Courses
MACD 5000 Ethical and Biblical Foundations of Urban Community Development (required)
This course examines the understanding of ethics as an effort to ask the significant questions regarding the claims of justice within and between communities. Central in this course is the religious understanding that affirms that justice and love are rooted in the nature of being and are the foundations of community. Featuring nationally known speakers, this foundational course is presented as a resource to the community development constituency in Chicago.MACD 5100 Social Change and Urban Systems (required)
Using Chicago as its primary laboratory, this course will examine both the theory and the reality of change in urban settings. The objective of the course is to develop a systematic understanding of how cities work, how their workings have changed over time, and what factors influence the rate and direction of change in urban societies. Central to the discussion will be the roles that race, class, ethnicity, and gender play in the functions of urban systems.MACD 5110 Faith and Politics (elective)
Offered as part of the Leadership Institute in Christian Community Development. This course will integrate the study of the "powers and principalities" with an examination of how contemporary American political institutions function, including the limitations of government as an instrument of justice. The course will focus on a number of key public policy areas, such as federal support for low-income working families, education and affordable housing policies, and various types of affirmative actions programs. We will also explore the possibilities of Christian engagement in politics at the national and local levels. We will look at the various political strategies employed by those contemporary Christians who are committed to peace and social justice.
MACD 5200 Statistical Analysis for the Graduate Practitioner (required)
This course introduces the practical application of statistics for use in the field of community development. Within the context of the applied nature of the course, students will furnish data from their own communities and address specific problems that they have encountered in analyzing and presenting information. MACD 5300 Principles and Practice of Community Organizing (required)
The emphasis of this course provides the student with the theoretical framework and the training in practical skills to engage in effective community organizing. The course will examine the structures, models, and actions implicit in successful organizing endeavors. Students will be introduced to the rich history of community organizing in Chicago and will enter into direct involvement with organizing coalitions located in Chicago.MACD 5310 Principles and Process of Community Development (required)
The purpose of this foundational course is to provide a comprehensive background in the theories of community development, with a particular focus on asset-based community development. The course is designed to enable students to understand the current competing programs of community development and to shape their own views on the viability of the different models and approaches. MACD 5320 Holistic Strategies for Christian Community Development (elective)
Offered as part of the Leadership Institute in Christian Community Development.This course provides a theological foundation for engagement in holistic community development. Participants will be introduced to the principles and strategies of resident-based community organizing, collaboration and mobilization; the role of the church in community transformation, leadership development and community capacity building; and understanding of the ramifications of institutional racism as an impact on urban communities.
MACD 5330 Christian Community Economic Development (elective)
Offered as part of the Leadership Institute in Christian Community Development. Christian community economic development is the process by which residents of a low income community, working with one another through the church, locally-based organizations and with other supporters, improve the economic well-being, increase their control over their economic lives, and build communities that are healthy places to live and raise families. The course is designed for practitioners wanting to move to the next step of community economic development (CED).
MACD 5340 Foundations for Arts-Based Community Mission and Development (elective)
Offered as part of the Leadership Institute in Christian Community Development. This course presents foundational theory and theology for faith-based approaches to artistic expression in community mission and development within urban contexts.
MACD 5400 Community Analysis (required)
Designed to demonstrate research methodologies and evaluation procedures to be utilized in the community development arena, the course will focus on applied research in the context of community, covering topics such as design and analysis, methodology, observation, interview techniques, data gathering, assessment tools, and program evaluation. Students will undertake the design and implementation of a research process in order to further a significant aspect of their work in community. Consideration will be given to related issues such as the politics of information and ethical concerns in social research. Prerequisite: Statistical Analysis for the Graduate Practitioner.MACD 5500 Ethical Dimensions of Community Development (elective)
This course provides a study of the ethical challenges facing leaders in the field of community development. A variety of approaches for the analysis of decisions, policies, and actions from an ethical perspective will be presented.MACD 5510 Christian Traditions and Community Development (elective)
Offered as part of the Leadership Institute in Christian Community Development. This course is designed to give participants an appreciation of the rich resources within a variety of Christian traditions that can form a biblical foundation and rational for community revitalization.
MACD 5600 Budgeting and Finance (required)
The goal of this course is to provide an introduction to the financial skills necessary for operating a community development organization. Course design focuses on organizational planning, budgeting, accounting, and grant writing for nonprofit organizations. As a result of the course, students will be able to develop and manage an annual budget, work with accounting software packages, and create a revenue plan including federal, state, and foundation grant processes. MACD 5700 Human Resource Development and Mobilization (elective)
This course is an examination of theories of motivation, communication, leadership development, power, and change within organizational management. Students will study practical approaches to improved performance and organizational efficiency through hiring and training programs, motivational strategies, participative management, and cooperative decision-making within the context of community organizations. MACD 5740 Urban Policy and Community Planning (elective)
A critical investigation of urban policy fields such as health, education, welfare reform, and housing, and their direct impact on the structure and process of community planning. The course will integrate a comprehensive study of policy formation with the latest developments in urban policy issues brought to the classroom by experts in the fields of community planning and development.
MACD 5900 & CD 5901 Masters Project I & II (required)
This is the capstone experience of the program. A two-course sequence in an interdisciplinary research project is designed by the student to further his or her professional development and to contribute to a cutting edge of community development within his or her work context. Each student will propose, design, and conduct a project under the supervision of a faculty advisor and a mentor/practitioner with expertise in the area of the research project. Students not currently working with a community organization will design the project in the context of an internship.