Change for Good

In the social science degree program, explore how effective community leadership impacts positive social change.

  

Elizabeth Marino, a social scientist at Oregon State University – Cascades, has been appointed by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as a delegate to the Second Arctic Science Ministerial, an international meeting in Berlin. 

Marino is one of 10 scientists and the only social scientist on the United States delegation to the ministerial. Her contributions will focus on the role of risk distribution and risk perception in strategic planning for sea level rise.

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Social Science: Community Development and Leadership Option

At OSU-Cascades, students can pursue a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree in social science with an option in community development and leadership. Students will investigate the social and cultural dynamics in our communities, explore how these dynamics impact the development of sustainable communities, and examine how effective community leadership impacts positive social change.

This program is taught to complement Oregon State University’s existing strength in environmental sciences and OSU-Cascades concentration on sustainability. The curriculum, in keeping with the most current scholarly approaches to studies in social science, allows you to synthesize ideas from varied disciplines to examine how you can work for a more sustainable future. This degree is housed within the College of Liberal Arts at Oregon State University.

You will gain fundamental skills in communication, political science, anthropology, environmental science and where these fields intersect with the arts and sciences.

Areas of investigation include wellness, place, dwelling, food and community, migration and sense of place, sustainable communication, and community dialogue and public environments. One of the most distinctive features of this program is that most programs of its kind are graduate certificate programs; this is an undergraduate degree program.

Careers in Social Sciences

This degree provides you with the knowledge necessary to understand and make decisions in the growing fields of community development and leadership. Social science graduates work in youth and family services, public health, education, regional planning, community organizing, market research, government policy, and environmental leadership.