Community Leadership: A PPE Framework (Micro-Credential)
Community Leadership is a three-course micro-credential that provides undergraduate students with an integrated set of skills and experiences from Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) that will enable them to practice social innovation and create positive change within their communities.
Skills you need. Proof you have them.
Our program is open to anyone interested in developing their abilities to analyze social problems from multiple perspectives, productively resolve conflicts, and engage diverse groups of people, all in order to devise sustainable solutions to those problems. Students in the program will also put those skills into practice by completing a community engagement project under the mentorship of a PPE faculty member.
EXPLORE THE MICRO-CREDENTIAL
Program Overview
Upon completion of the courses, volunteer service, community engagement project, and final report, students will earn a notation on their academic transcript, as well as a digital badge they can use on their digital résumé or social media profiles.
PHI 103 Introducing Philosophy, Politics & Economics (PPE): Ideas That Shape Your World
(Offered Fall)
Whether you’re destined for the boardroom, the campaign trail, or simply want to be a more informed citizen, Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) will equip you with the tools to navigate the complexities of our ever-changing world. In this exploratory, hands-on course, you will discover how to apply key concepts, theories, and ideas of PPE to better understand and approach social problems while working with others to solve them. You will also meet guest speakers from Buffalo and Western New York and hear how PPE influences their work in improving our own communities.
PHI 353 Negotiation & Conflict Resolution
(Offered Fall)
Conflict is an intractable feature of life, whether occurring between family members, friends, coworkers, political organizations, citizens, nations, and even within oneself. No matter what discipline or career you pursue, you will often find yourself in situations where your responsibility exceeds your authority. You must then be prepared to negotiate with others to do your job, advance your career, and even maintain meaningful personal relationships with your family and friends. Using the latest research in negotiation and conflict resolution, this course will prepare you for these challenges. First, we explore the nature of conflict while you reflect on your own personal tendencies when confronted with it. Second, we consider different tactics and strategies, ranging from simple bargaining to more nuanced conflict resolution techniques. Third, we examine how to more productively approach interpersonal interactions that may cause stress, anxiety, or frustration. Throughout, you will practice developing your powers of communication, persuasion, and conflict resolution in various class activities. Take these exercises seriously, and you will learn a great deal about yourself and finish the course better prepared to negotiate life’s inevitable conflicts.
PHI 498 Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity
(Available Fall & Spring)
Students engage in research, scholarship or creative activity under the guidance of faculty members or research professionals; requires a department faculty sponsor before registration.
Students must complete at least 25 hours of volunteer service, to be monitored by UB’s Office of Community & Civic Engagement.
These hours should be recorded and logged in UBLinked.
As a part of, and in conjunction with, PHI 498 (Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity), students will assist in completing a community engagement project that involves a diverse group of stakeholders in Western New York. The details of the project, along with the relevant group of stakeholders, will be worked out between the students and the instructor of PHI 498. (To illustrate, such a project might involve organizing a deliberative community forum on Buffalo’s role as a sanctuary city for immigrants and refugees.)
Upon completion of the community engagement project, students will create a final report (in the form of a slide deck in, for example, PowerPoint) detailing the results of that community engagement project along with the lessons learned from it.
Smaller than a minor, certificate or degree program, micro-credentials allow you to meet your personalized learning needs by gaining knowledge and skills in areas that are relevant to your academic or professional goals. Micro-credentials equip you with digital badges that showcase your achievements and all it took to get there.
When you complete a micro-credential program, you will earn a digital badge or a series of digital badges. A digital badge is a clickable icon that houses information, including the issuing institution, the date earned, the criteria required to earn the badge and evidence showing you have met that criteria.
Digital badges are dynamic credentials that you own, so you can decide how you want to use them. You can add your digital badges to your social media profiles, digital résumé, e-portfolio and more.
UB digital badges are issued through Acclaim, allowing you to display your skills and accomplishments to employers, colleagues and peers. For questions, contact the UB Office of Micro-Credentials via email: micro@buffalo.edu or call 716-645-1357.
Beyond the Micro-Credential
By completing this micro-credential in Community Leadership, students will also become excellent candidates for a variety of scholarships and felllowships, including the following:
The Truman Scholarship seeks juniors with exceptional leadership potential who are committed to careers in government, the nonprofit or advocacy sectors, education or elsewhere in the public service. The scholarship supports graduate or professional study, leadership training and fellowship with other scholars who are committed to making a difference through public service.
The Western New York (WNY) Prosperity Fellowship Program assists undergraduate and graduate students at UB and Canisius College with an entrepreneurial drive who are actively preparing for careers that further economic development and growth in the Western New York area. The fellowship program combines financial assistance, in the form of scholarships, with paid, credit-bearing internships to assist fellows in acquiring both academic and practical experiences in their intended professions. Fellows are given the opportunity to intern in their chosen fields of interest, where they work alongside and are mentored by leaders in upper-level management. Seeking entrepreneurs, leaders and innovators.
Students completing this micro-credential are highly encouraged to reach out to the Office of Fellowships and Scholarships to learn more about these and other opportunities!
Contact
We invite interested students to complete and submit the following form: