Possible Course Options for the New College Minor in Civic Engagement and Leadership
General Track
Required for the minor:
You may track your progress by adding the semester completed in each box.
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NEW 237 / 238 __________ (4 hours)
PHL 292 / 221 __________ (3 hours) (previously PHL 200 / 202)
2 approved elective courses 300 or 400 level __________ __________
2 approved elective courses 100 – 400 level __________ __________
o TOTAL hours required (19) - _____________
Approved Elective Courses -
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ANT 210 Language and Culture. 3 hours.
Human activity in its linguistic, cultural, and social contexts; interrelationships between culture and natural language; and the
influences of language and culture on thought and behavior.
COM 340 Rhetoric and Popular Culture. Three hours.
Investigation of selected issues such as gender and minority group membership and their relationships to communicative
strategies used by persons who seek to achieve identity and participation in the larger community. (This is an approved
course for the minor in women’s studies.)
COM 341 Rhetoric and American Politics. Three hours.
Introduction to the structures and functions of written, spoken, and electronically mass-mediated political discourse in
contemporary society. Writing proficiency is a requirement for passing the course. W designation for university core
curriculum.
COM 342 Rhetoric of Social Protest. Three hours.
Study of social protest discourse and how it functions rhetorically. Writing proficiency is a requirement for passing the
course. W designation for university core curriculum.
COM 350 Organizational Communication. Three hours.
Theoretical approach to the study of human communication in the organization context. Emphasis is on predominant
organizational communication theories and communication networks, as well as dyadic, small group, and public
communication processes.
COM 425 Gender and Political Communication. Three hours.
Prerequisite: COM 100, COM 101, or permission of the instructor.
Study of the impact of gender on political communication activities. Topics include gender differences in political messages
and voter orientation, masculine ideals of leadership, women’s roles and advancement in the political sphere, and media
representations.
COM 450 Advanced Organizational Communication. Three hours. Prerequisite: COM 350.
Advanced course focusing on current trends and issues in organizational communication. Course content will center on a
variety of topics designated important to the conceptualization and successful operation of organizations. Writing proficiency
is a requirement for passing the course. W designation for university core curriculum.
COM 460 Group Leadership. Three hours.
Prerequisite: COM 100, COM 101, or permission of the instructor. Advanced study of small-group behavior. Theories of
leadership are examined in detail as they relate to problem solving in group situations.
CSM 437 Developing the Leader Within. Three hours.
An in-depth look at leadership principles, qualities, styles, and models with a focus on developing leadership skills and
potential within the individual students. Designed to assist students in identifying opportunities for improvement.
EXD 320 Interpersonal Communication Ethics (Purcell) -- 1 hour (300 level)
EXD 320 Organizational Communication and Ethics (Purcell) -- 3 hours (300 level)
EXD 320 Transformational Leadership (Purcell) – 1 hour (300 level)
EXD 395 Women in the Civil Rights Movement (Purcell) – 4 hours (300 level)
HY 330 Civil Rights Movement. 3 hours.
History of the leaders, organizations, and events of the Civil Rights Movement during the years 1945 to 1968.
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HY 330 Civil Rights Movement. 3 hours.
History of the leaders, organizations, and events of the Civil Rights Movement during the years 1945 to 1968.
HES 275 Leadership Development Through Service. One to three hours.
Encourages volunteerism as a way to develop leadership skills and a sense of responsibility to one’s community as advocates
for service. Students are provided with a list of nonprofit service agencies in Tuscaloosa, from which they may choose.
Students may submit alternative sites for approval by the instructor. Students must provide their own transportation to the
volunteer site.
HES 350 Service Education: Alternative Spring Break. Three hours.
Students will examine contemporary social and leadership issues through research and direct service with local service
agencies and the Alternative Spring Break program. Participants will discover that they serve their communities better when
their service is linked to academic study: preparation, analysis, integration, and assessment (service learning).
HES 450 Volunteerism and Civic Responsibility. One to three hours.
Study of the importance of volunteerism to nonprofit organizations. Students will gain practical experience working with one
or more nonprofit organizations.
 NEW 237 Social Science I: Cooperation and Conflict. (or NEW 238 – Honors version) 4 hours.
This seminar explores cooperation and conflict in human societies—all that we do or fail to do in living together effectively.
Students investigate and seek solutions for contemporary social problems.
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NEW 270 Leadership – Volunteerism. 3 hours.
NEW 273 Social Science I: Social Issues and Ethics. 4 hours.
This seminar is designed to develop an awareness of the methodologies and concerns of the social sciences in a
comprehensive and theme-oriented experience. The primary focus is on the nature of inquiry, models for the analysis of
change and ethical issues, and the place of ethical issues in the social sciences and society.
