NOTE: Core courses are required for the CCCL concentration.

IMA551 & IMA552 APPLIED CURRICULUM DESIGN I & II (5 credits total)
Introduction to curriculum and program planning for individualized graduate study. Topics include graduate education program planning, individualizing courses and syllabi, self-directed learning, learning styles, academic writing, professional writing, and academic and topical research. Standard components of graduate degree programs, such as foundational courses, theory courses, electives, research, and capstone courses, are covered. Students demonstrate their proficiency by individualizing the CCCL courses based on their particular fields of interest and community contexts. 

IMA560 FOUNDATIONS OF ACADEMIC DISCOURSE (5 credits)
This course is designed to enhance students' skills in researching and analyzing the current literature in the students’ selected area of study. Emphasis will be placed on identifying, analyzing and evaluating the current theories and practices in the students’ selected area of study as well as developing the skills associated with scholarly writing. Portions of the readings will focus on the topic of social responsibility.

CCL540 CONCEPTS OF CIVIC LEADERSHIP EDUCATION (5 credits) - Core
Learning and change go hand-in-hand. Those leading community change efforts must therefore know how to effectively plan and facilitate relevant engaging learning experiences among adult community members. The purpose of this course is to expose participants to the principles and methods of adult education that can be applied to community change and civic leadership. Topics include: the role that adult education has played historically in civic engagement and social change movements; traditional and contemporary theories that inform the practice of teaching adults; practical methods to actively engage adults in learning; adapting instruction for culturally and linguistically diverse individuals; and the role of the facilitator in negotiating power relationships among learners structured along lines of ethnicity, race, class, and gender.

CCL550 LEADERSHIP PLENTY- TRAINING AND PRACTICE (5 credits)
Students, who have participated in this training before having been admitted to the program, will submit a portfolio to be approved as prior learning. (Guidelines to be discussed during the First Residency). All others can complete this course on-line after having been admitted to the program. Since this course is one of the foundational requirements it is recommended that it be completed soon after admission to the program, but no later than mid-point review.

CCL560 PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP (5 credits) - CORE
Leadership has long been considered a place reserved for the few-- not the many. Experience has shown, however, that we live in communities of plenty that is, plenty of people with untapped talents who make their communities better places to live, work and raise families. Leadership involves skills to be learned and practiced but also requires reflecting on the role and responsibility of leaders in a democratic society. The objective of this course is to provide students with a conceptual framework and the practical skills for identifying and developing broad-based civic leadership. Through an exploration of the asset approach to community development and organizing, students will learn how to mobilize a community for action using techniques such as community asset mapping and stakeholder analysis and explore such concepts as the role of reflection in action.

CCL565 GROUP PROCESS AND COMMUNITY CHANGE (5 credits)
This course is designed to explore the dynamics that affect group members' ability to work together effectively. Emphasis will be placed on theories of group behavior and development, and the roles of structure, influence, power, decision- making and consensus building within groups. Leadership skills that enhance collaboration and problem solving in diverse groups will be also be explored. Students will have opportunities to examine their own group experiences and to apply their learning in the context of several team projects.

CCL570 MANAGING CONFLICT FOR COMMUNITY CHANGE (5 credits)
The success and outcome of conflict resolution in community development projects with citizen involvement is influenced by many variables, such as culture, gender, and ethnicity. The objective of this course is to familiarize students with theories of conflict and to explore practical and diverse approaches to conflict resolution. Students will study strategies, processes and models to address different types of conflict resolution ranging from interest-based negotiation to facilitated community dialogue. Leadership, decision-making, communication, conflict management styles and appropriate responses to conflict will be examined as well. Students are expected to produce a final paper that will analyze a selected community conflict. They will investigate this conflict throughout the course to analyze the role(s) of leadership, causes of the conflict, variables influencing the outcome, sequencing of events, and problem solving processes and resolutions.

CCL580 BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS: ISSUES OF POWER IN RELATIONSHIPS (5 credits)
In this course, students will be introduced to the issues involved in building partnerships between communities and organizations. This course is an introduction to understanding partnerships, power, and relationships related to leadership in communities. Topics of study will include partnerships, power, relationships, leadership, community, and organizational contexts. We will explore the particular challenges involved when different types of organizations such as government, business, non-profits, and faith-based groups form partnerships. Adult learners will use a variety of options for studying power and relationships among these community structures. Resources for these activities include adult learner experience, text and on-line materials. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to conduct site visits, observations, and personal interviews with leaders within a variety of organizational contexts in their community.

CCL640 IMPLEMENTING ACTION STRATEGIES (5 credits) - Core
Community issues are complex, and long-term solutions are difficult to craft. The objective of this course is to provide students with both a conceptual framework and the practical skills for developing and implementing a community-driven change strategy. Through an exploration of four social-action organizing models: neighborhood, faith-based, issue, and coalition, students will examine how communities move effectively from “talk” to “action”. This class will also examine key concepts including self-interest, power, institutional change, community control, and leadership development and the role they play in developing not only a winnable strategy but in building the capacity of the community to solve problems.

RSH610 ACTION RESEARCH (5 credits)
This course builds on the assumptions and concepts of the ten Leadership Plenty modules and locates them within an action research framework. Distinguishing features of the action research, participatory methods of inquiry and other forms of research will be discussed. This course is primarily intended to provide the conceptual, practical and reflective grounding for designing action research projects. Students will prepare for their action research practicum by developing purpose, design, and methods for data collection and analysis. During on-line discussions, students will have the opportunity to articulate and reflect upon their own and others’ worldviews and biases regarding the roles of culture, ethnicity, social class, gender, power, control and subordination in the knowledge construction process. The question of legitimacy of action research will also be addressed.

CCL650 ACTION RESEARCH PRACTICUM (5 credits)
This course is designed to build on the conceptual and theoretical work completed in IMA 610 Action Research. In this course the learner will refine the Action Research Proposal developed in IMA 610, and implement and evaluate the proposed project in the community. Throughout the practicum, a McGregor faculty member will serve as a coach and consultant to the learner as he/she applies the theoretical concepts of the Community Change and Civic Leadership program in a community setting, engages in skill-building practices and critical reflection.

CCL645 COMMUNICATING FOR CHANGE (5 credits)
In this course students will study the elements necessary to formulate a successful strategic communications plan. Students will identify and study the work and literature of advertising, pubic relations and communications firms who specialize in helping non-profits and community leaders get their message across and engage a broader audience. Students will learn how to identify target audiences and to choose appropriate- conventional and unconventional- channels of communication, in order to reach diverse audiences and to promote action that leads to measurable change. Class members will work individually or in teams of two or three to complete two projects during the course. For one project, students will describe and critique an existing issue oriented public campaign with a national or regional focus. For the second project, students will design a strategic communication plan around a local issue, with a timeline for implementation and evaluation. Both projects will require interviews and face-to-face interactions with community leaders and the public regarding the effectiveness of a wide variety of messaging techniques.

IMA692 CAPSTONE PROJECT (5 credits)