The Social and Applied Sciences Department offers a broad range of coursework in: Africana Studies, Anthropology, Child Development, Criminal Justice, Economics, Education, Geography, History, Political Science, Psychology, Social Service and Sociology. While each distinct discipline represents a sophisticated and innovative approach to evaluating society, human interaction, social justice, and cultural diversity, the overall departmental goal is to empower students to examine critically and to affect positively their personal, professional and civic lives.
The Social and Applied Sciences Department is one of the largest departments at Harold Washington College with 12 full-time faculty and approaching fifty adjunct faculty. Our teaching faculty are talented individuals who participate regularly in scholarly activity, professional development, improving student learning, and other civic contributions to their own communities. Numerous faculty have local, regional, national, and international profiles within their disciplines.
All Social and Applied Sciences faculty support the Mission of Harold Washington College and strive to maximize student opportunities to excel in academics, personal and professional development, and key skills for an ever-changing economy.
The Social and Applied Sciences Department offers an array of college certificates, credentials, and both the Associate in Arts and the Associate of Applied Science degrees. Regardless of the specific course, program or degree pathway, successful Social and Applied Sciences students will be able to:
- Reason Theoretically: Analyze, question and implement key theoretical perspectives in the social and applied sciences.
- Value Diversity: Distinguish broad aspects of human and systemic diversity to value change and continuity within individuals, cultures and societies so that this can contribute to a just and equitable life.
- Utilize Methodological and technological skills: Evaluate and practice problem-solving skills that can be applied to the self, to others, and to social issues and phenomena of the past, present and future. Support ideas, decisions and actions with logically structured research through oral and written communications.
- Validate Community: Interact and work together in ways that demonstrate the importance of numerous communities and actors. Collaborate within school and in the wider world in ways that value connectivity, responsibility, and activism.
Last but not least, the Social and Applied Sciences Department maintains a commitment to connecting civic engagment with the student learning experience. To that end, all of our courses incorporate civic engagment-oriented outcomes, ranging from conceptual to applied:
- Define and interpret civic engagement.
- Evaluate popular depictions of identity in order to determine the prevalence and impact of stereotypes.
- Analyze how and the extent to which civic engagement/activism has led to institutional change.
- Assess the quality of life within a community and devise strategies for improvement.
- Implement solutions in order to support community members.
These departmental student learning outcomes were derived from hundreds of pre-existing course SLO’s and refined with respect to a broader definition of civic engagement itself. Moreover, associated assignments and activities thrive within and extend well beyond the classroom, emphasizing the way in which Social and Applied Science students have an opportunity to become civically aware and activated beyond graduation.