Student Life Skills (SLS) Courses

What are your goals for attending Santa Fe College? What do you hope to gain from your college pursuits? How would you like them to influence your work and life? How do you plan to achieve your objectives?

If you have asked yourself these questions, the College Success course can help you answer them and, in the process, equip you with proven strategies to get what you want out of your education, career, and life. As a student in the course, you will have the opportunity to clarify your life and educational goals. In addition, you will have the chance to learn techniques for improving your memory, taking tests more effectively, applying critical thinking abilities to assignments, practicing introductory computer skills, and communicating proficiently in a diverse community and world.

By applying these techniques, you can increase your ability to learn the information and skills necessary to succeed in your education and eventual career.

Are you uncertain about how you would like to live out your life and career? Do you get a sinking feeling in your stomach whenever someone asks you about your college major and/or career goals? If so, this course may be for you.

The Life/Career Development course is designed to help students like you find their own answers to these difficult questions. As a student in this course, you will have the opportunity to:

1. learn more about yourself by exploring your personality, life/occupational values, and life/occupational skills;
2. investigate career options that compliment your personality, values, skills, and needs;
3. learn about the ever-changing world of work and the ways in which work may impact your personal life
4. develop career decision-making skills that can be applied across the lifespan; and
5. refine job search skills, such as resume development and interviewing techniques.

In short, you'll finally know how to answer those difficult questions about your education and career.

Career Development in the Global Workplace focuses on the theories, knowledge, skills and attitudes required to engage successfully in the global workplace. Emphasis will be placed on practical guidelines and strategies for navigating one's career in an intercultural context, both in the United States and abroad. Topics will include organizational behavior, workplace relationships, multicultural communication, and career management. The capstone of the course will be the development of an E-portfolio. Note: 50% of the course will have an international focus, and counts towards the Global Scholars Program.

Life offers each of us a multitude of choices about how we want to live. Sometimes these choices can be confusing. What does it mean to lead a healthy lifestyle? What personal choices can help to create more positive and loving relationships in our lives? Answers to these questions are often diverse and conflicting. How do we know which choice is right for us?

This course will help students gain a thorough understanding of the challenges faced in today's world, develop their own perspectives of these critical issues, and draw on their perspective for making personal decisions. Some of the topics include the healthy personality, healthy relationships, intimacy, abuse, acquaintance rape, eating disorders, stress management, and healthy lifestyle alternatives. Living Effectively in Today's World is a very personal, relaxed class where student opinion is encouraged and respected.

Being a college student requires balancing and meeting the demands of school, work, family and other life responsibilities. Fulfilling those roles along with the pressures and deadlines of academic life can be very stressful. Stress Management for College Students will examine the causes of stress, the impact on the mind and body, and a variety of methods to reduce stress levels. We will explore these topics through a combination of academic and experiential learning.

Leadership strategies and skills can be used in a multitude of settings, from resolving conflicts among family or friends to coordinating a project in school to organizing volunteers within your community to securing a political position. Building upon your current organizational and personal leadership skills, this course can help you develop the skills necessary to lead others.

As a student in this course, you will have the opportunity to study various leadership styles while developing your own. In the process, methods for decision-making, problem solving, initiating change, communicating effectively, and resolving conflicts will be explored in detail.

The term leadership is often associated with formal positions of power and influence; however, leadership comes in many forms and flavors. Have you been able to go after and reach your own personal goals? Are you able to positively influence friends and family? Have you motivated others to accomplish a project or group activity in the past? Have you ever been a role model to others in your life, whether they are your baby sister/brother or co-workers?

If you answered, "yes" to any of these questions or are simply curious about the concept of personal leadership, this course is for you. Introduction to Personal Leadership explores principles and strategies of leadership, focusing on the qualities, skills, and traits necessary for effective leadership of oneself and/or others in today's world.

This course is for students who are looking for specialized and advanced training in leadership development. Leadership Development Studies is facilitated by instructors who are certified by Phi Theta Kappa and offers an in-depth exploration of leadership theories and leadership development. As a student in this class you will develop your own personal leadership philosophy, ethical responsibility as a leader, and leadership style. Conflict resolution and managing organizational change will also be explored. Leadership skills will be developed and practiced by integrating readings from the humanities, experiential exercises, films, and contemporary readings on leadership.

If you hope to take on leadership responsibilities in your educational, occupational, or personal life, this course can help you prepare for future success. Prerequisites: College Level Reading and Writing.

SLS1320 is a corequisite course for Honors students at Santa Fe College, aimed at cultivating a suite of academic and career competencies. Emphasizing self-regulation, metacognition, resilience, goal-setting, stress management, and interpersonal skills, this course provides a structured environment for students to apply these principles actively. The curriculum is anchored by a central experiential project that complements the Honors Program's requirements, guiding students through the acquisition of Honors credit, tracking progression toward Honors credentials, and the curation of an Honors Portfolio. Weekly sessions are designed to deliver targeted instruction, facilitate hands-on project involvement, and offer skill-enhancement workshops, ensuring that students gain not just knowledge but also practical expertise.