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Community Action and Social Change Minor

Effective Fall 2016

Advising

Students wishing to pursue a minor in Community Action and Social Change should meet with the program's designated advisor. Students may schedule an appointment online or by emailing cascminor@umich.edu.

Prerequisites

None for the minor per se, although individual courses elected to meet the requirements of the minor may have course prerequisites.

Requirements

Minimum Credits: 16

The minor requires at least 16 credits from the following courses:

  1. Required Core Foundation Course:
    SW 305: Theories and Practices for Community Action and Social Change
  2. Electives. One course (minimum 3 credits) from each cluster and an additional 3 credits from any cluster
    1. Context Cluster Electives (minimum three credits).
      These electives provide students with a range of context, theories, and multidisciplinary perspectives to support understanding of various community action and social change efforts:
      • AAS / SOC 303: Race and Ethnic Relations
      • AAS / RCSSCI 330: Urban and Community Studies 1 section titled "Historical and Theoretical Perspectives"
      • AAS / SOC 434: Social Organization of Black Communities
      • AMCULT 311: Topics in Ethnic Studies section titled "Race and Mixed Race"
      • AMCULT 348 / HISTORY 346: History of American Radicalism
      • AMCULT / HISTORY 374: The Politics and Culture of the Sixties
      • AMCULT 399: Race, Racism and Ethnicity
      • AMCULT 421 / SOC 423: Social Stratification section titled "Gender, Sexuality, Disability, and Animal Inequality in America"
      • ANTHRCUL / LING 370: Language and Discrimination
      • ANTHRCUL 447: Culture, Racism and Human Nature
      • ASIAN 259 / HISTORY 255: Gandhi's India: The History of Modern South Asia
      • ENTR 599: Special Topics in Entrepreneurship section titled “Educational Entrepreneurship”
      • ENVIRON / ORGSTUDY 203: Activism
      • ES 445: Base of the Pyramid – Business Innovations for Solving Society’s Problems
      • ES 444: Introduction to Microfinance
      • GEOG 145 / INTLSTD 101 / UC 145: Introduction to International Studies
      • HISTORY 255 / ASIAN 259: Gandhi's India: The History of Modern South Asia
      • HISTORY / RCSSCI 344: The History of Detroit in the 20th Century
      • HISTORY 346 / AMCULT 348: History of American Radicalism
      • HISTORY / AMCULT 374: The Politics and Culture of the Sixties
      • INTLSTD 101 / GEOG / UC 145: Introduction to International Studies
      • LING / ANTHRCUL 370: Language and Discrimination
      • MO 314: Managing Change
      • MO 321: Leadership in Organizations
      • NURS 420: Introduction to Global Health: Issues and Challenges
      • NURS 421: Perspectives in Global Health: Issues and Challenges
      • ORGSTUDY / ENVIRON 203: Activism
      • POLSCI 489: Advanced Topics in Contemporary Political Science section titled "Citizenship and its Modern Challenges"
      • PSYCH / WGS 498 (WOMENSTD 498): Gender and the Individual
      • RCHUMS 334: Topics in Humanities section titled "Latino Theatre and Social Change" 
      • RCSSCI / AAS 330: Urban and Community Studies 1 section titled "Historical and Theoretical Perspectives"
      • RCSSCI / HISTORY 344: The History of Detroit in the 20th Century
      • SOC / AAS 303: Race and Ethnic Relations
      • SOC 345 / WGS 348 (WOMENSTD 348): Sociology of Sexualities
      • SOC 423 / AMCULT 421: Social Stratification section titled "Gender, Sexuality, Disability, and Animal Inequality in America"
      • SOC / AAS 434: Social Organization of Black Communities
      • SOC / WOMENSTD 447: Sociology of Gender
      • SOC 454: Law and Society
      • SOC 458: Sociology of Education
      • SOC 461: Social Movements
      • SW 300: Leadership in the Nonprofit Section
      • SW 400: Social Problems and Social Work Today
      • THTREMUS 333: Documentary Theatre
      • THTREMUS 399: Topics in Drama section titled "Latino Theatre and Social Change"
      • THTREMUS 533. Documentary Theatre
      • UC 145 / INTLSTD 101 / GEOG 145: Introduction to International Studies
      • WGS 348 (WOMENSTD 348) / SOC 345: Sociology of Sexualities
      • WOMENSTD / SOC 447: Sociology of Gender
    2. Diversity Learning Cluster Electives (minimum three credits).
      These electives provide students with skills and learning opportunities to facilitate diversity learning to support community action and social change efforts:
      • AMCULT 321 / PSYCH 325: Practicum in the Multicultural Community
      • AMCULT / WGS 363 (WOMENSTD 363): Asian/Pacific American Women
      • AMCULT 390: Internship in Arab American Studies
      • EDUC / ELI 390 / LING 386 / RCSSCI 390: Community Service and Language, Education, and Culture
      • ELI 390 / LING 386 / EDUC / RCSSCI 390: Community Service and Language, Education, and Culture
      • HISTORY 346 / AMCULT 348: History of American Radicalism section titled "From the Abolitionists to the Battle of Seattle"
