Competency development — growth over time — forms the core of the CS program.  Competencies are developed purposefully through activities, experiences, and interactions; documented regularly through informal and end-of-semester reflections; and mobilized toward positive social transformation through academic and community projects.

Immediately below we start with an overview of the program competencies framed by the three major phases (Exploration, Immersion, Implementation). Click here to see the program framed by the four themes (Global Awareness, Discovery and Interpretation, Connecting and Facilitating, Community Engagement).

Exploration: Phase 1

Demonstrates interest in, knowledge about, sensitivity toward, and respect for others; reflects on experiences with diversity and relationship of self and other:

  • Shows openness to different experiences and recognition of own cultural background, and that of others.
  • Demonstrates respect for different experiences, attitudes, and values, exhibits an awareness of own cultural norms and assumptions, and situates them in relation to those of other cultures/groups.

Demonstrates awareness of how diversity emerges within and across cultures, and puts that awareness into action:

  • Recognizes and is able to give examples of differing definitions and expressions of culture and identity; also of how culture and identity are specific to context (time and location) and subject to change
  • Recognizes, is able to discuss, and can give examples of how individuals identify with, and move across, communities and cultural/social contexts; also how community or identity alignments shift, fluctuate, and/or are transformed over time and circumstance.

Recognizes and understands basic aspects of local, national, and global economic, political, and cultural dynamics:

  • Is able to understand and explain, at a basic level, how local and national government systems, social structures, and policy decisions are affected by global economic and political factors
  • Is able to understand and explain, at a basic level, the connections between a range of globally-shaped conditions and effects, and grassroots and larger-scale responses and resistances.

Defines a social justice challenge, and engages in activities to understand that challenge:

  • Recognizes that multiple perspectives, audiences, sources, and types of information exist these differences affect our reception and communication of ideas, views, values, and concepts 
  • Recognizes that it is necessary to evaluate and account for such differences in creating strategies for effective understanding and communicating

Makes effective use of those discoveries to inform targeted audiences of the problem and possible ways to approach that problem:

  • Recognizes the role that stakeholders, mentors, key community members, and audience play in impactful, community- centered issues

Identifies how contexts affect communication strategies and practices:

  • Recognizes that communication depends on a variety of factors, including audience, context, structure, and linguistic and cultural landscapes
  • Identifies communication as an interactive, purposeful, and consequential process that is informed by and formed through community dynamics (including history, roles, members, and relationships)

Recognizes and translates experiences and knowledge from one context to another:

  • Is able to summarize and identify specific skills, capacities, and competencies gained in academic, co-curricular, and extracurricular contexts; also to describe how they were gained (through what activities and experiences)
  • Translates understanding of skills, capacities, and competencies into capabilities needed for real-world impact

Understands that inclusive, equitable, and anti-oppressive values are a necessary basis for instigating positive social transformation: 

  • Understands self as having the capacity to increase inclusiveness and open participatory opportunity, build equitable relationships, and expand the diversity of networks
  • Recognizes the value of various leadership styles; understands the effects and applications of various leadership styles in specific social transformation contexts

Articulates an understanding of civic engagement as a practice, of what shapes people’s capacity and motivation to participate, and of how it can contribute to positive social transformation:

  • Understands the range of variables that affect contexts of civic engagement (e.g. context, engagement, motivation, participation)
  • Can articulate how policies, conditions, and experiences shape the lives of citizens, aspiring citizens, or non-citizens in a particular community or society

Understands and communicates how to engage ethically with community, taking into account the differences in perspective, need, and capacity of stakeholders and other participants:

  • Understands how academics take up the role of citizen scholars by attending events or participating in interactions focused on public humanities outreach and engagement
  • Understands some specific needs of the MSU, local, regional, national, and/or global communities, and how those communities and needs are connected

Immersion: Phase 2

Demonstrates interest in, knowledge about, sensitivity toward, and respect for others; reflects on experiences with diversity and relationship of self and other:

  • Engages and/or participates in environments that are defined by productive and respectful relationships in intercultural contexts
  • Moves respectfully and self-reflectively across cultural boundaries; is sensitive to and understanding of commonalities and differences, and evaluates how both aspects contribute to a deeper understanding of self, others, and relationships between them

Demonstrates awareness of how diversity emerges within and across cultures:

  • Investigates, analyzes, and understands how culture and identity evolve and are expressed in multiple contexts, and how they change within and across contexts, especially on a global scale
  • Demonstrates knowledge about how community, identity, and cultural values can serve as the basis for connection, coalition, and collaboration

