Minor in intergroup relations education

Get ahead on your undergraduate career and get a minor with IGR

The 15-credit minor in intergroup relations education will change your life forever. Students learn critical analytical skills, problem-solving in groups, intercultural leadership, and a synthesis of intellectual and practical skills to help them create a more just and equitable world. This minor combines with any major at the university to provide students with skills to bravely achieve change together. IGR minors will develop skills to:

Raise critical consciousness
Interrupt dominant narratives
Collaborate across difference

Intergroup education focuses on intergroup contact across social identities, the examination of inequality and conflict, and how groups build coalitions in the face of power inequities. The IGR minor is a valuable complement to any major. Now more than ever, it is crucial for students to become competent national and global citizens who are prepared to understand this nation's history and to work across social divisions and conflict toward a more just and peaceful world. Students who earn a Minor in intergroup relations education will develop the insight and skills to lead diverse organizations and work effectively across difference.
- Kelly Maxwell, Ph.D., assistant dean for undergraduate education, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

Curriculum

Minor in Intergroup Relations Education

Minimum 15 credits

Foundation core courses (2-3 cr.)

Choose either of the following classes

ALA/PSYCH/SOC 122: Intergroup Dialogues (2 credits), or
ALA 220/PSYCH213/SOC 218: Foundations of Intergroup Relations (3 credits)

Tracks (7-12 cr.)

Choose ONE of the following tracks

Facilitation
- ALA/SOC 320, PSYCH 310: Training in Intergroup Dialogue Facilitation (2 credits)
- ALA/SOC 321, PSYCH 311: Practicum in Facilitating Intergroup Dialogues (3 credits)
- ALA 270: Special Topics in Intergroup Dialogue (2 credits)
Campus Communities and Research
- Research Methods Course (SOC 210 or STATS 250 or STATS 280) (4 credits)
- Campus Community Course (ALA 324) (3 credits)
- IGR Research Practicum (ALA 329), ALA 323, PSYCH 326, or SOC 394 (2 or 3 credits)

LSA elective course (2-4 cr.)

ALA 228 Conflict and Co-existence; ALA 322 Advanced Practicum, ALA 324 Facilitation for Effective Leadership, ALA 471 Leading Community Building, or other approved electives from other departments, see below (2-4 credits)
Here is a list of approved LSA elective courses for the minor

Request to add an elective

If students are taking or would like to take a course that they believe qualifies as an LSA elective course for the IGR minor, please first reference the elective criteria:

The course must address social identities and intergroup relations in some way
The course should discuss issues of inequality, power, privilege, and oppression
Or the course should focus on leadership and social change
The elective must be at least a 200-level course

If you think a course may meet the requirements, email your advisor and include the following information:

a brief write up of the course
why you believe it should be an IGR minor elective
a copy of the course syllabus

Senior capstone (3 cr.)

ALA 429/SOC 471/PSYCH 411 Senior Capstone (3 credits)

Certificate in Dialogue for Community Change

Students with a declared minor in intergroup relations education are also eligible to participate a certificate in dialogue for social change, a joint undergraduate certificate with the Community Action and Social Change (CASC) program. Learn more about this certificate, criteria, and how to express interest.

Express interest and speak to an advisor

Please complete our minor interest form and an advisor will contact you. If you have questions or need further assistance, please email IGRcourses@umich.edu.

Minor FAQs

The 15-credit minor in intergroup relations education will change your life forever. Students learn critical analytical skills, problem-solving in groups, intercultural leadership, and a synthesis of intellectual and practical skills to help them create a more just and equitable world. This minor combines with any major at the university to provide students with skills to bravely achieve change together.

Preferred admittance into the MA in higher education program