      • LING 386 / ELI / EDUC /RCSSCI 390: Community Service and Language, Education, and Culture
      • NURS 477: Cultural Aspects of Health and Illness
      • PSYCH  / UC / SOC 122: Intergroup Dialogues
      • PSYCH 310 / UC / SOC 320: Processes of Intergroup Dialogues Facilitation
      • PSYCH 311 / UC / SOC 321: Practicum in Facilitating Intergroup Dialogues
      • PSYCH 312 / UC / SOC 375: Intergroup Conflict and Coexistence: Religion, Ethnicity and Culture
      • PSYCH / SOC / UC 324: Advanced Practicum in Intergroup Relations
      • PSYCH 325 / AMCULT 321: Practicum in the Multicultural Community
      • RCCORE 409:Study Off-Campus section titled "Political Struggles in Mexico: Seminar and Field Study"
      • RCSSCI 360:Social Science Junior Seminar section titled "Political Struggles in Mexico: Seminar and Field Study"
      • RCSSCI / ELI 390 / LING 386 / EDUC 390: Community Service and Language, Education, and Culture
      • SOC / UC / PSYCH 122: Intergroup Dialogues
      • SOC / UC 218: Foundations of Intergroup Relations
      • SOC / UC 320 / PSYCH 310: Processes of Intergroup Dialogues Facilitation
      • SOC / UC 321 / PSYCH 311: Practicum in Facilitating Intergroup Dialogues
      • SOC / PSYCH / UC 324: Advanced Practicum in Intergroup Relations
      • SOC / UC 375 / PSYCH 312: Intergroup Conflict and Coexistence: Religion, Ethnicity and Culture
      • UC / PSYCH / SOC 122: Intergroup Dialogues
      • UC / SOC 218: Foundations of Intergroup Relations
      • UC 320 / PSYCH 310 / SOC 320: Processes of Intergroup Dialogues Facilitation
      • UC 321 / PSYCH 311 / SOC 321: Practicum in Facilitating Intergroup Dialogues
      • UC / SOC / PSYCH 324: Advanced Practicum in Intergroup Relations
      • UC 370: UC Special Topics section titled "Intergroup Conflict & Coexistence: Religion, Ethnicity & Culture"
      • UC 375 / PSYCH 312 / SOC 375: Intergroup Conflict and Coexistence: Religion, Ethnicity and Culture
      • UC 470: UC Special Topics section titled "Social Justice in the Real World"
      • WGS 363 (WOMENSTD 363) / AMCULT 363: Asian/Pacific American Women
      • WOMENSTD 420: Group Facilitation in Women's Studies
      • WGS 443 (WOMENSTD 443) / AAS 443: Pedagogy of Empowerment: Activism in Race, Gender and Health
    3. Action Service Learning Cluster Electives (minimum three credits).
      These electives provide students with opportunities to engage in service learning opportunities to promote community action and social change initiatives:
      • AMCULT 301: Topics in American Culture section titled “The Cody High School Project”
      • AMCULT 305: Asian Pacific American Community Service and Learning
      • AMCULT 306 / PSYCH 317: Community Research
      • AMCULT / PSYCH 319: Empowering Families and Communities
      • AMCULT 321 / PSYCH 325: Practicum in Multicultural Community
      • AMCULT 390: Internship Opportunities in Arab American Studies
      • ARTDES 312: Art Workshops in Prisons
      • ARTDES 314: Change by Design
      • EDUC 360: Partners is Authentic Learning in School
      • EDUC /ELI 390 / LING 386 / RCSSCI 390: Community Service and Language, Education and Culture
      • ELI 390 / LING 386 / EDUC / RCSSCI 390: Community Service and Language, Education and Culture
      • ENGLISH 310: Discourse and Society
      • ENGLISH 319: Literature and Social Change section titled "Theater and Social Change"
      • ENGLISH 326: Community Writing and Public Cultures section titled “The Portfolio Project"
      • ENGR 355 & 455: Multidisciplinary Engineering Design I & II section titled “Engaged Urban Design” [students must participate in both semesters]
      • ENTR 390: Special Topics in Entrepreneurship section titled “Leading Innovation through Social Entrepreneurship”
      • LING 386 / ELI / EDUC / RCSSCI 390: Community Service and Language, Education and Culture
      • POLSCI 389: Topics in Contemporary Political Science section titled "Theory and Practice of Community Organizing"
      • PSYCH 211 (excluding any sections about career exploration)
      • PSYCH 306: Project Outreach Group Leading
      • PSYCH 317 / AMCULT 306: Community Research
      • PSYCH / AMCULT 319: Empowering Families and Communities
      • PSYCH 325 / AMCULT 321: Practicum in Multicultural Community
      • RCHUMS 334: Topics in Humanities sections titled "Community Empowerment Through the Arts: An Introduction to Theory and Practice" and “The Atonement Project"
      • RCSSCI / ELI 390 / LING 386 / EDUC 390: Community Service and Language, Education and Culture
      • SOC 325: The Sociology of Service Learning
      • SOC 389: Project Community (all sections)
      • SOC 489: Organizing: People, Power and Social Change
      • THTREMUS 335: Theatre and Incarceration
      • THTREMUS 336: PCAP Brazil Exchange
      • THTREMUS 534: The Atonement Project
      • THTREMUS 535: Theatre and Incarceration
      • THTREMUS 536: PCAP Brazil Exchange
      • WGS 350 (WOMENSTD 350): Nonprofit Management, Community Engagement, and Feminist Practice