Recognizes and understands basic aspects of local, national, and global economic, political, and cultural dynamics:

  • Connects negative environmental and human conditions in a particular geographic context to economic and political agendas, policies, and influences from within and beyond that context (likely through a course project beyond CS)
  • Provides an in-depth view of the relationship between an issue in a particular locality and broader regional, national, and global influences. (Likely connected to the course project, above)

Defines a social justice challenge, and engages in activities to understand that challenge:

  • Defines and designs an approach to a question or problem related to an issue that has impact on the world
  • Creates and maintains a portfolio folder of materials relating to this project
  • Accesses and utilizes sources to support the defined approach
  • Identifies biases, strengths, and weaknesses of information sources. Uses analysis to defend information choices and reach original conclusions

Makes effective use of those discoveries to inform targeted audiences of the problem and possible ways to approach that problem:

  • Synthesizes materials and information to plan and define a project aimed at public audiences beyond MSU

Identifies how contexts affect communication strategies and practices:

  • Articulates the role of complex communication and community dynamics (identified in Phase 1) in planning, approaching, and engaging in social transformation projects

Recognizes and translates experiences and knowledge from one context to another:

  • Articulates strategies for using skills, capacities, and competencies to engage effectively in positive social transformation across various contexts (e.g. within and beyond the university)

Understands that inclusive, equitable, and anti-oppressive values are a necessary basis for instigating positive social transformation:

  • Articulates how skills, capacities, and competencies can be put into action to form connections and build relationships across various contexts of positive social transformation

Articulates an understanding of civic engagement as a practice, of what shapes people’s capacity and motivation to participate, and of how it can contribute to positive social transformation:

  • Recognizes that community members (including oneself) can participate in social transformation through multiple entry points. Situates this involvement as relating (and often responding) to such policies, conditions, and experiences 

Understands and communicates how to engage ethically with community, taking into account the differences in perspective, need, and capacity of stakeholders and other participants:

  • Can define a civic or community problems or issue, research the legal, social, and/or political aspects of that problem or issue, and identify possible solutions 
  • Develops a plan for engaging with the community in connection with a problem or issue s/he has defined and researched

Implementation: Phase 3

Demonstrates interest in, knowledge about, sensitivity toward, and respect for others; reflects on experiences with diversity and relationship of self and other:

  • Continue developing Phase 2 Competencies

Demonstrates awareness of how diversity emerges within and across cultures:

  • Effectively puts understanding of culture and identity (as dynamic, evolving, and complex), into action in intercultural contexts, and/or for the purposes of positive social change

Recognizes and understands basic aspects of local, national, and global economic, political, and cultural dynamics:

  • Demonstrates capacity to articulate, incorporate, and connect Phase 1 and Phase 2 concepts in social transformation-oriented work

Defines a social justice challenge, and engages in activities to understand that challenge:

  • Refines form and content of Discovery Project, prepares to present it to targeted audiences

Makes effective use of those discoveries to inform targeted audiences of the problem and possible ways to approach that problem:

  • Implements the strategies designed above to create a meaningful presentation for public knowledge on this issue or question.
  • Collaborates on a Community Engagement Project that puts synthesized knowledge, competencies, and commitments into action to address a significant social challenge

Identifies how contexts affect communication strategies and practices:

  • Demonstrates the ability to put into practice the awareness of complex communication and community dynamics (from Phase 2), through the planning and implementation of a social transformation project

Recognizes and translates experiences and knowledge from one context to another:

  • Demonstrates the ability to translate and apply skills, capacities, and competencies within and across specific social transformation contexts

Understands that inclusive, equitable, and anti-oppressive values are a necessary basis for instigating positive social transformation:

  • Demonstrates the capacity to choose, engage in, and justify various types of interactions as forms of appropriate leadership that facilitate and support inclusive, equitable, and anti-oppressive dynamics; puts these forms of leadership into action within a socially transformative project

Articulates an understanding of civic engagement as a practice, of what shapes people’s capacity and motivation to participate, and of how it can contribute to positive social transformation:

  • Incorporates understanding from previous levels into a community engagement that involves respectful, inclusive practices and collaboration

Understands and communicates how to engage ethically with community, taking into account the differences in perspective, need, and capacity of stakeholders and other participants:

  • Engages with civic concerns, questions, and debates about policy and practice; implements a plan to address a specific issue; organizes, and facilitates opportunities through which s/he can undertake a community-based social justice project, and other people can participate 

Click below to engage with the program framework by the four themes.

