AMST 3000 Certificate in Civic Inclusion

Explore the impact of racialized anti-Muslim bigotry on diverse communities. Study models of effective civic engagement and cultivate inclusive and resilient communities. Develop and apply your religious, cultural, and legal literacy and community engagement skills to real-life challenges. Map the diversity of communities impacted by hate and bigotry in your local neighborhood, city, state, and county. Equip yourself with a foundational knowledge of change and develop action plans to respond to incidents of racialized anti-Muslim bigotry and other forms of hate. Craft long-term, proactive strategies to improve your community’s civic health.
America Indivisible · March 10, 2021

Who will benefit?

The certificate AMST 3000 Civic Inclusion prepares college students and young professionals to be religiously literate leaders and prepares them for government or public service careers. The program equips public servants who currently work in local or state governments and are interested in building their cultural and religious literacy. The curriculum supports ally communities who are interested in strengthening their solidarity for groups impacted by anti-Muslim bigotry.

What will we learn?

In partnership with ReligionAndPublicLife.org, America Indivisible awards the America Indivisible Civic Inclusion Certificate to those who complete the course collection, AMST 3000 Civic Inclusion. You will impact racialized anti-Muslim bigotry on Muslim communities and perceived to be Muslim the role civic leaders can play in addressing this phenomenon. Through skill and knowledge-building activities, you will apply civic-inclusion practices to challenge hate in your communities effectively. You will learn how to develop metrics to evaluate your community’s civic health, develop plans to address incidents of hate and bias, and foster relationships with diverse constituents to cultivate resilient communities.

Certificate Sequence: The certificate program issued by the America Indivisible consists of five three-hour courses. The 2021 national fellows enrolled in the Public Leaders for Inclusion program will complete the following sequence. 

Week 1: June 14 to 18, 2021
Week 2: June 21 to 25, 2021

▸ In AMST 3001 Understand Racialized Anti-Muslim Bigotry, we will examine systemic bias and discrimination as the primary challenges to building inclusive communities.

Week 3: June 28 to July 3, 2021
Week 4: July 5 to 9, 2021

▸ In AMST 3002 Envision Civic Health as the Antidote to Prejudice, we will examine how community leaders, despite a heightened climate of anti-Muslim bigotry, successfully built inclusive practices and policies by promoting civic health.

Week 5: July 12 to 16, 2021
Week 6: July 19 to 23, 2021

▸ In AMST 3003 Explore Religious, Cultural, and Legal Literacy, we will examine studies that document the systematic discrimination faced by American Muslims in the news media, multiple branches of government, and in public schools.

Week 7: July 26 to 30, 2021
Week 8: August 2 to 6, 2021

▸ In AMST 3004 Prepare Crisis Mitigation Strategies, we will effectively prepare public services to respond to bigotry and discrimination incidents.

Week 9: August 9 to 13, 2021
Week 10: August 16 to 20, 2021

▸ In AMST 3005 Create Spaces for Civic Inclusion, examine best practices for leaders to create and maintain civic spaces that model inclusivity and community well-being.

Thursday, August 19 to
Saturday, August 21, 2021

End of Program Conference including joint sessions with the 2021 Public Leaders for Inclusion Council

Seeking Academic Credit?

Please use the Live Chat in the bottom left hand screen if you would like to speak with an advisor about receiving academic credit for this experience. After completing the graded assignments in the previous five courses, participants will enroll in the Implement Inclusion Initiative (Capstone Project). Participants will design and implement a community-based project, applying what they have learned from the course collection. Speak to your advisor about which accredited colleges and universities will offer you academic credit for completing this course collection.

Sponsorship

America Indivisible’s curriculum on Civic Inclusion was made possible thanks to the generous support from the Faith in/and Democracy Fund, a project of Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE).

Syllabus

Let's get started! Please complete the following orientation and learn strategies for successfully completing the courses. Once complete, proceed to the first course AMST 3001. Have fun and let us know if you have any questions!

Contributors

Melissa Levinson MA

Curriculum Writer, America Indivisible
Curriculum Developer, Islamic Networks Group (ING)

Usra Ghazi MTS

Senior Advisor, America Indivisible

Lida Azim MA

Program Manager
America Indivisible

Civic Education for a Common Good

We apply the U.S. Department of Education’s Consensus Statements about Constitutional Approaches for Teaching about Religion

▸ Our approach to religion is academic, not devotional;
▸ We strive for student awareness of religions, but do not press for student acceptance of any religion;
▸ We sponsor the study about religion, not the practice of religion;
▸ We expose students to a diversity of religious views, but may not impose any particular view;
▸ We educate about all religions, we do not promote or denigrate any religion;
▸ We inform students about religious beliefs and practices, it does not seek to conform students to any particular belief or practice.

We apply the American Academy of Religion’s “Religious Literacy Guidelines”

▸ “Religious Literacy Guidelines for College Students.” American Academy of Religion, 2019.
▸ “Teaching About Religion: AAR Guidelines for K-12 Public Schools.” American Academy of Religion, April 2010.

We apply the National Council for the Social Studies C3 Frameworks for Religious Studies

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards, “Religious Studies Companion Document for the C3 Framework.” Silver Spring, MD: National Council for the Social Studies, 2017.