Critical Community Engagement Essay
This course explores the relationship between social justice movements and non-profit organizations in the U.S. by providing a structure within which students can learn about issues and theory and the organizational settings in which they are serving. There will be a particular focus on community engagement in Chicago’s neighborhoods.
Theorists and practitioners continue to debate how to bring community issues into the classroom and how best to bring students into the neighborhoods surrounding their colleges and universities. CSS 201 considers these issues through exposure to both the literature of community engagement and the experiences of those who practice its different forms. There will be a focus on the role of Asset-Based Community Development and Intersectionality in movement building.
The class will identify and explore the ethical issues that characterize community partnerships and the best practices that attempt to address these issues. Students will also interact with peers, faculty, guest speakers and community members who will provide first-hand perspectives on the local practice of CBL and the critical needs in surrounding communities.
Question:
- What individual assets do you bring to a community engagement process? How do you think those assets would be value-added to a community engagement process?