To engage with the program framework using the three major phases (Exploration, Immersion, Implementation)

Global Awareness

Demonstrates interest in, knowledge about, sensitivity toward, and respect for others; reflects on experiences with diversity and relationship of self and other: 

  • Shows openness to different experiences and recognition of own cultural background, and that of others
  • Demonstrates respect for different experiences, attitudes, and values, exhibits an awareness of own cultural norms and assumptions, and situates them in relation to those of other cultures/groups

Demonstrates awareness of how diversity emerges within and across cultures, and puts that awareness into action: 

  • Recognizes and is able to give examples of differing definitions and expressions of culture and identity; also of how culture and identity are specific to context (time and location) and subject to change
  • Recognizes, is able to discuss, and can give examples of how individuals identify with, and move across, communities and cultural/social contexts; also how community or identity alignments shift, fluctuate, and/or are transformed over time and circumstance

Recognizes and understands basic aspects of local, national, and global economic, political, and cultural dynamics:

  • Is able to understand and explain, at a basic level, how local and national government systems, social structures, and policy decisions are affected by global economic and political factors
  • Is able to understand and explain, at a basic level, the connections between a range of globally-shaped conditions and effects, and grassroots and larger-scale responses and resistances

Demonstrates interest in, knowledge about, sensitivity toward, and respect for others; reflects on experiences with diversity and relationship of self and other:

  • Engages and/or participates in environments that are defined by productive and respectful relationships in intercultural contexts
  • Moves respectfully and self-reflectively across cultural boundaries; is sensitive to and understanding of commonalities and differences, and evaluates how both aspects contribute to a deeper understanding of self, others, and relationships between them

Demonstrates awareness of how diversity emerges within and across cultures:

  • Investigates, analyzes, and understands how culture and identity evolve and are expressed in multiple contexts, and how they change within and across contexts, especially on a global scale
  • Demonstrates knowledge about how community, identity, and cultural values can serve as the basis for connection, coalition, and collaboration (see Connecting and Facilitating, and Civic Engagement)

Recognizes and understands basic aspects of local, national, and global economic, political, and cultural dynamics:

  • Connects negative environmental and human conditions in a particular geographic context to economic and political agendas, policies, and influences from within and beyond that context (likely though a course project beyond CS)
  • Provides an in-depth view of the relationship between an issue in a particular locality and broader regional, national, and global influences. (Likely connected to the course project, above)

Demonstrates interest in, knowledge about, sensitivity toward, and respect for others; reflects on experiences with diversity and relationship of self and other:

  • Continue developing Phase 2 Competencies

Demonstrates awareness of how diversity emerges within and across cultures:

  • Effectively puts understanding of culture and identity (as dynamic, evolving, and complex), into action in intercultural contexts, and/or for the purposes of positive social change

Recognizes and understands basic aspects of local, national, and global economic, political, and cultural dynamics:

  • Demonstrates capacity to articulate, incorporate, and connect Phase 1 and Phase 2 concepts in social transformation-oriented work

Discovery and Interpretation

Defines a social justice challenge, and engages in activities to understand that challenge (building toward Discovery Project and Community Engagement Project in Phases 2 and 3):

  • Recognizes that multiple perspectives, audiences, sources, and types of information exist these differences affect our reception and communication of ideas, views, values, and concepts 
  • Recognizes that it is necessary to evaluate and account for such differences in creating strategies for effective understanding and communicating

Makes effective use of those discoveries to inform targeted audiences of the problem and possible ways to approach that problem (building toward Discovery Project and Community Engagement Project in Phases 2 and 3):

  • Recognizes the role that stakeholders, mentors, key community members, and audience play in impactful, community- centered issues

Defines a social justice challenge, and engages in activities to understand that challenge (Discovery Project and Community Engagement Project):

  • Defines and designs an approach to a question or problem related to an issue that has impact on the world
  • Creates and maintains a portfolio folder of materials relating to this project
  • Accesses and utilizes sources to support the defined approach
  • Identifies biases, strengths, and weaknesses of information sources. Uses analysis to defend information choices and reach original conclusions

Makes effective use of those discoveries to inform targeted audiences of the problem and possible ways to approach that problem (building toward Discovery Project and Community Engagement Project in Phases 2 and 3): 

  • Synthesizes materials and information to plan and define a project aimed at public audiences beyond MSU

Defines a social justice challenge, and engages in activities to understand that challenge (Discovery Project and Community Engagement Project):

  • Refines form and content of Discovery Project, prepares to present it to targeted audiences

