Labor Leadership Certificate (BA or MA)
Who can apply for this certificate?
This certificate is available to both undergraduates and graduates.
How many courses are required to complete this certificate?
Students may take any FIVE classes (15 credits total) from the approved coursework list at their respective level (undergrad or grad) to complete the certificate. For advising or questions about specifics on coursework, please email the New Directions Director, Steve Delcastillo: steve.delcastillo@ucdenver.edu.
Can I complete this certificate online?
Yes!
What are the requirements to apply?
- For BA certificate: Anyone with a high school diploma or GED equivalent
- For the MA certificate: Anyone with a BA degree at an accredited college.
What is the cost of tuition?
Tuition: $1,300 per class, for 15 weeks.
What will students learn?
- How the labor movement in the U.S. has evolved and progressed over time
- How to build a broader labor movement in the U.S. in connection with other social movements.
- Practical and case-study knowledge about labor organizing and grassroots campaigns
- How to become a more effective worker leader or a labor organizer.
- How to adopt theories to specific situations to build a practical labor campaign.
For more information or questions, please email the New Directions Director, Steve Delcastillo: steve.delcastillo@ucdenver.edu
The Labor Leadership Certificate's Learning Outcomes
Undergraduate Learning Outcomes for the Labor Leadership Certificate
Undergraduate Labor Leadership Certificate
Outcomes Assessment Plan
Certificate’s Educational Goals: This credit-bearing undergraduate certificate develops academic and professional skills that will support students pursuing labor-focused activism and careers in labor organizations, in community settings or in the government sector. The BA certificate in Labor Leadership is targeted to labor union leaders, rank and file members, and community-based organizational staff who seek continuing education regarding labor leadership. The certificate is differentiated from the graduate level certificate by its emphasis on professional skill development relevant to community, labor and governmental settings, rather than an emphasis on advanced academic research and writing skills.
Certificate Learning Outcomes: Those who complete the labor studies certificate will be able to:
- Critique community and labor organizing strategies, across time and place, and understand which strategies are most applicable to various situations
- Analyze how local labor challenges are connected to global dynamics
- Understand how governmental policies and practices affect labor dynamics
- Effectively communicate regarding labor empowerment policies and strategies in labor, community, and governmental settings
Curriculum and Assessment Map: The Labor Leadership certificate requires students to complete four undergraduate courses. Two are required and two are electives, from an approved list of labor leadership courses.
- PSCI 4545 Labor and Working Class Politics Required
- PSCI 4550 Labor, Unions and the Global Economy Required
- PSCI 4548 Labor Law and Collective Bargaining Elective
- PSCI 4914 Community Organizing and Community Development Elective
- PSCI 4002 Special Topics in Labor Politics Elective, upon Dept. Approval
Additional labor studies courses are being developed (such as “Labor and Social Movements” and “Labor Union Administration”), and when they are approved through Departmental and campus processes, they will be additional electives available to students.
The table on the next page maps the learning objectives to the two required three courses (PSCI 4545 and PSCI 4550), and provides examples of typical assessments for each course with respect to each learning objective.
|
Learning Objective |
PSCI 4545 |
PSCI 4550 |
|---|---|---|
|
Critique Community and Labor Organizing Strategies |
Class Papers & Oral Presentation Evaluation |
Class Papers & Oral Presentation Evaluation |
|
Understand How Local Labor Issues Connect to Global Dynamics |
|
Class Papers and Oral Presentation Evaluation |
|
Understand how Government Policies & Practices Affect Labor |
Class Papers & Oral Presentation Evaluation |
|
|
Effectively Communicate in Public Settings |
Class Papers, Oral Presentations, and Observation of Student in Field Meetings |
|
Assessment Data Collection and Analysis: Assessment for each learning objective for each student will be undertaken at the time of either of these two required classes are completed, using the rubrics below. Assessments will be conducted by reviewing relevant course records, and in consultation with relevant instructors. Assessment of achievement of learning outcomes for all students in the course will be conducted, providing evidence of the extent to which the opportunity to master learning objectives was provided to certificate student who might have been in the courses.