 NEW 310–322 Out-of-Class Learning/Independent Study Experience. 1 to 12 hours.
A student desiring to pursue an academic interest for which no University class is available may plan his or her own “course”
through Out-of-Class Learning. A contract, or agreement, with New College is prepared by the student, in which the student
identifies a variety of features of the proposed study: its goals and objectives; the methodology and resources to be employed
in the attempt to meet the goals and objectives; and the procedure by which the study will be evaluated upon its completion.
The process of preparing the contract should be in cooperation with the New College office, from which contract forms may
be procured, and with a faculty member or other authority qualified to assist and assess the study. Credit hours awarded for
Out-of-Class Learning are available, relative to the breadth or depth of the study, and subject to approval of the advisor to the
study and director of the New College.
 NEW 436 Social Science II : Public Leadership. 4 hours.
This seminar helps students develop the understanding and skills necessary for the practice of public leadership. The course
emphasizes framing public issues for discussion and leading the decision making necessary to set the direction of public
policy.
 NEW 437 Social Science II : Civic Awareness. 4 hours.
Current events are examined through print and electronic media in order to assist students in evaluating various sources of
information concerning public issues and in developing a public philosophy for responsibilities as a citizen.
 NEW 472 Social Science II : Social Change. 4 hours.
This seminar is concerned with the process and analysis of social change. In this seminar, students study the Holocaust,
attempting to understand it as an intense and unparalleled human experience. The causes, events, outcomes, and implications
are researched through books, films, interviews, tapes, and discussions.
 NEW 490 – Neighbors. 3 hours. The course considers the concept of “neighbor” by exploring political, economic,
environmental, psychological, and theological constructs.
 NEW 490 -009: PARC I / NEW 490 - 016: PARC II. 3 credit hours each
Institutions of higher education and local citizens are both rich sources of knowledge for addressing complex, socio economic issues facing rural Alabama communities. “PARC in Rural Alabama” engages these resources via mutually
beneficial partnership projects to teach students how to work with community partners for more effective solutions to
community problems. PARC I is a prerequisite for the PARC II nonprofit summer internship in Walker County. PARC I
provides an introduction to the principles and practices of community - based research, of civic engagement, and of grant writing for nonprofits. It is specifically designed to conduct the project development, evaluation, and sustainability plans
necessary for a comprehensive, engaged scholarship experience. Enrollment in this course indicates a commitment to live and
work as an embedded community - based research intern in Walker County during June and July.
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 PHL 100 Introduction to Philosophy. 3 hours.
Survey of the main topics of philosophy, which may include God, souls, free will, the nature of right and wrong, just
government, truth, and knowledge. Offered in the fall and spring semesters.
 PHL 292 – Introduction to Ethics (or PHL 221 – Honors Introduction to Ethics) -- Credit for PHL 292 will not be granted
to students who have already taken PHL 221. 3 hours
Introduction to competing views of how one ought to live, designed to promote the development of a reasoned view of one’s
own. May include such topics as ethical relativism, the nature of justice and of rights, and the relationship of law and
morality. Offered in the fall and spring semesters.
 PSC 102 America and the World. 3 hours.
Examination of the political factors external to the United States that affect the American political system. Attention is given
to the nature of foreign policy, the processes and substance of American foreign policy, and the ways that actions by foreign
governments affect the United States.
 PSC 335 Social Movements and Contentious Politics. 3 hours.
Prerequisite: PSC 203 or permission of the instructor.
 W 320 Volunteerism in Human Services. 3 hours.
The nature and development of volunteerism in human services in the United States plus current trends in the use of
volunteers is discussed. Each student is assigned to a human service agency in order to experience the role of being a
volunteer.
 WS 352 Social Inequality. 3 hours.
Analysis of inequities of wealth, power, and prestige; major theories of racial and cultural minorities; behavioral correlates
of stratification; social mobility.
 SOC 470 Social Movements. 3 hours.
Exploration of the mobilization of social movements in specific periods of time in terms of the socioeconomic and political
conditions.
 WS 330 Gender and Social Activism. 3 hours.
Examination of the social, political, and legal movements in the United States and their influences on the status of women in
society. The intersection of race, ethnicity, gender, class, and sexuality is explored as a mechanism to address the struggles,
experiences, and successes of women. The relationship between theory and practice is realized through gender-based action
projects.
 NOTE that you cannot count the same class for both a major and a minor, or for two minors, or for two
majors. For example, the Philosophy Department requires PHL 292 / 221 for the major requirement;
thus, another course will have to be approved for the civic engagement and leadership minor.
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