Minnesota – MUST: Poverty, Inequality, and Social Change
Fall and Spring Semester
In the MUST: Poverty, Inequality, and Social Change, students activity delve into major challenges of our time: poverty, inequality and social change. What are the root causes of increasing levels of poverty and inequality here in the USA? How does inequality reproduce itself and why does it still exist? What can we do to change it? To understand these issues the program focuses on the economy, housing systems, education, welfare, government policies, urban sprawl, regional race & class segregation and institutional discrimination. Connecting these issues is at the core of the program. Instead of just learning about these problems students explore solutions and become engaged in organization committed to social transformation. Through critical thinking set into action, HECUA students analyze policy, lobby elected officials and engage communities. This program focuses on learning the basic of organizing in communities and workplaces, how to persuade others to become critically engaged, and how to be an effective advocate for issues and people. Building these skills in valuable for social change.
“Why study in Minneapolis-St. Paul and their suburbs?”
"Through MUST I gained a great perspective on injustice that occurs in my own backyard and took away an understanding of what I can do in my own community to make change happen." - Jill, University of St. Thomas |
This area is increasingly diverse and has a strong and vibrant economy yet many people are not sharing in this vitality. As in most large urban regions there is a growing gap between the rich and poor, increasing geographic and social segregation and polarization between these groups. Forty-five percent of the children in the “core” of the Twin Cities live at or below the poverty line, and an educational gap between racial groups worries many policymakers, parents, educators and students. At the same time, Minneapolis-St. Paul is also home to an exciting array of organizations that are addressing all of these issues.
Example Internship Placements
Internships center around major themes of the program such as:
- Community & Labor Union Organizing
- Social Justice Advocacy
- Politics & Planning
- School Reform
- Environmental Justice
- Gender Issues
- Housing & Welfare
- Anti-Racism Organizing
Hands-On Experience
This program involves an exciting blend of field experiences, internships, readings and lively discussions. In the field we learn from organizers, social justice advocates, policymakers, companies, elected officials, community residents, and many more politically engaged citizens. Internship experiences, approximately 15-18 hours per week, are integrated with both field work and discussions of readings to develop skills for political engagement.
Courses
- Contested Theories of Poverty, Inequality, and Social Change (reading seminar)
1 course credit / 4 credit hours - Social Policy and Anti-Poverty Strategies in Theory and Practice (field seminar)
1 course credit / 4 credit hours - Internship Placement and Integration Seminar
2 course credits / 8 credit hours
"I’ve become a political organizer for life! " - Jim, University of Minnesota – |
Total: 4 course credits / 16 credit hours
The four courses are taken as an integrated whole and provide the equivalent of a semester's worth of credit, i.e. four course credits, or sixteen semester hours.
Faculty
Extras
This program attracts students that are active, engaged and passionate about poverty and inequality and want to learn how to make a difference. Because this program is interdisciplinary we integrate elements of philosophy, economics, sociology, urban planning, organizing theory, geography, history, political science and many other fields. We welcome students from all levels, backgrounds, degrees and political visions.
If you would like to know more about the program fee, dates or other specific application information please visit the General Program Information page.
| Program Documentation |
(For students to share with advisers, faculty advisers, faculty committees,and/or study abroad administrators awarding credit equivalencies.)
| Sample Syllabus |
(A recent syllabus for the program.)
Check out the other USA programs:
| City Arts | Environmental Sustainability | Writing for Social Change |