        The School of Social Work will also offer one-credit mini-courses that are led by community leaders and social work faculty that will provide students additional elective opportunities linked to the core cluster areas.
    4. Capstone.
      SW 401: Community Action and Social Change Capstone.
      When students have completed the core course and electives, a capstone one-credit community action and social change experience will complete the minor requirements. This involves students in the minor working closely with social work faculty advisors or other steering committee members to engage in integrative learning tasks to support e-portfolio development and further service learning opportunities.

Other Department Policies

Preferred Admission to Social Work for Community Action Social Change Minor

Students who are completing a CASC minor may apply to the Office of Student Services in the School of Social Work for the Preferred Admission Program leading to a Master of Social Work (MSW) during the fall of their junior year.

Students who are completing a Community Action and Social Change minor may apply to the Office of Student Services in the School of Social Work for the Preferred Admission Program leading to a Master of Social Work (MSW) during the fall of their junior year.

Students who are accepted into the Preferred Admission program will be granted admission to the MSW program if the following criteria are met:

  1. Successful completion of the Community Action and Social Change minor.
  2. Successful completion (grade C or better) of all courses/content areas listed below:
  3. English composition requirement;
    • Liberal arts coursework: minimum of 20 semester hours (Anthropology, Economics, History, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, etc). Students need to have coursework from three or more disciplines in order to meet the liberal arts requirement;
    • Biological determinants of behavior. Such course content may be covered in psychology, biology, human sexuality, human development and/or anthropology courses.
  4. An overall grade point average of 3.5 or better (based on the last 60-75 semester hours of coursework).
  5. Submission of an MSW program application, with all required supporting documents, by December 1st for the fall term prior to the proposed term of enrollment in the MSW Program.

Students in the Preferred Admission Program are encouraged to do the following:

Undergraduate students may elect graduate (500 level) courses in the School of Social Work. If these courses are used for the undergraduate degree, and a "B" is obtained, these courses may be used as exemptions for the required courses toward the Master of Social Work degree, (these exemptions do not reduce the 60 credit hour degree requirement). If these courses are not applied toward an undergraduate degree, they may be transferred to the School of Social Work, and counted toward the 60 credit degree requirement. Prior to enrolling in 500 level social work courses, student should meet with a counselor in the Office of Student Service (1748 SSWB).

During the period of enrollment in the CASC minor, School of Social Work admissions counselors will be available to meet with Preferred Admission program participants.

For information on the School of Social Work and the MSW program: