Capstone Experience--Community-Based Research

C & E Soc 500

SYLLABUS

The web address for this syllabus is:
http://comm-org.wisc.edu/syllabi/capstoneclassf21.html

 

Professor: Randy Stoecker
Office:  Agricultural Hall 340
Office Hours:  by appointment
Phone:  608-890-0764
E-mail: rstoecker@wisc.edu

Mondays 4-7pm
301 Agricultural Hall
Fall 2021

Community Contacts: Mr. Harry Hawkins, hhawkins@nehemiah.org, and Dr. Karen Reece, kreece@nehemiah.org, Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development



I acknowledge and pay respects to the Ho-Chunk Nation, the First People of the land and waters on which The University of Wisconsin-Madison operates.

UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION MANDATED COURSE CONTENT

The university administration mandates that faculty include certain content in their syllabi. Here is the content complying with that mandate:

OK, now on to the syllabus.

WELCOME!

The idea of a capstone course is to provide you with a culminating, integrative learning experience.  A good capstone course should help connect the theoretical, methodological, practical, and substantive parts of your experience as a major.  It should also be a liminal, transitional experience as you move from being an undergraduate student into either the professional world or the graduate student world.   I attempt to do that by organizing the course around a real world project that provides you with the opportunity to both pull together things you should have learned in the major and professional skills like problem-solving, project planning and management, and the integration of research and action.

Facilitating a course that is designed to produce outcomes for both the community and the students is one of the most exciting things I do. It can be a bit unnerving at times, since the success of the entire project requires fitting so many pieces together in a tight timeline. But I have done it enough to know that it can work, and can have real impacts. So if you like learning by doing, are comfortable with unpredictability, and like to work in collaborative contexts, this course is for you.

COURSE GOALS

My overall goal for this course is to contribute to the efforts of The Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development in Madison to develop the economic power of Black community members, and also the similar efforts of a coalition of Black entrepreneurs and supports organized in both the Fox Valley region and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, supported by UW-Extension educators.  To accomplish that, we need to master a set of learning goals.

Do research: We will be using a form of research called community-based research (CBR--it’s called lots of other things too), which will involve learning a variety of other skills.  Reading, written reflections, and in-class training will support this learning goal.

Think critically: There are a lot of ideas out there about entrepreneurship, some of which may be useful and some of which may be racialized in unhealthy ways. We will attempt to understand these perspectives and where they come from.  Reading, written reflections, and in-class discussion will support this learning goal.

Communicate skillfully:  Since our task involves supporting Nehemiah’s and others’ efforts to develop Black entrepreneurs we will need to learn how to communicate our research process and results in a way that serves their goals. In-class training, evaluation from peers, and evaluation from our community partners will support this learning goal. 

Experience and appreciate diversity: There is amazing diversity among Black entrepreneurs that ranges from what Nehemiah Executive Vice President Harry Hawkins has named proto businesses (side income people earn by using their skills), to micro businesses, to social entrepreneurship, and so on. They cover a wide variety of activities. And they may collectively express forms of entrepreneurship that contrast significantly with dominant white forms. Understanding that diversity is important to our effort.  Readings, listenings, in-class discussion, and interaction with community-based leadership and others will support this learning goal. 

Manage projects:  Our specific form of CBR can also be called project-based research because we are supporting a community education project.  We will need to co-design with our community partners, and then deliver, a research project that supports their community development project.  Doing that will require effective teamwork, group-centered leadership, problem-solving, and other project-management skills.  Readings, written reflections, and in-class training will support this learning goal. 

Prepare for Graduate School and the Job Market: Our department is asking students to complete portfolios for our department to use in assessing learning objectives.  We will be spending some time in class on those portfolios.

EXPECTED BACKGROUND

A capstone course is the culmination of your learning in the major. Thus you should have taken most of the courses for the major already when you begin the course. In particular, you should have taken research methods, as we will draw on what you should have learned in that course. You may find the other courses you have taken only connect tangentially with the work we will be doing, and I encourage you to explore even those tangential connections. For example, while the project for this course will emphasize “community” much more than “environment” you may find that you have learned about individuals who have found ways to earn an income through self-employment in various environmental fields. So please feel welcomed to bring your background—both personal and educational, into the course.

STATEMENT ON DIVERSITY

The Good Society will not come from an exclusive and very powerful few people representing only one set of experiences. It will come from many voices representing many life experiences. Likewise, the best knowledge will come from many voices speaking and listening and combining their wisdoms. I will do everything in my power to create a classroom environment that welcomes and includes diverse perspectives, especially perspectives that have been historically silenced through one or another form of structural discrimination. I welcome the voices of people of all races, ethnicities, and nationalities; all sexual and gender identities; all body types; all spiritualities; all economic classes; all language backgrounds; all family types; all combinations of abilities and learning styles; all participation in international, national, and community service including activism and protest. And I encourage those who feel invisible in relation to these diversities to educate me so that I can welcome you as well.

I choose course materials carefully to also emphasize diversity, especially for the required course readings. I will admit, however, that so many writings of BIPOC authors have been so marginalized that they are difficult to find. You may know of writings or media that I have not yet found, and I welcome you to add to my reading list.

I cannot promise you a "safe" environment. In the current state and national political climates there are no "safe spaces," not even for me. I can only promise you that I will do my utmost to create a "brave space" where people can hopefully gradually feel powerful enough to speak from their experiences and contribute to knowledge diversity for all of us. I will also admit that I will do that imperfectly and welcome you to hold me accountable so that my deeds live up to my words.

DIVERSE LEARNING NEEDS

People have diverse learning styles and come from diverse backgrounds.  So different people find different parts of each course challenging or engaging.  Please inform me if you have learning needs that don’t fit the course structure/process so I can adjust the course to meet those needs. You may also be able to receive support through the McBurney Center, http://www.mcburney.wisc.edu/.   The Multicultural Student Center, https://msc.wisc.edu/, the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center, https://lgbt.wisc.edu/, and a variety of student-led groups searchable at https://win.wisc.edu/.

STUDENT HEALTH, INCLUDING MENTAL HEALTH

As of this moment (8-17-2021) a deadly pandemic rages locally, nationally, and internationally. The state legislature may not allow the university to require vaccines or continue the current mask policy. So, in the absence of state or university policies protecting health we will need to collectively establish, by consensus (which means we all have to agree), our own policies to protect our health beyond the university and legislature policies (or lack thereof). We will have these discussions initially by email. I am open to operating the class online, meeting face to face only under certain conditions, or a variety of other options, for health reasons. Please know I will require no one to enter the classroom who believes there are inadequate health protections in place.

Additionally, we are facing a student mental health crisis not just at UW-Madison but in higher education institutions across the country. Sadly, our society still stigmatizes mental health as if it is somehow different from other forms of health. I reject that stigmatization. Diabetes and depression, just as examples, are both real health conditions, they both respond to treatment (and interestingly both can be at least partly treated with behavioral interventions as well as with medication), and they both can impact one’s quality of life. I urge you to get treatment for mental health conditions the same way I would urge you to get treatment for any other health condition. I was also trained in counseling long ago (though I am not licensed) and am always willing to have an initial conversation with you and support you in seeking treatment from licensed professionals. You can access information about UW mental health services at https://www.uhs.wisc.edu/mental-health/ . I know that they continue to be overwhelmed with requests for services. Even as they hire more staff, requests keep growing. So this too is a sociological problem. Mental health conditions are not just inside of people. They are also outside of people, in the social institutions we create that harm our mental health. We need to change those external causes of mental health conditions, not just treat the internal consequences.

MY PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

When teachers realize they still have things to learn and students realize they have things to teach, and when everyone is in an atmosphere where both students and teachers are encouraged to learn and teach, everyone benefits.

My job is to create and maintain a learning atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable taking intellectual and interpersonal risks, and to help you do your part in maintaining that atmosphere.  I welcome critiques of ideas, especially my own.  In the end, the best learning comes from connecting through our differences, especially if we practice respect for each other as people while we question and criticize each other’s ideas. 

PROFESSOR CONSULTATIONS

Please feel welcomed to consult with me whenever you have a question about course assignments, lectures, discussions, readings, or project activities. I will gladly discuss questions you have about the course material and our community project. Please also fee welcomed to consult with me whenever you find yourself interested in the issues raised in the course and you want to discuss further or get more information.

COURSE ORGANIZATION

There may be times in this class when the phrase "course organization" will sound like an oxymoron. Project courses like this are somewhat like a line of dominoes--knock one down and the rest behind them also fall over. Thankfully, there aren't that many dominoes, and they are easy to set up again. The timeline of this project is not dependent on just you and me, but on the university bureaucracy and the community partners we will be working with. For the most part, then, our class meetings will focus on troubleshooting where we are in the process and planning our next steps. However, we will also be engaged in a variety of in-class training exercises. You will learn how to do research from start to finish in this class, and to connect it to real community work.

STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

You should know that you have specific rights that include accommodations for religious observances, physician-documented illnesses, and disabilities.  You also have the right to appeal grading and disciplinary procedures that normally begin with contacting the chair of the department, Michael Bell, michaelbell@wisc.edu, or 608-265-9930.  If you do not feel comfortable contacting the chair you can contact the CALS Dean’s office at http://www.cals.wisc.edu/academics/.  Of course, my goal is to structure and facilitate the course in such a way that you feel comfortable contacting me about concerns you have.

This institution normally focuses on student responsibilities that include things like avoiding plagiarism, not cheating on tests, and sometimes not collaborating.  Those issues will be complicated for us, since we may be using sources who wish to remain unidentified, we will not have tests, and we will be collaborating both with each other and with community members.  We will also be adding an academic integrity principle that isn't normally discussed in courses.  Because we are doing work that is responding to a request by a community organization, a crucial principle of academic integrity is for us to do our very best work on a very strict timeline.  This course must be a priority in your life, because other people will be counting on what you produce.  If you can't make this course a top priority, you shouldn't take it.  I also know that some of you are rapidly approaching graduation, with all its attendant anxieties and distractions of applying for jobs and grad schools.  If you are experiencing those or other distractions, please talk with me.  I may be able to help or at least connect you with someone who can.

Another right/responsibility you have in this course is to collectively determine other rights/responsibilities and I will facilitate a process during our first class meeting for that purpose.

COURSE WORKLOAD

In general, the workload for this class is average. The challenge is that it can be quite uneven so you need to manage your time effectively. You will also need some free-time during weekdays to complete some course requirements.

You will see that the first few weeks are heavy with reading and activity. I have, for the most part, "front-loaded" the preparatory work of the course so we can move into the project as quickly as possible with the necessary preparation. The formal reading load reduces the further we get into the semester.

It is also likely (but not certain) that we will reduce our in-class time to two hours after we get through the first several weeks.  We will then shift to a mid-week check-in system where you will check-in by Thursday of each week on-line to note your progress and challenges in the project work. 

CLASS PROCESS

This class will be a group effort. My job is to be a project manager, trainer, and guide. Your job is to tell me what you need to learn to carry out the tasks of the project, what you need to have clarified to keep the project on track, and what skills you can bring to help troubleshoot when things go wrong.

READINGS

Al readings are available electronically, though some will require that you be logged onto the UW network or the UW library, and some may be available through the online library reserve system. I take every effort to post links that will work from both on and off campus.  When you are off campus, you will likely need to login to access some of the readings. 

There will be both required and recommended readings.   Please print out the required readings or bring your tablet/laptop to class with an electronic version.

COURSE WEBSITE

This course is supported online using Canvas. This is the site we will use to manage online discussions, upload project research information, etc.  It will be a basic workspace.  It may take a little getting used to. Please let me know if you are unfamiliar with it and I will be happy to give you a tour.

