniques and skills needed to operate non-profit/government based victim services organizations. The course explores the various technologies that ensure victims' rights and efficient/effective service provision. Finally, advocacy regarding organizations, coalitions, and policies will be discussed.

Survey of community services for victims. Focus on victim services as a new subsystem. Theoretical, social, and legal issues that affect delivery of victim services.

Prerequisites: ECON 40 and ECON 50 passed with C grade or better. Examination of the San Joaquin Valley from a policy-oriented perspective. Construction of economic models and theories regarding how urban and regional economic activity is located across spaces. Investigation of why cities form and why they locate where they do. Application of regional economic models to the local economy.

(SWRK 125 same as GERON 125.) Students will be acquainted with the common bio-psycho social needs of the aging in the United States and the social services available to meet those needs. Within the context of social work values and problem-solving methods, attention will be given to issues of ethnicity, gender, and gaps in services.

Prerequisites: MGT 110, and BA 105W or ENGL 160W (may be taken concurrently). Composition of labor force; acquisition and utilization of human resources; recruitment; selection; performance appraisal; motivation; compensation; communications; social issues and government influence. Individual and group projects; written and oral reports.

Public health services as they affect the community; investigation and analysis of community health problems.

Principles of public health administration, fundamentals of organization, and administration in public health.

Fundamentals of the public relations field ? its principles, ethical values, and methods; as well as its application in business, non-profit, education, and other areas. No previous courses or qualifying exams are required.

Prerequisites: MGT 110 and BA 105W or ENGL 160W (may be taken concurrently). Individual and team leadership development. Leadership potential assessment, contemporary leadership theories, and oral and written communications skill development. Guest speakers, experiential exercises, and case studies.

Theories, methods, and skills in personal transformation, anger management, communication, engaging cooperation, building community, reducing prejudice, maintaining relationships, and consensus decision making. Emphasizes multicultural perspectives. G.E. Breadth E.

Includes such topics as interest-based bargaining, anger management, values, communication, and conflict management, all in the context of mediation. Participants acquire and practice mediation skills and observe the process as practiced by skilled professional mediators. (Formerly SSCI 150T)

Survey of ethical issues and standards facing a range of professionals in their careers, including engineering, law, medicine, the media, science, agriculture, education, and business. Introduction to basic ethical theories and methods of reasoning about moral dilemmas.

General analysis of the field of public administration; administrative theories; policy and administration; behavioralism; budgeting, planning, and legal framework.

Administrative organization; methods; systems and procedures; problem solving; systems analysis; reports and records; resources management.

Examines the evolution of public personnel administration including the development of merit principles, equal employment opportunity, and affirmative action; recruitment, selection, and career development; classification techniques; theories of motivation; public sector labor relations.

Prerequisite: Psychology Major or Minor status or permission of instructor. Examination of the interaction between social environments and behavior. Application of social psychological theories and principles to interpersonal relationships, education, work, health, and the media. (Formerly PSYCH 134)

Occupational assessment, training procedures, production efficiency, morale determinants, human engineering, decision processes, organization theory.

Examination of the forces and factors that place youth at risk. Review of service models and leadership styles that affect outcomes for at-risk youths with emphasis on agencies that have developed successful program approaches. (Formerly RLS 192T)

Special techniques and requirements for planning and conducting large community functions such as street fairs, community festivals, major fund-raisers, corporate events, and joint sponsorship. Emphasis on community laws and regulations, activity selection and planning, advertising, and funding. Field trips and/or other off-campus experiences will be required. (Students may incur minimal expenses related to field trips.)

Prerequisite: RA 55 or concurrent (for RA majors only). Philosophical foundations and future outlook of non-profit and municipal recreation programs. Review of service providers including organization, service provision, legal base, funding profiles, and current trends analysis. (Field trips may be required.) (Formerly RA 121)

Prerequisite: RA 55 for RA majors. Introduction to diverse populations including terminology, etiology, legislation, facilities, trends, barriers, and relationship to leisure. Understanding alternative views of exceptionality and appreciating similarities and differences. Awareness of adaptations/strategies to maximize participation opportunities.

Prerequisites: satisfactory completion (C or better) of the ENGL 5B and 10 graduation requirement; grade of C or better in SOC 1 or 1S and SOC 3 or 3S for sociology majors and minors. Examines currently debated public issues using a sociological perspective. Often, public issues involve present or proposed public policies; the course assesses the impact of these policies on different segments of society. Meets the upper-division writing skills graduation requirement. S sections include a service-learning requirement (see SCS). (Formerly SOC 130W) FS

Designed to prepare students to plan for, facilitate, and create organizational cultures conducive to community engagement and volunteer participation. Skill-building in working collaboratively to build projects that engage citizens in meaningful, goal-directed, mission-related work that meets an identified need. S sections include a service-learning requirement. F

This course focuses on methodologies of effective volunteer practice in engaging "underrepresented populations," including but not limited to persons with disabilities, persons formerly incarcerated, persons who have experienced foster-care, persons over age 65, LGBTQI persons, undocumented persons, and recently-returned veterans. S sections include a service-learning requirement. S

Prerequisites/Corequisites: SWRK 20 passed with a C grade; SWRK 123 and 135 must be taken concurrently. Concurrent enrollment in SWRK 160 also required; 2.5 minimum cumulative GPA and completion of lower division GE. Basic policies and major programs in contemporary social welfare; consumption, income supports, job provision, housing, health, civil rights, consumer advocacy, population control, environmental standards; principles of social security, administration of social services, roles of government and citizen participation.

Prerequisite: SWRK 20 passed with C grade, and completion of Lower Division GE requirements for Social Work Undergraduate majors. No restrictions for any other majors. Cultural, economic, ethnic, social, and psychological considerations for helping members of groups who suffer oppressed status in our heterogeneous society. Multicultural/International M/I.

Prerequisite: SWRK 136. Theory of practice framework for skill-based cross-cultural competency in human services delivery; formulation of problems and interaction with diverse populations. Skills in practice and interaction with diverse clients in educational, business, and public/ private human services settings. Problem formulation and interaction skills with diverse populations. Required for Cross-Cultural Competency Certificate.

To provide students a knowledge base in mediation as a method of conflict resolution and enable them in development of beginning level skills in mediating conflicts as a part of social work practice.

Prerequisite: 9 hours of WS courses and permission of instructor and agency. Individual experience relating classroom studies to experience in a women's community service agency. CR/NC grading only. (Minimum of 3 field hours per unit.)