Certificate Requirements

The Pierce Leadership Certificate will be awarded to students who:

• Complete course, Foundations of Leadership (PSYC_OX 360), with a grade of “B” or better.
• Complete four additional courses from list of approved courses, achieving a “B” average across the four classes (see full list of course offerings below).
  • At least three must be four-credit courses.
  • Courses must be taken at the Oxford College campus (with the exception of Introductory Psychology. If Introductory Psychology is taken at another university, it will be listed on the transcript as Psy 111).
• Participate in a retreat in the spring semester of their first year and second year.
• Attend regular meetings with their cohort.
• Serve in a student leadership role that involves the following:
  • A considerable commitment of time
  • Independent thinking and decision-makingAdditional guidance about campus leadership roles that meet these requirements can be provided by the program coordinators.

• Participate in 20 hours of service. At least 10 of these hours must be spent in official Oxford-sponsored activities. Documentation is required for volunteer activity performed elsewhere.
• Examples of Oxford-sponsored activities include Volunteer Oxford programs and Alternative Breaks. For more information about service opportunities, contact Volunteer Oxford (volunteeroxford@emory.edu). 
• Documentation accepted for volunteer activity performed elsewhere include a signed letter from the activity’s volunteer coordinator.
• Community Engaged Learning (CEL) hours are not counted toward certificate hours, as they are for academic credit. 
• Oxford Service Leader (OSL) and Emory Reads hours are not counted toward certificate hours, as they are paid student work.
• All service hours must be completed no later than 4 weeks before the last day of class and be documented in Emory Open.
• In the final semester of the program, submit a capstone project and present this project to the program cohort and program coordinators: 
  • The project must be submitted no later than 4 weeks before the last day of class. 
  • The goal of this project is to inspire a coherent and thoughtful reflection of their leadership experiences. Additional guidance about the capstone project will be provided by the program coordinators.

Students, who complete the requirements as listed above, will be awarded the Pierce Leadership Certificate and the Pierce Leadership medal to be worn at Commencement.

Curricular Offerings

The following courses devote 5 classroom hours or more to one or more of the following leadership issues: Leadership development, ethical decision-making, critical thinking and problem solving, creativity and innovation, emotional intelligence, cost-benefit analysis, conflict resolution, mediation, coalition building, issues of gender, ethnicity, power, and status, the importance of motivation and morale, communication skills, the changing nature of leadership, leadership styles, the characteristics of effective leaders, and the complex nature of constituents or followers.

American Studies

• 201Q: Introduction to American Studies

Anthropology

• 101 Introductory Anthropology
• 265 Anthropology of Gender

Biology

• Biol 141Q Cell Biology and Genetics with Laboratory
• Biol 142Q Advanced Topics in Genetics and Molecular Biology with Laboratory

Economics

• 101 Microeconomics
• 112 Macroeconomics

English

• 389RQ: Reading Memoirs in Prison

History

• 231 Foundations of American Society: Beginnings to 1877
• 232 The Making of Modern America: U.S. since 1877
• 244 American Civil Rights History
• 349 The New South

Math

• Math 207 Probability and Statistics

Philosophy

• 115 Introduction to Ethics

Physical Education

(All one credit courses; Only one can be used to fulfill the 4-course requirement)

• 130 Stress Management
• 133 Total Wellness Lifestyle
• 160 Varsity Men’s Soccer

Political Science

• 100 National Politics in the U.S.
• 101 Introduction to Politics
• 110 Introduction to International Politics
• 301 Classical Political Thought
• 302 Modern Political Thought
• 303 American Political Thought to 1912
• 306 Human Nature from the Feminine Perspective
• 352 Constitutional Law

Psychology

• 110 Introduction to Psychobiology and Cognition
• 111 Introduction to Development, Social Behavior, and Individual Differences
• 305 Psychology of Gender (WS 305)
• 312 Psychological Conceptions of Giftedness
• 360 Foundations of Leadership (Core course in Leadership Studies)

Sociology

• 101 Introduction to Sociology (McQuaide)
• 215N Social Problems
• 235 Deviant Behavior

Spanish

• 212 Advanced Spanish Practice

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

• 200 Introduction to Women’s Studies
• 202 Gender, Race, Class and Sexuality