The Undergraduate Minor in Community Organizing (C.O.) is a 15-credit, interdisciplinary minor program at Hunter College, established in 2017. The minor is offered through the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College (SSSW), in collaboration with 12 departments and programs in the School of Arts and Sciences, and Hunter’s Community Health Program.
The Community Organizing Minor is open to all Hunter College undergraduates in their junior and senior years. Currently, all courses available toward the minor are held at the Silberman School of Social Work in East Harlem.
Community organizing is one of the central pillars of social welfare practice, research, and policy. Community organizers mobilize both people and resources to solve social problems at the neighborhood, city, state, and national levels; and execute social reform initiatives for community well-being, change, and social justice. The minor prepares students for this meaningful, active form of impact. It offers undergraduates a unique opportunity to learn and utilize the fundamentals of effective community organizing through Silberman — New York’s oldest public school of social work, defined by its commitment to community empowerment and its role in the nation’s largest, most diverse urban public university.
The Community Organizing Minor is distinct from the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program, which grants a pre-professional bachelor’s degree. The minor allows undergraduates to complement their chosen major in a non-social work field with a special focus on community organizing. Students who minor in Community Organizing may also be interested in applying in the future for Silberman’s MSW with a concentration in Community Organizing, Planning and Development.
Courses
Students who pursue the Community Organizing Minor will take three core courses (3 credits each):
- SW 36000 – Introduction to Community Organizing (offered in fall)
- SW 46000 – Advanced Community Organizing Theory and Practice (offered in spring)
- SW 37000 – Community Organizing Internship and Field Seminar (offered in spring).
Students will also enrich these core preparations with two additional electives (3 credits each), chosen from a list of approved courses across several Hunter College departments and programs. (Please see Hunter College course catalogue and click on Minor Requisites – Electives.) Note: Electives do not need to come from the same department. You can pick electives from multiple departments; however, electives that are already being used to apply to your major cannot also apply to your minor. Please consult with your advisor for further information.
If you are a transfer student or have questions about the applicability of a course not listed in the Hunter course catalogue, please contact the Minor Program Coordinator, Jamie Borgan at jb7921@hunter.cuny.edu
Declaring the Community Organizing Minor: Please speak to your advisor to make sure you understand all of the requirements of your major, as well as how you will fulfill all requirements of the Community Organizing Minor. If you are interested in declaring the Minor, please email the Program Coordinator at jb7921@hunter.cuny.edu