IMPORTANT DATES

Last day to drop with no record on transcript: September 15

Last day to drop with full tuition adjustment: September 17

Last day to drop without needing Dean’s approval: November 5

For other important dates, see https://registrar.wisc.edu/dates/.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING

Because this project is being designed jointly with you and a community organization, it is impossible to say for sure right now exactly what we will be doing. There is a tentative outline for the project with Nehemiah posted on the course homepage on Canvas. The course calendar below will show the tasks that need to be accomplished as they become clear and I will continually update it But here are the basic assignments you will need to complete:

  1. "Reflective Strengths and Weaknesses" essay (5 points).    It should be about 500 words and should reflect on your own strengths and weaknesses in relation to the project (or at least what you know of it).  I won't grade you at all on your strengths and weaknesses--only on the extent to which you've made clear that you've reflected carefully on what they are.  You can see my example at the end of this syllabus. Please upload using the assignment function on Canvas. Important: verify your upload worked—Canvas can be quirky. This essay is due the beginning of the first class meeting. -1 point for each day late.

  2. "Guided Reflections" (3 points per week beginning week 2 = 42 points).  Each week after we meet you will have the opportunity to write about 250 words reflecting on what you read, what happened in class and/or what is happening in the project and what you are learning or feeling confident and/or confused about (on days when there are readings you should include some discussion of at least a couple readings).  The purpose is to help you become conscious of what you are learning and to help me learn what I need to help clarify.  I will not grade you on whether I think you should have learned something but on the depth of your reflection and your use of your experiences and course readings in your reflections. Submit your reflections using the Canvas assignment link and verify that your submission succeeded. Please take care to submit to the correct discussion folder. Reflections are due before the beginning of the following class each week.  -1 point for each day late.

  3. Project Participation (55 points).  This will be the bulk of your grade. Here are the tasks so far:

  1. Attendance: We currently don’t know what the rules will be for meeting face to face or what the isolation policies might be if someone tests positive for COVID-19. We will minimally have the technology capacity to hold class in hybrid mode—with some people face to face and some remotely. That will allow any of us who have a positive COVID test to still participate in class. There is not an attendance requirement, but if you miss a class you will miss the opportunity to engage in project work (and thus may miss out on points), since groups will establish project assignments in class.  It will therefore be up to you to catch up and find out what you need to do in the project.

  2. Portfolio: Among the other requirements imposed on our department by the university administration is the demand that we produce measurable outcomes not just in classes but overall in our department’s major. To do that we have to pass that demand on to you. So now the department is requiring that each student produce an e-portfolio of your experiences in the major. You can use this to your benefit, as employers are increasingly looking at e-portfolios. But you can choose to keep your e-portfolio private if you wish. This requirement is technically outside of the course requirements and is supposed to cover your experience overall in the major rather than just in this course, so I will not grade your e-portfolios, but I will not submit a final grade for you unless you have a complete portfolio.  A complete portfolio will include: A discussion of what the Community and Environmental sociology major means to you, a discussion of your favorite classes, and a writing sample from a class in the major. You of course are welcomed to include much more than that. For ideas, here are a couple online e-portfolios from past students: https://mverbeten.wixsite.com/website, https://kcgiguere.wixsite.com/kategiguere.

A professional skill for completing the work in this course:  If your strategy for succeeding in school has been about doing things at the last minute, you have learned a bad habit. You will find me relatively unsympathetic for requests for extensions if you use such a strategy.  Especially for the reflections, you will do better work if you do them shortly after class rather than waiting a whole week.  Additionally, completing assignments early helps avoid the problems created by mini-disasters and illness.

Incomplete Policy: Because your work in this course will not just impact you, but will affect a community group, you will need to work on their schedule, not yours. Thus there is no provision for incompletes in this course. The due dates are all strict and final. If you find yourself in a situation where you are not able to complete the coursework on the schedule set, please contact me as soon as the situation arises so we can problem-solve.

