Civic Engagement and Responsibility
Civic Engagement and Responsibility
Illinois State’s core values are at the heart of the civic engagement and responsibility minor. Students in the minor collaborate with community partners to create a more just and equitable world.
The minor includes an internship class: IDS 398.02a:Community-Engaged Internship. For more information about how to apply for the internship, please refer to the internship application packet. The internship course is a culmination of the minor as the student engages in some aspect of service learning in the community. Contact Wendi Whitman to learn about the internship opportunity and to learn how to apply for the minor.
The Minor in Civic Engagement and Responsibility also offers a special concentration for teacher education majors. You should consider this concentration if you have an interest in urban education and you want to collaborate with urban communities for advocacy and social justice.
The concentration includes courses that have a strong focus on diversity, anti-racism, and community-engaged classrooms. Many of these courses offer hands-on activities and assignments in urban schools and communities. The courses let you dig deeper and explore systemic issues of race, class, and privilege as you observe, interact, and apply your entire curriculum into your teacher identity and practice.
Why Study Civic Engagement and Responsibility?
The Civic Engagement and Responsibility minor prepares you to enact social change and to develop an awareness of personal social responsibility that includes active engagement in your communities. This interdisciplinary minor is open to students of any ideological viewpoint and can be matched with any major to broaden your learning experience and career perspectives. The minor gives you opportunities to sharpen your analysis of social issues, practice public problem solving skills, reflect on civic engagement experiences with an appreciation for individual and community strengths, and enact a commitment to ethical civic action.
Application Information
Minors can only be declared by current Illinois State students. Current students can use the Apply to Your Program tool on My.IllinoisState.edu.
Application Period
Applications for the Civic Engagement and Responsibility minor are always being accepted. Contact Wendi Whitman, minor advisor, for more information.
Academic Advising
| Name | Office | Phone | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Katy Strzepek | Center for Civic Engagement | kastrze@ilstu.edu | (309) 438-1199 | Minor Coordinator |
| Wendi Whitman | Fell 340 | wjwhitm@ilstu.edu | (309) 438-7604 | Minor Advisor |
Point of Pride
The Center for Civic Engagement supports our core value of civic engagement through programs, resources, and administrative support for campus initiatives like the American Democracy Project and the Civic Engagement and Responsibility minor.
We are the first and longest standing formal academic minor in the state of Illinois focused on civic engagement. Our Minor is interdisciplinary and our graduates and current students have majors in five of the six colleges.