Diverse Community Development Leadership

In this course, students will be introduced to an intersectional approach to understanding community development, social justice and structural inequities from interdisciplinary perspectives. Students will learn critical theories regarding race, class, gender and indigeneity, which will enable them to understand and interrogate systems of power as they manifest in multiple community contexts. Students will also …

In this course, students will be introduced to an interdisciplinary and comparative approach to understanding how structural factors have shaped the experiences of various racial and ethnic groups in urban America. The course is organized thematically according to several historiographical debates central to the study of urban history, including race, immigration, and spatial segregation; religion …

In this course, students will analyze how community development partners align themselves with community-centered approaches to tackling some of the most prominent issues in urban centers. Students will learn about how social and environmental justice issues intersect with community-based organizations. Students will learn about case studies from different regions about the development of policies that …

In this course, students will be provided with an overview and examination of applied leadership. Leadership in diverse context(s) often operates differently from traditional conceptualizations of top-down, individual-based leadership models. Exploring the theories, histories and issues presented in leadership studies, we will pay particular attention to diverse leadership styles and their effectiveness in various community …

In this course, students will be introduced to key quantitative and qualitative methods from an interdisciplinary approach. Students will learn how to collect, manage and assess data necessary for effective management and leadership of diverse community organizations and to address community needs. Qualitative methodologies, such as community-based participatory action research, grounded theory and case study, …

In this course, the capacity of students to apply communication strategies to create and present a proposal in support of diverse communities will be promoted. Students will be introduced to signature aspects of communication, including interpersonal and public speaking, marketing, public relations and positioning. Students then apply those skills in the creation of one advocacy …

In this course, students will explore how to build partnerships between community, public and private organizations for the purposes of fundraising, grant writing and community advocacy. Emphasis will be on negotiating complexities and controversies between partners in the adoption, implementation and evaluation of policy. Students will explore sources of funds and resources required for fundraising/grant …

In this course, students will be provided with a theoretical and practical overview of community organizing in a U.S. context. Students will explore various models and approaches related to community organizing and social movements within diverse communities, using historical and contemporary case studies. Community outreach, leadership development and capacity building processes will be emphasized as …

In this course, students will implement their approved community development capstone proposal. Under faculty supervision, students collaborate with the community partner to determine the scope of work to address a specific community issue. Students apply research to make evidence-based decisions to develop and evaluate alternative proposals for the community partner. Using appropriate communication strategies, students …