Dec 03, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Community Leadership


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An innovative leadership program for emerging leaders who want to make a difference.
 
Community Leadership is a next-generation degree program that combines immersive hands-on learning, career development, liberal arts principles, and Mercy values to transform learners into skilled 21st Century leaders. Learn to solve real-world problems and prepare for a lifetime of leadership in any community setting. This program goes far beyond traditional academic barriers to dig into real-world challenges — preparing students to sustain and improve critical systems in areas of Peace & Justice, Nature & Environment, Business & Economics, and Healthcare & Wellness. Working closely with a range of employers and community partners, graduates will be well-prepared for graduate school, government, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, and poised to make a positive difference in the world. This is a flexible major, making it easy to transfer in or double major.

Outcomes and Integration:

  • Demonstrate leadership competencies that emphasize social justice values.
  • Describe the value of inter- and multidisciplinary approaches to addressing local, regional, and global issues.
  • Apply ethical communication in diverse community settings and situations.
  • Assess the ethical dimensions associated with leadership and sustainable systems.
  • Identify the environmental, social, and economic challenges that communities face at multiple scales.
  • Create collaborative approaches to address environmental, social, and economic challenges.
  • Describe the value of service and action in sustaining resilient and socially-just communities.

Concentrations - Choose two (2)


Students must complete at least three (3) courses from each of the two selected Concentrations for a minimum of 24 credits.

Note:


Course marked with an asterisk * cannot be applied to more than one major requirement.

Core Curriculum


In addition, all students must fulfill the college’s core curriculum  requirements and meet the 120 credit graduation requirement.  The First Year Experience (FYE) Seminar  is a requirement for all first-year students.

Core Curriculum Requirements


Philosophical Inquiry (4 credit)


Quantitative Reasoning (4 credit) *Appendix 1


Choose one:

Written Communication (3 credit)


Historic and Civic Literacy for Effective Citizenship (3 credit) *Appendix 4


Artistic Exploration and Expression (3 credit)


  • Any Fine Arts (AT) course

Literary Exploration and Expression (3 credit)


First-Year Experience (1 credit)


Appendix


One option (Mode #3) to meet core curriculum outcomes is to actively and intentionally engage in experiences that allow for careful reflection and assessment. This is designed to encourage and increase flexibility in the new LSC Core. Mode #3 is optional. It can use to to fulfill a maximum of two Mode #1 Categories.

Three to four credits may be earned by way of an approved experiential equivalency for a maximum of two Mode #1 Categories. Students are required to seek out a faculty sponsor with expertise in the subject matter to assist them in navigating the experiential equivalency process, along with approval from the Office of Academic Affairs. 

Guidelines for establishing credit weight: Depending on the nature and extent of the experience, students can gain three or four credits. Students who provide supporting documentation (letters from community partners, organizations or agencies where the experience took place), complete the experiential equivalency benchmarks and the portfolio can earn credit. The narrative and reflection within the portfolio will vary along with the nature of other deliverables (art projects, brochures, podcasts, blog postings, video presentations, etc.).

PRIOR EXPERIENCE: For those seeking credit for a prior learning experience, students will need to complete a screening questionnaire. This questionnaire allows a faculty sponsor and the Office of Academic Affairs to properly evaluate the experience, the amount of credits that may be applied and provides insights as to what core outcome(s) may be fulfilled. Once the questionnaire has been reviewed, the faculty sponsor and Associate Dean will meet with the student to discuss the project plan moving forward. Once the project plan is approved and benchmarks are provided, the student will be enrolled in the Brightspace course. The student will then have 15 weeks to complete the portfolio.

PLANNED EXPERIENCE: This process needs to be planned in consultation with a faculty sponsor. The faculty sponsor and student must complete an experiential equivalency project plan which will then be submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs for review. This project plan will be mapped out for the upcoming semester. The project plan must include benchmarks to assess progress throughout the time frame agreed upon. Once the project plan is approved and benchmarks are provided, the student will be enrolled in the Brightspace course. The student will then have 15 weeks to complete the portfolio.

EE 100 Core Experiential Equivalency (3-4 Credits): This course allows students to use prior or planned experiences to meet Mode #1 core curriculum outcomes. A faculty sponsor is required along with approval from the Office of Academic Affairs. 

EE 101 Core Experiential Equivalency (3-4 Credits): This course allows students to use prior or planned experiences to meet Mode #1 core curriculum outcomes. A faculty sponsor is required along with approval from the Office of Academic Affairs.

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