Learning Outcome 1: Critique community and labor organizing strategies, across time and place, and understand which strategies are most applicable to various situations
|
Category |
Percentage of Students |
Rubric |
|---|---|---|
|
Exceeds Expectations |
|
Demonstrates a sophisticated understanding effective community and labor organizing strategies, across either time or place. Demonstrates a nuanced and comparative understanding of the possible opportunities and limitations associated with different organizing strategies. |
|
Meets Expectations |
|
Demonstrates a solid understanding of effective community and labor organizing strategies, but lacks evidence of a sophisticated ability to compare the benefits and limitations of different strategies, across either time or place. |
|
Below Expectations |
|
Demonstrates a limited understanding of effective community and labor organizing strategies, and lacks evidence of ability to effectively compare the benefits and limitations of different strategies, across either time or place. |
Learning Outcome 2: Analyze how local labor challenges are connected to global dynamics
|
Category |
Percentage of Students |
Rubric |
|---|---|---|
|
Exceeds Expectations |
|
Demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of how local labor challenges and opportunities are connected to the dynamics of the global political economy
|
|
Meets Expectations |
|
Demonstrates clear understanding of how local labor challenges and opportunities are connected to the dynamics of the global political economy. Student may not have demonstrated unusually deep or sophisticated understanding of global political-economic dynamics, or of local manifestations of those dynamics, or both. |
|
Below Expectations |
|
Demonstrates no more than a basic understanding of how local labor challenges and opportunities are connected to the dynamics of the global political economy. Student did not demonstrate deep or sophisticated understanding of either global political-economic dynamics, or of local manifestations of those dynamics. |
Learning Outcome 3: Analyze how Government Policies and Practices Affect Labor Dynamics
|
Category |
Percentage of Students |
Rubric |
|---|---|---|
|
Exceeds Expectations |
|
Demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of a broad range of government policies and practices and how those policies and practices shape labor outcomes and labor power in differing jurisdictions. Student can identify multiple meaningful policies with specificity, and detail how those specific policies have shaped specific outcomes in particular times and places. |
|
Meets Expectations |
|
Demonstrates clear understanding of a range of government policies and practices and how those policies and practices shape labor outcomes and labor power in differing jurisdictions. Student can identify categories of policies (but not recall names and histories of specific policies). Student can identify how different types of polices share general labor outcomes, but does not provide in depth details about how specific policies have shaped specific outcomes in particular times and places. |
|
Below Expectations |
|
Student work demonstrates only limited understanding and lacks comprehensiveness or depth in identifying specific policies, or even categories of policies, and how they impact labor outcomes and power across society, or in a particular jurisdiction. Student lacks details regarding names, histories, and social impacts of specific labor policies. |
Learning Outcome 4: Effectively communicate regarding labor empowerment policies and strategies in labor, community, and governmental settings
|
Category |
Percentage |
Rubric |
|---|---|---|
|
Exceeds Expectations |
|
Demonstrates a sophisticated ability to communicate regarding labor empowerment policies and strategies in a variety of labor, community and governmental field settings. Oral and/or written communication strategies are tailored to the specific audience, and feedback from those who received the communication is exceptionally positive. Feedback from “audience” members might be delivered in various ways: directly observed by faculty member if faculty member is in attendance at field meetings, shared with faculty member in personal communications after field meetings, or shared by student with the faculty member in class sessions or office advisements. |
|
Meets Expectations |
|
Demonstrates a solid ability to communicate regarding labor empowerment policies and strategies in a variety of labor, community and governmental field settings. . Though well-written or delivered, class products may not be well-tailored to the audience in question (such as governmental organizations, community organizations, or worker gatherings). Feedback from “audience” members might be delivered in various ways: directly observed by faculty member if faculty member is in attendance at field meetings, shared with faculty member in personal communications after field meetings, or shared by student with the faculty member in class sessions or office advisements |
|
Below Expectations |
|
Struggles to conceive or execute organized and polished presentations, whether written or oral. Final products may lack evidence of careful review or practice before submission/delivery. Class products may not be poorly tailored to the audience in question (such as governmental organizations, community organizations, or worker gatherings). Feedback from “audience” members might be delivered in various ways: directly observed by faculty member if faculty member is in attendance at field meetings, shared with faculty member in personal communications after field meetings, or shared by student with the faculty member in class sessions or office advisements |
Schedule for Learning Outcomes Assessment
Achievement of learning outcomes for each student will be assessed at the conclusion of any of the required certificate courses. Data will be reported upon the completion of the certificate by five or more students. Responsibility for the assessment process will be with the Certificate Coordinator and Department Chair.
Graduate-Level Learning Outcomes for the Labor Leadership Certificate
