Experiential Certificates

Through the experiential certificate in Archaeological Fieldwork, students develop skills in interdisciplinary archaeological research. On the Trinity college campus, they choose from a selection of courses on the study of archaeology and material culture. During the summer excavation season, they are part on a diverse group, living and working together in a UNESCO World Heritage City, learning the practice of archaeology through hands-on instruction and participation.

Click here for more information, or contact Professor Martha Risser with any questions.

The US is the global leader in mass incarceration, maintaining 25% of the world’s total
incarcerated population and an estimated 5 million people entering US jails each year. This
represents an enormous challenge for public policy, politics, social justice, and human rights.
Completion of the Certificate in Carceral Systems and Social Change prepares students to
envision creative and transformational justice alternatives and to advance decarceration
through their pursuit of careers in law, public policy, social service, education, and the
arts. Students explore these issues by taking selected courses to develop a foundational level
of knowledge in how carceral systems emerge, persist, and crucially, are undone. The co-curricular/experiential component is designed in collaboration with a community partner or
faculty adviser with the aim of creating dialogue between the theories taught in the courses
and the practice of the social change achieved via transformative justice. Several options for
completing the co-curricular/experiential component include: Human Rights/Theater and
Dance courses that involve collaboration with past and present residents at
York Correctional Institution for women; programs with Justice Dance Performance
Project; or outside research fellowships.

Click here for more information, or contact Professor Ben Carbonetti with further questions.

Clinical neuroscience certificate for students interested in health care or graduate school in a field related to neuroscience, including neurology, psychiatry, physical or occupational therapy, and clinical psychology. Students would be required to take 1) one of the courses that fulfills the Clinical/Cognitive track in neuroscience; 2) one semester of research in a human neuroscience setting either on or off-campus (Ayers Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Living, UConn or permission of coordinator) and 3) one community learning experience in neuroscience either as part of a class, part of CHER, or as a volunteer/internship experience approved by the coordinator. Note that only one credit can be used to count for both this certificate and the major.

For more information, students should contact Professor Sarah Raskin.

Protecting a sufficient network of the natural world is essential for our future and our health. This certificate will enable students to explore the natural landscape, from urban to wilderness, and the interdisciplinary connections between nature and health – ranging from emerging science to ethics, arts, and natural and cultural history.

The Global Health and Human Ecology certificate is particularly suitable for students that may want to continue in public policy, research, health care, land conservation and stewardship, community planning, or various forms of artistic expression. The culminating co-curricular experience is flexible and cross-disciplinary and will feature special networking opportunities among certificate participants.

Click here for more information, or contact Professor Susan Masino with further questions.

The certificate in Private Governance connects scholarship and action to prepare students for postgraduate work in private organizations. Private governance is a crucial part of life. It ranges from individual responsibility and initiative (self regulation) to informal social control and formal governance in firms and in not-for-profit organizations. It reckons with conscience, reliance, power, interest, incentives, ethics, norms, teamwork, hierarchy, competition, voice, exit, entrepreneurship, and leadership. The three components of the certificate bridge study and
action. Students learn to discern motivations, analyze decisions, identify strengths and
weaknesses in governance, and understand creativity, entrepreneurship, and leadership. They
develop these valuable skills in real-world settings, by applying concepts from courses to their field experiences, and by working with a faculty member on research in the wild or as a mentor to new students.

Students who complete this certificate will:

• Learn ways in which theories from social science help them analyze how people form organizations to pursue collective goals.
• Observe real world examples of organizations attempting to elicit cooperative and mutually beneficial behavior among groups and individuals.
• Participate in experiential internships and/or research to observe how the social science theories they study apply in practice.

This certificate is open to any student interested in building a bridge between their area of academic focus and the study of governance and private organizations.

For more information, students should contact Professor Edward Stringham.

The goal of this certificate is to enable students to combine upper-level coursework and a research experience in a structured way as they look toward graduate school or other post-Trinity experiences involving advanced mathematics. Students will complete (i) one MATH elective at the 300-level or above (beyond their major or minor), (ii) a research experience guided by a faculty member, e.g., summer research or a 300-level, full credit independent study, and (iii) the seminar course Reading and Research (MATH 499).

For more information, students should contact Professor Sebastian Skardal.

The software development certificate enables students to gain the breadth of skills necessary to design, develop, maintain, test, and evaluate software products and solutions. Students will complete:

1. CPSC215 (Data Structures and Algorithms);
2. CPSC310 (Software Design), CPSC316 (Foundations of Programming Languages), CPSC340 (Software Engineering), or CPSC415 (Special Topics; only if the course is software-centered and with prior permission from a certificate faculty advisor);
3. A programming-intensive co-curricular activity, such as an internship, summer fellowship, paid or unpaid research project with a faculty member, or other experience approved by the faculty coordinator.

For more information, students should contact Professor Peter Yoon, Professor Ewa Syta, or Professor Madalene Spezialetti.

Students in the Tax Policy and Inequality Certificate program will develop an understanding of tax policy aimed at low-income Americans and how it plays out on the ground through coursework and experiential learning connected to a low-income tax clinic. The certificate is built around POLS 310, in which students learn about tax policies and the politics behind them, and receive basic training to prepare taxes at Trinity’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) clinic at Trinfo Café, an internet café adjacent to campus. In addition to POLS 310, students will need to complete a 1.0 credit internship at a VITA site in the Hartford Metro area (which can be done concurrently with POLS 310 or afterward), plus one additional credit, either in a leadership position at the clinic (as an RA, TA, or Assistant Site Coordinator), or by taking a related course approved by the certificate director.

For more information, students should contact Professor Serena Laws.

Students in the Translation in Practice Certificate program will develop academic and practical skills in translation by taking LACS 218: “The Task of the Translator” in the Department of Language and Culture Studies, and by practicing translation in professional settings with one or two partners through internship and/or Study Away programs. Typically, students will work as interns or assistants for companies, non-profit organizations, or educational communities such as libraries and childhood centers.

For more information, students should contact Professor Katsuya Izumi.

The experiential certificate in Urban Engaged Learning enables students to develop skills in urban-focused research, engagement with community partners, and independent project management. The certificate consists of two academic credits and one co-curricular experience. The academic credits are earned through the Liberal Arts Action Lab. Students who participate in the Lab enroll in two, one-credit courses completed in one semester: (1) a research methods course and (2) a course centered around an applied research project. The co-curricular experience consists of an urban-focused research or engagement project. Resources for these projects are available to students through grants from the Center for Urban and Global Studies and Center for Caribbean Studies, or the Center for Hartford Engagement and Research’s Community Learning Research Fellows. An independently formulated and executed urban-focused research or engagement project that takes place outside of these programs will be considered on a case by case basis.

For more information, students should contact Professor Abby Williamson, Professor Garth Myers, Professor Dario Euraque, or Professor Eric Galm.