St. Cloud State University
General Education Goal Area 9 Designation
Civic Engagement & Ethics
Academic Affairs Use Only:
Response Date: ______________________
Effective Date: ______________________
1.
Proposal Number: _________________
Prepared by: Ajay Panicker
Phone: 320 308 4128
Email: appanicker@stcloudstate.edu
2.
Requesting Unit: Sociology and Anthropology
3.
Department, Course Number, Title: Sociology and Anthropology, SOC195: Democratic Citizenship
4.
New Course
5.
Will this course be flagged as a diversity course?
Already Designated as Diversity
6.
Will this course also satisfy another General Education Goal Area?
If “Yes” specify which goal area.
Existing Course
No
Diversity Proposal Accompanying This Form
No
Yes
7.
Course bulletin description, including credits and semesters to be offered:
SOC195: Democratic Citizenship. The social aspects of citizenship, emphasizing the importance of race,
class, gender and national diversity in understanding forms of citizenship, civic engagements and the ethical
norms governing these in diverse contexts. 3 cr., F, S, SUM
8.
Indicate the clientele for whom this course is designed. Is the course for general education only, or
does it fulfill general education and other program needs for this or another department? Obtain
signatures from any affected departments.
General Education Students only.
9.
Indicate any changes that must be made in offerings or resources in your department or other
departments by offering this course.
none.
10.
For new courses or courses not yet approved for General Education, indicate any other SCSU departments
or units offering instruction that relates to the content of the proposed course.
N/A
11.
Courses designated as General Education are included in the assessment plan for the Goal Area(s)
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for which they are approved. Courses for which assessment is not included in the annual GE
assessment report for two years will be removed from the General Education Program.
The Requesting Unit understands and recognizes the above conditions.
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12.
Provide a concise explanation of how the following goal is a “significant focus” of the proposed course.
Goal Area 9: Civic Engagement and Ethics
Understand and evaluate ethical or civic issues and theories, and participate in active citizenship or ethical
judgment.
SOC195 is a sociology course, introducing students to sociological perspective and requiring them
to employ sociological perspective in understanding democratic systems. Through exposure to
theories of democracy and learning the importance of ethics and civic engagement in sustaining
and revitalizing systems of democracy, students will be encouraged to better appreciate their role
as active citizens in democratic processes.
13. In order for a course to be designated as fulfilling Goal Area 9, it must address at least 5 of the 6 student learning
outcomes (SLOs) below. Check the SLOs below that are focused on in the proposed general education course.
1. Explain the connections among education, citizenship, and participation in a democratic society.
2. Explain major ethical or political theories.
3. Describe how interpretations of ethics or citizenship may vary by nationality, ethnicity, race, color, religion,
gender, ability and disability, or sexual orientation.
4. Apply concepts such as democracy, rights, morality, justice, virtue, liberty and obligation to personal,
professional, and public issues.
5. Analyze and evaluate alternative theoretical approaches or formulate solutions to ethical or civic issues.
6. Develop and exercise personal agency or ethical judgment in the public domain.
14.
Discuss how each Student Learning Outcome checked above is achieved in this course. (Note: Although
descriptions of typical assignments or types of assignments may be part of this discussion, it is not
appropriate to submit copies of actual assignments.)
SLO 1: Students will be introduced to Sociological perspective at the beginning of the course and
this perspective will be employed throughout the course. Sociological perspective shows the
connections between individual life experiences and training and larger social structures. At this stage
of the course, the connections between education, citizenship and participation in democratic society
will be explained. As students examine their own participation, this will also be reinforced.
SLO 2: After introducing Sociological Perspective and Critical Thinking, students will be introduced to
the various forms, history, and theories of democracy and its relationship to major social institutions.
Emphasis will be also placed on concepts that are more recently in focus as part of democratic
governance -- community, environment, social responsibility and ethics. Comparisons between various
democratic systems -- systems at various stages of development of liberal democratic institutions -- will
be attempted throughout the course.
SLO 3: This SLO will be met by emphasizing on historical development of how democratic citizenship
and institutions are socially constructed in diverse national/regional spaces.
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SLO 4: this SLO will be met through emphasizing different aspects of social responsibility. In this course
students will be required to learn and think about how central concepts of democracy such as rights,
morality, justice, virtue, liberty operate in the real political arena. Students will also be encouraged to
understand the connections between individual/personal issues and larger social forces within
democratic societies.
SLO 5: While students will be introduced to normative practices of democratic citizenship, equal
emphasis will be placed on alternative ideas and images of democracy and its institutions. In particular,
students will be encouraged to critically examine the merits and demerits of the mainstream models of
democracy and will be provided with the intellectual tools required to imagine alternative theories and
practices of democracy and citizenship.
SLO 6: Education in critical thinking is intended to empower students to develop free and independent
thinking based on keen observation of social processes, and develop agency in judgement on public
affairs and be an active contributor to democratic social change. This goal will be met throughout the
course -- by encouraging student participation in discussions that are oriented towards concrete
analysis of prevailing models of democracy and generating alternatives. Students will also be
encouraged to bridge the gap between theory and practice throughout this course.
15.
List or attach the Course Outline (adequately described and including percentage of time to be allocated
to each topic). Curriculum Committees may request additional information. Topics larger than 20% need
to be broken down further. Indicate in your course outline where the Student Learning Outcomes
checked above are being met.
Please refer to the course outline attached.
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