Timothy Francisco, Certificate Director
DeBartolo Hall 216
(330) 941-3425
This four-course certificate (12 semester hours) is designed to provide students with an interdisciplinary overview of the history and political and cultural meanings of working-class life. Program emphasis is on concepts of class, work, and identity, as well as strategies from multiple disciplines for gaining insight into working-class culture. For graduate students and working professionals, this program will provide an in-depth look at local history, local working-class culture, and the lives and experiences of local working people. For educators at middle and high school levels, this program will enhance their teaching careers by increasing their knowledge about working-class culture, issues, and pedagogy while satisfying certain professional development requirements of local school districts. Frequency of course offerings allows most students to finish the certificate within one year.
Admission Requirements
Applicants for this graduate certificate must meet the requirements for admission to the College of Graduate Studies at YSU.
Certificate Requirements
Choose 4 courses (12 hours) from the options below:
| COURSE | TITLE | S.H. |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 6923 | Working Class Literature | 3 |
| ECON 5822 | Urban and Regional Economics | 3 |
| ECON 5831 | Labor Markets and the Economics of Unions | 3 |
| ENGL 6923X | Working Class Literature XR | 3 |
| ENGL 6963 | Perspectives in Multicultural Studies | 3 |
| ENGL 6990 | Special Topics | 3 |
| HIST 6940 | Oral History | 3 |
| HIST 6941 | American Material Culture | 3 |
| HIST 6957 | Special Topics in Applied History | 1-6 |
| HIST 6959 | Museum Curation and Interpretation | 4 |
Students may also petition to have one relevant topics course in English, history, or management count toward the certificate. Students may complete the certificate as a stand-alone program or in conjunction with a master’s degree in American studies, business, English, historic preservation, or history. Students taking the certificate as part of a master’s program may count two of the four certificate courses toward the master’s degree. To complete the certificate, the remaining two courses must be taken as additional credits.
Learning Outcomes
Students will develop an understanding of and an appreciation for working-class cultures across multiple disciplinary perspectives and recognize how the working class both shapes and reflects social, political, and economic realities.
Students will acquire an understanding of intersections of class with race, gender, place, ethnicity, and other forms of identity, and demonstrate the ability to think critically about the complexities and the opportunities of intersectional approaches for study and/or advocacy of working-class interests.
Students will understand the importance of place-based, community-centered, and public-facing research and scholarship to Working-Class Studies, and will learn how to incorporate these elements into research projects.