Civic Life and Leadership Minor
A minor in civic life and leadership will offer students interdisciplinary training in civics, the humanities, and scientific literacy, while promoting a culture of reasoned and respectful disagreement, and openness to changing one’s mind. The minor is designed for students across the college to tackle some of the most challenging issues confronting society in the 21st century. All students, regardless of area of academic focus and career aspirations, are members of our pluralistic communities, and therefore, can all benefit from a better grounding in how to engage productively and thoughtfully with one another, especially across differences.
The objective of the minor is to empower students to be lifelong citizens-scholars committed to confronting the challenges that face our democracy. The minor in civic life and leadership examines the foundations and origins of democracy and the big questions surrounding civic life. The minor also encourages students to understand historical and contemporary struggles in democracy and asks students to wrestle with contentious issues today. It also develops skills and capacities that are critical to engage in effective public discourse.
Requirements
In addition to the program requirements listed below, students must:
- take at least nine hours of their minor "core" requirements at UNC–Chapel Hill
- earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the minor core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for minor or specific courses.
For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| SCLL 100 | Foundations of Civic Life and Leadership | 3 |
| SCLL 101 | Practice of Civic Life and Leadership | 3 |
| Two electives, from three categories of courses listed below (the two electives must not be from the same category) | 6 | |
| SCLL --- | Capstone (in development) | 3 |
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Scientific Evidence and Engagement Category
The Science and Society (S&S) category is an opportunity for students to explore questions about the relevance and role of scientific inquiry in a functioning democracy. Courses in this category focus on ways in which scientific reasoning and knowledge can enable progress and understanding on issues that are relevant to civic life and leadership. S&S courses will do more than simply discuss a scientific issue that is relevant to social, moral, or political life. S&S courses will deeply engage with the connection between science and society, with the goal of understanding long-standing societal tensions and debates through the lens of science.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SCLL 200 | Science and Society | 3 |
| ASTR 205 |  The Medieval Foundations of Modern Cosmology | 3 |
| PHIL 143 | AI and the Future of Humanity: Philosophical Issues about Technology and Human Survival H | 3 |
| PHIL 150 | Theory, Evidence, and Understanding in Science H | 3 |
| PHIL 154 | Philosophy of the Social Sciences | 3 |
| PHIL 265 | Ethics, Politics, and Technology | 3 |
| PHIL 352 | Sex and Death, Life and Health, Species and Evolution: The Philosophy of Biology | 3 |
| POLI 417 | Advanced Political Psychology H | 3 |
| PSYC 574 | Science of Moral Understanding | 3 |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
Intellectual History and Humanities Category
Through these courses, students will learn about how humanity has understood itself over time, especially how we understand our relationship to civil society and government. The arts and humanities often demonstrate how ideas about society are enacted in daily life. Reading historical texts invites a kind of imaginative sympathy that is central to civility and productive civil debate. In addition, these courses train students in the critical analysis of primary texts and the ability to evaluate, form, and articulate arguments using textual evidence.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COMM 572 | Public Policy Argument | 3 |
| CMPL 220 | Global Authors: Jane Austen H | 3 |
| CMPL 379 | Cowboys, Samurai, and Rebels in Film and Fiction H | 3 |
| HIST 121 | History of Religion in North America | 3 |
| HIST 360 | Ideas in Modern America H | 3 |
| HIST 510 | Human Rights in the Modern World H | 3 |
| MUSC 291 | Music and Politics | 3 |
| PHIL 60 | First-Year Seminar: Plato's Symposium and Its Influence on Western Art and Literature H | 3 |
| PHIL 80 | First-Year Seminar: Short Stories and Contemporary Social Problems | 3 |
| PHIL 110 | Philosophical Texts that Changed the World: An Introduction to Philosophy through Great Works H | 3 |
| PHIL 210 | Wonder, Myth, and Reason: Introduction to Ancient Greek Science and Philosophy H | 3 |
| PHIL 381 | Philosophy and Film H | 3 |
| POLI 87 | First-Year Seminar: What Does it Mean to be a Good Citizen? | 3 |
| POLI 280 | American Political Thought H | 3 |
| POLI 472 | Problems of Modern Democratic Theory H | 3 |
| PLCY 362 | Ethics and Food Policy | 3 |
| PLCY 340 | Justice in Public Policy H | 3 |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
Civics and Political Institutions Category
The Civic and Political Institutions (CPI) category is an opportunity for students to critically examine the structure, role, and mission of the institutions that contribute to civic and political life. Courses satisfying the CPI category will focus on particular institutions including (but not limited to) legislatures, courts, administrative agencies, law enforcement agencies, universities, and/or nonprofit organizations. CPI courses will engage with the rules, norms, and/or laws that impact the functioning of one or more institutions that are relevant to civic life, with the goal of understanding how those institutions can and should advance democratic values.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PHIL 140 | Knowledge and Society H | 3 |
| PHIL 280 | Morality, Law, and Justice: Issues in Legal Philosophy H | 3 |
| PHIL 480 | Philosophy of Law | 3 |
| POLI 100 | American Democracy in Changing Times H, F | 3 |
| POLI 420 | Legislative Politics H | 3 |
| POLI 424 | Legislative Procedure in Congress | 3 |
| POLI 405 | Local Politics in the United States | 3 |
| POLI 412 | United States National Elections H | 3 |
| PLCY 310 | Microeconomic Foundations of Public Policy | 3 |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
| F | FY-Launch class sections may be available. A FY-Launch section fulfills the same requirements as a standard section of that course, but also fulfills the FY-SEMINAR/FY-LAUNCH First-Year Foundations requirement. Students can search for FY-Launch sections in ConnectCarolina using the FY-LAUNCH attribute. |
Through the capstone, students will have the opportunity to participate in an internship or create an original project (e.g., series of op-eds, podcast, vlog) on a contemporary issue in American democracy.
Students also have the opportunity to attend and participate in events put on by the Program for Public Discourse.
School of Civic Life and Leadership
Director and Dean
Jed Atkins
