Community Development Minor
The field of community development encompasses in a holistic manner a broad range of human development activities and an equally extensive array of economic development activities centered on disadvantaged areas. Community development consists of
activities carried out under the leadership of community-based non-profit groups for the purpose of enhancing the physical, economic, educational, and social assets of specific low-asset areas and in so doing empower residents to gain greater control over their neighborhoods? future and enhance family and individual capacities. . . . [including] affordable housing, business development, job creation, employment training and job placement, work support, commercial revitalization, child and elder care, social services, health care, and other related activities.
- Seedco, Request for Proposals to Establish Community Development Leadership Programs at HBCUs, 1996, p. 3.
Community Development minors will be required to complete five, three-credit courses from the list of approved community development courses (see attached list). The course entitled Seminar in Community Development is required of all minors as their first course in the field. It will be offered by the Department of Political Science. The course Economics of Black Community Development is required as the final or capstone course in the minor. It will be offered by the Department of Economics. One of the five courses will be a three credit (or more) internship/workshop/laboratory course. The student may select the internship/workshop/ laboratory course from any of the participating units, subject to the approval of the department offering the internship course. The two remaining courses are electives drawn from the list of approved community development courses. Approval of the advisor is required.
At the end of the program of study, the student with a minor in community development will be able to perform the following tasks:
- Define and describe community leadership, community development, and community economic development as measured on written examinations administered by Howard University faculty.
- Compare and contrast theories of community from an economic, political, and at least one other perspective, as measured on written examination administered by Howard University faculty.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the structure, institutional processes, and array of projects and products of at least one community-based organization, as reflected in a written report on a project undertaken with the organization while an intern.
- Use academic knowledge in analyzing community problems and in participating in community-based efforts to address challenges facing a community development organization, as reflected in a written report.
- Prepare a reaction paper following a community meeting in which he/she has participated, using appropriate language and terminology for a given technical area (e.g., a housing project, a community health project, or a literacy program).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the nature of, and the rules and regulations for, community-based programs of the federal, state, and local government relevant to a specific area of community development.
The Interdisciplinary Minor in Community Development is an interdisciplinary program intended to provide the student with the knowledge, tools, and practical experience to play a proactive role in community revitalization processes in cities throughout the world. Students take five courses (fifteen hours) from the program's listing. Three of these courses are required, specifically the Seminar in Community Development (ECON 138), the Economics of Black Community Development (ECON 188), and the Internship (ECON 095, POLS 150, or SOCI 079). The internship requirement includes placement in a local Community Development Corporation for at least one semester. Two electives drawn from the following list satisfy the remainder of the requirements. Students should normally declare this minor during the second semester of their sophomore year. Some of the courses listed below require prerequisites or special permission of the faculty. Students should take this into account as they develop their programs.
Required Courses (three courses)
ECON 138 Seminar in Community Development
ECON 188 The Economics of Black Community Development
- Prerequisites: Undergraduate level ECON 001 Minimum Grade of C or Undergraduate level ECON 001 Minimum Grade of T and Undergraduate level ECON 002 Minimum Grade of C or Undergraduate level ECON 002 Minimum Grade of T
POLS 150 or SOCI 079 Internship
Elective Courses (choose two)
- Allied Health NUTR 183, Community Nutrition, given fall and spring,
- Econ 199, Intro to urban econ, given fall and spring
- POLS 007, Introduction to Black Politics.
- Soc 151, sociology of poverty, given fall, spring
- Soc 061, problems of the Black Community
- Management 301, management and organizational behavior, given spring
- Prerequisites: (Undergraduate level ECON 001 Minimum Grade of D or Undergraduate level ECON 001 Minimum Grade of T) and (Undergraduate level ECON 002 Minimum Grade of D or Undergraduate level ECON 002 Minimum Grade of T) and (Undergraduate level ACCT 202 Minimum Grade of C or Undergraduate level ACCT 202 Minimum Grade of T) and (Undergraduate level MATH 026 Minimum Grade of C or Undergraduate level MATH 026 Minimum Grade of T or Undergraduate level MATH 156 Minimum Grade of C or Undergraduate level MATH 156 Minimum Grade of T)
- Management 350, management of small businesses, given spring
- Management 351, Entrepreneurship, given spring
- Must be enrolled in one of the following Colleges:
- School of Business
- Must be enrolled in one of the following Classifications:
- Junior
- Senior
- Prerequisites: Undergraduate level FINA 311 Minimum Grade of D or Undergraduate level FINA 311 Minimum Grade of T or Undergraduate level FINA 312 Minimum Grade of D or Undergraduate level FINA 312 Minimum Grade of T and Undergraduate level MGMT 301 Minimum Grade of D or Undergraduate level MGMT 301 Minimum Grade of T and Undergraduate level MKTG 301 Minimum Grade of D or Undergraduate level MKTG 301 Minimum Grade of T and Undergraduate level MATH 026 Minimum Grade of C or Undergraduate level MATH 026 Minimum Grade of T or Undergraduate level MATH 156 Minimum Grade of C or Undergraduate level MATH 156 Minimum Grade of T
- Must be enrolled in one of the following Colleges: