THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Addresses policies, trends, and debates in the evolution of the American community college from the beginning of the 20th century to the present, as well as current research on the community college and the diverse body of students it serves. Topics include, but are not limited to, governance and administration, faculty and advising, credential completion and transfer, enrollment patterns, developmental education, complexities surrounding students' goals and aspirations, and the cooling-out versus warming-up effect of the community college. Through class discussions and the culminating course project (research study or policy proposal), course participants will engage in a critical, scholarly examination of the American community college, considering its strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities and challenges within the broader context of education.
Topics
- but are not limited to
- governance and administration
- faculty and advising
- credential completion and transfer
- enrollment patterns
- developmental education
- complexities surrounding students' goals and aspirations
- and the cooling-out versus warming-up effect of the community college
Topics explicitly listed in official catalogue description
Prerequisites & course information
Requisites: Graduate Students Only Course Designation: Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Fall 2025 Learning Outcomes: 1. Understand the history of community colleges and their missions, policies, and programs Audience: Graduate 2. Develop a strong knowledge base of a broad range of contemporary topics and pressing questions concerning the community college and its students Audience: Graduate 3. Identify and elaborate on policies, trends, and issues that influence current community college education and discuss their impact on future policies and practices Audience: Graduate 4. Enhance expertise in one or two current research/policy topics on the community college Audience: Graduate 5. Cultivate the capacity to critically evaluate existing empirical evidence and to plan and conduct original research or develop a policy proposal grounded within sound evidence Audience: Graduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Understand the history of community colleges and their missions, policies, and programs Audience: Graduate 2. Develop a strong knowledge base of a broad range of contemporary topics and pressing questions concerning the community college and its students Audience: Graduate 3. Identify and elaborate on policies, trends, and issues that influence current community college education and discuss their impact on future policies and practices Audience: Graduate 4. Enhance expertise in one or two current research/policy topics on the community college Audience: Graduate 5. Cultivate the capacity to critically evaluate existing empirical evidence and to plan and conduct original research or develop a policy proposal grounded within sound evidence Audience: Graduate
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027