Course Description:

Employers all across the world, in every sector of the global economy, agree that some of the most important skills we need to be developing are “soft skills.” Professionals are needed in every type of job, including high-tech firms and businesses of all types, who are strong in technical skills, known as “hard skills,” but also strong in soft skills such as leadership, teamwork, critical thinking and emotional intelligence.

Over our lives, we naturally develop skills that allow us to make new friends, get along with others and use our “common sense.” In this course, we will spend time focusing on more advanced soft skills, so you can understand what future employers or clients will expect from you in the workplace. The added benefit of learning more than you already know about the softer skills is you will find that personal areas of your life can improve too.

In addition, each module has a section devoted to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). There are 17 goals in total ranging from SDG 1 – No Poverty, to SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals. At Ubiquity University we strongly believe everyone should be aware of the UN SDGs and be prepared to work towards their achievement in whatever way they can. Agenda 2030 is about a healthier planet, a healthier society, and a healthier you. (Learn more at https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs).

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this course you should be able to:

• understand the importance of soft skills and how to use them in all areas of your life;
• describe the UN SDGs and have a working knowledge of their implications for our global society;
• increase your familiarity with exercises and tools used in today’s global workplace; and,
• develop a sense of yourself and your soft skills on a deeper level.

Course Creators:

Dr. James Garrison is founder and president of Ubiquity University. He has spent his entire professional life in executive leadership, including as president of Wisdom University (2005-2012) co-founder and president of the Gorbachev Foundation/USA (1992–1995) and State of the World Forum (1995–2004) with Mikhail Gorbachev serving as convening chairman. Jim received his BA in History from the University of Santa Clara, an MA in History of Religion from Harvard University, and a PhD in Philosophical Theology from Cambridge University. He has written numerous books, including The Plutonium Culture, America as Empire, The Darkness of God: Theology after Hiroshima, Citizen Diplomacy, and Civilization and the Transformation of Power. He lectures regularly on comparative philosophy and religion, world history and politics, and the implications of climate change.

Shelly Alcorn is the CEO/Provost at Ubiquity University. Shelly stands at the intersection of technology, the education-to-employment system and the organization of the hypercomplex future. She is a frequent keynote speaker on critical issues faced by society. Shelly was formerly the Executive Director of the California Association for the Education of Young Children (CAEYC) which was a 501(c)(3) organization with over 10,000 members in California in 37 separately incorporated affiliates. She was also the Executive Director for the Automotive Service Councils of California (ASCCA), a 501(c)(6) trade organization representing the interests of over 1,300 independently owned automotive repair facilities in California. She is still a Principal in Alcorn Associates Management Consulting where she has worked with association clients for over 10 years.

Banafsheh Sayyad, MA, MFA is the Creative Director of Ubiquity University. Banafsheh formulated the Chartres Framework which is the basis of the Foundation in Soft Skills & UN SDGs course. She is a Persian sacred dancer, choreographer, transformational teacher, and the founder of Dance of Oneness®. Awarded for her innovative movement style based in embodied spirituality, Banafsheh performs and teaches internationally, initiating people into the wisdom of their body and inspiring them to live the sacred in everyday life. With an MFA in Dance and an MA in Chinese Medicine, she is dedicated to individual and collective healing through conscious movement. Her dance film In the Fire of Grace traces Rumi’s journey of the Soul in dance. www.banafsheh.org

Course Modalities:

Non-Credit Options

Lite Level – This course is delivered on-demand with no faculty interaction and is perfect for lifelong learners who want to go at their own pace and who are not interested in academic credit but still want to experience the course.

Audit-No Credit – If you would like to participate when this course is offered in our Live Virtual Classroom mode, you may attend the live faculty webinars but will not be required to submit assignments for credit.

If you take a few courses and decide you want to officially enroll in a degree program, you can gain academic credit for Lite versions or Audit-No Credit versions by paying the difference between these course fees and a normal academic fee, successfully completing quizzes, submitting your reflection journals and delivering a Final Creative Assignment that will be graded.

For-Credit Options

Live Virtual Classroom: Study that takes place within Ubiquity University, in which Ubiquity academic coursework is accomplished through attendance in Live Webinars, with faculty and student interaction being a part of the Live Webinar content. To receive academic credit, you must not miss more than 3 live sessions, you must complete the quizzes and submit any other required assignments (if any), and a final creative assignment for grading at the degree level you are enrolled in.

Internal Online Independent Study: Study that takes place within Ubiquity University, in which Ubiquity academic online coursework is engaged in independently on one’s own and does not include faculty interaction. To receive academic credit, you must complete the quizzes and submit your reflection journals and final creative assignment for grading at the degree level you are enrolled in.

Course Contact Information:

Live Virtual Classroom macrocourses are delivered by faculty in live sessions. You will have a course facilitator who is available to answer questions and offer additional assistance. For student support questions for Live Virtual Classroom or Internal Online Independent Study, you may contact our Director of Course Facilitation at facilitator @ ubiquityuniversity.org. (Sorry! Direct email link not provided due to spam bots.)

For on-demand lite versions, click the “Chat” button on the lower, left-hand side of the screen for any technical issues you may have accessing the content.