Our Political Science Department offers a unique set of courses in a weekend retreat-style format, allowing students to complete all required class time in just 6 days, over three weekends. These courses have start dates that are later than the normal academic schedule, which can help some students with schedule-juggling. For example, one of our classes doesn't start meeting until late September, and another doesn't start until late October.
These courses are in our New Directions program, which focuses on local non-profit, public, and community/labor leadership, by offering courses with a practical edge, emphasizing local political issues. Courses are They taught by lecturers with diverse backgrounds and deep experience in professional political fields. One instructor has deep experience in labor law and collective bargaining, another has served on Denver City Council and is an affordable housing leader, another has deep civic engagement and equity training experience. You can learn and advance your career prep studying with these “real-world” public leaders.
Here are three unique weekend courses offered this fall. You can find and enroll in these courses by searching the EXTENDED STUDIES campus when you search courses, rather than the "DENVER CAMPUS." Or simply contact Program Director Robin Kniech, and she'll get you squared away (robin.kniech@ucdenver.edu).
- Labor Law and Collective Bargaining, PSCI 5548. Unionization is on the rise in many sectors and understanding the evolution of the law and how bargaining works are valuable skills regardless of your career path: organizing, managing a non-profit, working in government or politics. Will be taught by Luis Ponce, who has a law degree and deep experience supporting bargaining with SEIU Local 105. This is a graduate level course, but interested undergrads can contact robin.kniech@ucdenver.edu to inquire about registering with program permission. Class starts the weekend of August 23-24.
- Community Organizing and Community Development. PSCI 5914/4914. In addition to exploring frameworks for social change and developing communities to reflect resident needs and priorities, this year's course will touch on modern, local organizing movements and the potential and limitations of different organizing models. This course will be taught by a lecturer with deep civic engagement and equity training experience, Emily Shamsid-Deen. Class starts the weekend of September 20-21.
- Urban Policy in Change: Special Topics PSCI 5008/4002. In addition to teaching local government and policy development basics with an eye toward advancing equity, the course will tackle issues like state efforts to limit local policymaking, federal threats to defund cities based on local policies, and other timely topics shaping the local policy-making landscape. Guest speakers will include some of the national leaders at the forefront of these tensions. Taught by New Directions Program Director, formerly Denver's first out LGBT City Councilwoman, Robin Kniech. Class starts the weekend of October 25-26.