Courses

A) GCL Signature Courses

Each incoming GCL class takes two GCL signature courses as a cohort, the first during Fall of Year 1, and the second during Fall of Year 3. Such courses are subject to change, although all will follow the mission of GCL by exposing students to social, economic, cultural, and public policy issues in both a local and international context.

One current GCL Signature Course is "Exploring Birmingham: Community and Conflict," which uses Birmingham as a place to examine the many ways that modern social, economic and political systems have allocated power and created societies that do not always fulfill the promises of equal justice and democracy in America. Through readings, films, discussions, lectures, and experiences in the city itself, students learn how to gather and analyze information, think critically about tough and contentious issues, and gain new perspectives on some old and seemingly intractable problems.

B) GCL-approved Core/Departmental Honors/Honors Option

GCL Honors seeks to build upon current course offerings, providing GCL Honors students with four ways of fulfilling 18 hours towards GCL Honors certification. One is through suggested core courses (GCL_core.pdf), which will not only apply towards the UAB core curriculum, but also count towards GCL. Such approved courses fulfill nine (9) of the 18 hours. The second way is to take a course within a departmental honors program. Such credit will count towards fulfillment of both the individual departmental honors program and GCL Honors program. The third source of GCL-approved courses is through a list of Social Justice classes (*). One course from this list needs to be taken.  Should a student wish to propose another course outside of this list, he/she should recommend it to GCL staff. And finally, the fourth source of GCL-approved courses is to honors option another course. In order to honors option a class, the student must complete an Honors Option Proposal (see GCL staff for the form), providing the course syllabus, a description of what additional work he/she plans to do for the honors credit, and evaluation procedures. The proposal must be signed by the student, the student’s academic advisor, the professor of record for the course, and the GCL Honors Director.

C)Honors Academy Leadership Seminars

All students in the Honors Academy take three, one-hour seminars on the topic of leadership. These seminars allow Academy students to study the topic amongst scholars from the other university-wide programs, and they are taught by faculty from each of the programs.

D) Study Abroad/Study Away, Internship, or Service-Learning

Students in GCL fulfill 3 credit hours in a study abroad, study away, internship, or service-learning course setting. Although the Study Abroad Office connects students with numerous opportunities across many disciplines, we recognize that there may be a more fitting study abroad/study away opportunity not available in the current selection. For that reason, GCL Honors will work closely with students to identify the most beneficial placement for their own academic major, area of specialization, and overall interests. We work one-on-one with each student to assess interests; research local, national, and international placements, whether they be another university, a nonprofit, or a governmental agency; and walk through the process of contacting such placements and making arrangements for academic study or internships. Such individual placement insures that students find an opportunity that both matches their interest and passion and provides a challenging learning opportunity. Likewise, service learning opportunities exist across many disciplines at UAB, as managed by the Office for Service Learning. These opportunities also place students in a community setting in conjunction with an academic class for which they receive credit.

Extracurricular Requirements

GCL Honors does not currently have explicit extracurricular requirements, such as service hours or leadership participation. However, students who fit the mission of the program will naturally become involved both on campus and in the community.

In addition to students’ individual activities, we host or participate in a number of events each semester as a group. Whether serving as a group through campus-wide service events such as “Into the Streets”, or gathering for dinner at someone’s home, GCL Honors offers opportunities for group participation in a variety of educational, recreational, and service activities.