Globalization has created a smaller world. Media, culture, commerce, new neighbors, and new family members have drastically increased interactions among culturally diverse people. In this global environment, people need to interact effectively with all types of people, cultures, and world views. In this course, students are provided tools for observing, evaluating, and understanding various cultures to communicate effectively with others. Students explore the impact of culture and personal identity on communication strategies. They distinguish the modes and styles of communication unique to their personal culture from the cultures of others. Students explain how theories of cultural differences can help to anticipate and overcome challenges in intercultural situations. In addition, students apply effective intercultural communication skills to academic, personal, and professional settings.

Human services is a field that provides rewarding as well as challenging situations as professionals support a diverse range of clients in solving problems and working through difficult situations. Students in this course explore the historical development of the human services field, human services theories, the systems approach to human services, and the role of the human service professional. They examine a range of roles and areas of specialization available to those in the profession as well as related challenges, such as ethical and diversity issues when working with people in different populations. Applying foundational concepts, students also investigate trends in the field of human services, such as medical and mental health breakthroughs and changes in client populations.

What is public policy? Who develops it and how is it made? In this course, students explore how the government makes decisions and the impact these decisions have on people and communities. Students learn how issues become important, how groups exercise power, and how government policies are evaluated and modified. Students also examine whether the public policy process is generally fair to the majority of citizens or whether it provides unfair advantage to certain groups. In this course, students have an opportunity to engage in the exploration of many of the questions and issues surrounding the development of public policy.

Volunteers are one of the most important resources for nonprofit organizations. Through this course, students learn the crucial importance of volunteers to organizations and groups striving to build better communities and address important social problems. Students explore how successful leaders recruit qualified volunteers, retain their commitment over time, and empower them to act on behalf of shared goals. They identify the key challenges facing organizations that rely heavily on volunteers and the most effective means of addressing these challenges. Students also examine and discuss the particular leadership skills required in volunteer organizations and consider how they can develop these proficiencies to lead future volunteer efforts and effect positive social change.

Ethics is a key element of successful government and nonprofit leadership. Ethically, on individual and institutional levels, many things can go wrong in government and nonprofit organizations. Students in this course gain insight into causes, obstacles, and barriers to ethical leadership. They explore how successful public sector leaders build organizations that reflect strong ethical values. Students examine qualities of ethical leaders, ethical organizations, and ethical decision making. They use practical tools for achieving ethical public leadership in case studies and real-life scenarios.

Contemporary public managers use a variety of new tools and strategies to implement public policy and conduct business. Students in this course learn about the new skills required of public administrators to be successful in a rapidly changing environment. They examine a variety of topics, such as team building, contracting, procurement, compliance, grant writing, and outsourcing/insourcing. Through this course, students also have the opportunity to explore job opportunities at the government level as well as in the nonprofit sector.

Are leaders made or born? This question has been debated for decades. Building on requisite comprehension of psychology, such as understanding development and behavior, mental processes, and how people interact, students apply this knowledge in consideration of what makes a leader. They examine theories and principles of leadership and leader development. Students engage in coursework focused on leadership styles, characteristics and qualities of effective leaders, cultural issues, empowerment and development, ethics and values, and global leadership. They apply leadership concepts and principles to personal experiences to contextualize theory and further examine the leadership role.