Civic Engagement and Community Leadership

The Civic Engagement and Community Leadership Track at Mount Wachusett Community College provides students with the opportunity to earn an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences. Upon completion of the program, students are prepared to transfer to a four-year institution to complete a baccalaureate degree. The Civic Engagement and Community Leadership Track offers a student the opportunity to explore their social responsibility while completing a core curriculum used for transfer. Students will gain knowledge in a variety of disciplines including math, science, the humanities and the social sciences.  

Civic Engagement and Community Leadership Track (LACE)

A Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences

Both civic knowledge and civic engagement are necessary to democracy. The Civic Engagement and Community Leadership track embodies this relationship; the material learned within a broad liberal arts and sciences curriculum is applied to current social, political, and economic issues.  Students acquire the skills, wisdom, and knowledge needed to make a difference in the civic life of their communities and the world. In addition, this program meets the requirements for the MassTransfer block agreement, which makes it a good fit for students planning to transfer to a four-year college. The subject matter of this concentration is relevant to most four-year degree programs, including economics, regional planning, business, philosophy, environmental science, history, political science, or government.

Year 1
FallCredits
ENG 101College Writing I 3
MAT 143Statistics(or higher) 3
PHL 110Logic 3
SOC 103Introduction To Sociology 3
Science Elective 1 3-4
Spring
ENG 102College Writing II 3
SPC 113Speech 3
Applied Ethics Elective I  3
Lab Science Elective 2 4
General Elective I 3 3
Year 2
Fall
Social and Cultural Studies Elective  3
Civics Elective I  3
Culturally Diverse Philosophy Elective  3
Literature Elective 4 3
General Elective II 3 3
Spring
ENG 290Advanced Writing and Research 3
ISC 225 or 120Professional Internship (or Community Service Learning Initiative) 3
Civics Elective II  3
Applied Ethics Elective II  3
Culturally Diverse Literature Elective  3
 Total Credits: 61-62

 Applied Ethics Electives

Credits
BUS 105Business Ethics3
CIS 136Data Ethics3
HUM 212Medical Ethics3
PHL 135Applied Ethics3
PHL 215Ethics and Animals3
PHL 218Environmental Ethics3

Social and Cultural Studies Electives

Credits
ANT 111Cultural Anthropology3
SOC 150Cultural Awareness 3
SOC 204Sociology of the African American3
SOC 205Social Problems3
SSC 120Perspectives On Leadership3

Civics Electives

Credits
GEO 129World And Cultural Geography3
HIS 113History Of Contemporary Issues3
HIS 121History Of The Constitution3
HIS 123History Of Modern America3
HIS 125American Ethnic History3
HIS 201History of United States I3
HIS 202History of United States II3
HIS 240History Of Ideas3
LAW 101Introduction To Law 3
POL 210American International Relations3
POL 211Introduction to American Government and Politics3
POL 250Political Thought In America3

Culturally Diverse Philosophy Electives

Credits
PHL 180World Philosophy3
PHL 201Introduction To Philosophical Issues3
PHL 210Levels Of Being3
PHL 220Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy3
PHL 250Moral Philosophy3

 Culturally Diverse Literature Electives

Credits
ENG 202American Immigrant Literature3
ENG 212Comics as Literature3
ENG 221Women's Literature3
ENG 230From P-Town to Great Barrington: A Virtual Journey with Massachusetts Poets 3
ENG 234Norse Mythology and the Viking World3
ENG 235Children's Literature3
ENG 236Modern Drama3
ENG 237Queer Voices in Literature3
ENG 261The Short Story3
1

Science Electives: See Elective Courses by Abbreviation.

2

Lab Science Electives: See Elective Courses by Abbreviation.

3

General Electives: See General Electives Exceptions

4

Literature Electives: See Elective Courses by Abbreviation.

 
 

See Civic Engagement and Community Leadership program student learning outcomes and technical standards

Transfer Options

For transfer options, please click here. It is recommended that you also consult with your academic advisor.

MassTransfer

Students who plan to transfer to a Massachusetts state university or a University of Massachusetts campus may be eligible to transfer under the MassTransfer agreement, which provides transfer advantages to those who qualify.

Please click here for MassTransfer information

Special Requirements

Technical standards must be met with or without accommodations.

Program Student Learning Outcomes for LACE

Upon graduation from this program, students shall have the ability to:

  • Formulate clear and precise questions about complex problems and ideas relevant to a variety of disciplines—math, science, the humanities, and the social sciences—and gather, assess, and interpret information to arrive at well-reasoned conclusions and solutions.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of complex written texts that demand an appreciation of subtext, irony, metaphor, and the subtlety and nuances of language.
  • Successfully complete a substantial research paper that demonstrates the ability to formulate a research question, conduct research using the library’s databases, and synthesize information from a variety of sources into a cohesive and in-depth analysis of a topic.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of historic, social, and cultural backgrounds necessary for understanding their own and other societies with an emphasis on important ideas and events that have shaped, and continue to shape, their world.
  • Demonstrate scientific literacy, which can be defined as the matrix of knowledge needed to understand enough about the universe to deal with issues that come across the horizon of the average citizen, in the news or elsewhere.
  • Demonstrate a broad exposure to, and an understanding of, the differences and similarities in the various academic disciplines within their Liberal Arts education.
  • Successfully transfer to a baccalaureate degree granting institution if desired, with the proper educational foundation for transition into a chosen field of study.

Capstone Course for LACE

ENG 290 Advanced Writing and Research is the required capstone course for some Liberal Arts & Sciences majors and is to be taken after successfully completing ENG 101 College Writing I, ENG 102 College Writing II and at least  45 college-level credits.

Technical Standards1 for LACE

1

For general information about technical standards and accommodation, see Technical Standards.

Students entering these programs must be able to demonstrate the ability to:

  • Comprehend textbook material at the 11th grade level.
  • Communicate and assimilate information either in spoken, printed, signed, or computer voice format.
  • Gather, analyze, and draw conclusions from data.
  • Work as a member of a team.