Makes effective use of those discoveries to inform targeted audiences of the problem and possible ways to approach that problem (building toward Discovery Project and Community Engagement Project in Phases 2 and 3):

  • Implements the strategies designed above to create a meaningful presentation for public knowledge on this issue or question.
  • Collaborates on a Community Engagement Project that puts synthesized knowledge, competencies, and commitments into action to address a significant social challenge

Connecting and Facilitating:

Identifies how contexts affect communication strategies and practices:

  • Recognizes that communication depends on a variety of factors, including audience, context, structure, and linguistic and cultural landscapes
  • Identifies communication as an interactive, purposeful, and consequential process that is informed by and formed through community dynamics (including history, roles, members, and relationships)

Recognizes and translates experiences and knowledge from one context to another: 

  • Is able to summarize and identify specific skills, capacities, and competencies gained in academic, co-curricular, and extracurricular contexts; also to describe how they were gained (through what activities and experiences)
  • Translates understanding of skills, capacities, and competencies into capabilities needed for real-world impact

Understands that inclusive, equitable, and anti-oppressive values are a necessary basis for instigating positive social transformation:

  • Understands self as having the capacity to increase inclusiveness and open participatory opportunity, build equitable relationships, and expand the diversity of networks
  • Recognizes the value of various leadership styles; understands the effects and applications of various leadership styles in specific social transformation contexts

Identifies how contexts affect communication strategies and practices:

  • Articulates the role of complex communication and community dynamics (identifies in phase 1) in planning, approaching, and engaging in social transformation projects

Recognizes and translates experiences and knowledge from one context to another: 

  • Articulates strategies for using skills, capacities, and competencies to engage effectively in positive social transformation across various contexts (e.g. within and beyond the university)

Understands that inclusive, equitable, and anti-oppressive values are a necessary basis for instigating positive social transformation: 

  • Articulates how skills, capacities, and competencies can be put into action to form connections and build relationships across various contexts of positive social transformation

Identifies how contexts affect communication strategies and practices:

  • Demonstrates the ability to put into practice the awareness of complex communication and community dynamics (from Phase 2), through the planning and implementation of a social transformation project

Recognizes and translates experiences and knowledge from one context to another:

  • Demonstrates the ability to translate and apply skills, capacities, and competencies within and across specific social transformation contexts

Understands that inclusive, equitable, and anti-oppressive values are a necessary basis for instigating positive social transformation:

  • Demonstrates the capacity to choose, engage in, and justify various types of interactions as forms of appropriate leadership that facilitate and support inclusive, equitable, and anti-oppressive dynamics; puts these forms of leadership into action within a socially transformative project

Community Engagement

Articulates an understanding of civic engagement as a practice, of what shapes people’s capacity and motivation to participate, and of how it can contribute to positive social transformation:

  • Understands the range of variables that affect contexts of civic engagement (e.g. context, engagement, motivation, participation)
  • Can articulate how policies, conditions, and experiences shape the lives of citizens, aspiring citizens, or non-citizens in a particular community or society

Understands and communicates how to engage ethically with community, taking into account the differences in perspective, need, and capacity of stakeholders and other participants:

  • Understands how academics take up the role of citizen scholars by attending events or participating in interactions focused on public humanities outreach and engagement
  • Understands some specific needs of the MSU, local, regional, national, and/or global communities, and how those communities and needs are connected

Articulates an understanding of civic engagement as a practice, of what shapes people’s capacity and motivation to participate, and of how it can contribute to positive social transformation:

  • Recognizes that community members (including oneself) can participate in social transformation through multiple entry points. Situates this involvement as relating (and often responding) to such policies, conditions, and experiences (articulated in previous level)

Understands and communicates how to engage ethically with community, taking into account the differences in perspective, need, and capacity of stakeholders and other participants:

  • Can define a civic or community problems or issue, research the legal, social, and/or political aspects of that problem or issue, and identify possible solutions 
  • Develops a plan for engaging with the community in connection with a problem or issue s/he has defined and researched

Articulates an understanding of civic engagement as a practice, of what shapes people’s capacity and motivation to participate, and of how it can contribute to positive social transformation:

  • Incorporates understanding from previous levels into a community engagement that involves respectful, inclusive practices and collaboration

Understands and communicates how to engage ethically with community, taking into account the differences in perspective, need, and capacity of stakeholders and other participants:

  • Engages with civic concerns, questions, and debates about policy and practice; implements a plan to address a specific issue; organizes, and facilitates opportunities through which s/he can undertake a community-based social justice project, and other people can participate