Final grades calculation—it’s a simple points system, not a percentage system. You will accumulate points as you do activities in the class. Canvas will show both your points total and percentages. IGNORE THE PERCENTAGES. The possible points are:

5 (strengths and weaknesses essay) + 42 (guided reflections) + 5 (human subjects training) + 22 (group plans and reports) + 26 (project participation) = 100 points

A = >92, A/B = 88-92, B = 83-87, B/C = 78-82, C = 70-77, D = 60-69, F = <60



COURSE CALENDAR

~~Remember to print out the readings or bring your tablet/laptop to class with an electronic version as we may be discussing them.

~~I may add readings as the semester progresses.  You can always find the most up-to-date list on the web version of the syllabus.

Week 1, September 13: Introduction to the Course—Nehemiah and Black Communities

Tasks:

~Upload "Strengths and weaknesses" essay by beginning of class.

~Begin Human Subjects Research training at https://my.gradsch.wisc.edu/citi/index.php and upload completion certificate to Canvas before class time on September 27.

Read:

Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development. 2021. website (read “Nehemiah programs,” “Justified Anger,” and “stories and “history” under the “About” tab). https://nehemiah.org/

Justified Anger and the Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development 2015. Our Madison Plan (if you don’t have time to read all of it, concentrate on pp. 5-29, and 34-39). https://nehemiah.org/wp-content/uploads/JA-Our-Madison-Plan-052915.pdf

Resources:

Justified Anger Facebook site, https://www.facebook.com/JustifiedAngerDiscussion/

Nehemiah Facebook site, https://www.facebook.com/NehemiahMadison/



Week 2, September 20: BIPOC Entrepreneurship

Tasks:

~Upload to Canvas, by beginning of class, a guided reflection covering September 13 class readings and discussion, on the question “What are your hopes and concerns about being involved in this community partnership?”

~Continue Human Subjects Research training at https://my.gradsch.wisc.edu/citi/index.php  and upload completion certificate to Canvas before class time on September 27.

Read:

Diana Hammer*, Joseph Malual, Angie Allen, & Christian Schmieder. (2021). How African American business owners navigate startup in northeastern Wisconsin: Challenges and opportunities. Unpublished manuscript. Available on Canvas at https://canvas.wisc.edu/courses/271815/files?preview=21604184

Diana Hammer & Joseph Malual (2020). Entrepreneurs of color in Wisconsin: Bridging the gap in resources to mobilize potential, Community Development. Available on Canvas at https://canvas.wisc.edu/courses/271815/files?preview=21196719

Greg Wilson and Randy Stoecker (2021). Not Profiting, but Persisting: Black-led Organizations in the Racialized Nonprofit Industrial Complex. Revised version of paper presented at the 2020 American Sociological Association annual meetings. Available on Canvas at https://canvas.wisc.edu/courses/271815/files?preview=21196891

Resources:

Abdullah Snobar. 2021. Black Entrepreneurship: The Opportunity Gap Explained. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/02/05/black-entrepreneurship-the-opportunity-gap-explained/?sh=3f34345d6d89

Bates, Timothy (1991).” Unequal Access: Financial Institutions Lending to Black-and White-Owned Small Business Start-Ups.” Journal of Urban Affairs 19:487-495. 

Blanchard, Lloyd, Bo Zhao, and John Yinger. 2008. “Do lenders discriminate against minority and woman entrepreneurs?” Journal of Urban Economics 63:467-497.  

Aldrich, Howard E. and Roger Waldinger. 1990. “Ethnicity and Entrepreneurship.” Annual Review of Sociology 16:111-135. 

Feagin, Joe R. and Nikitah Imani. 1994. “Racial Barriers to African American Entrepreneurship: An Exploratory Study.” Social Problems 41:562-584.  

Nehemiah and Saranghae Desserts Partnership Story. 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKEAFJyx0ks

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. 2021. Racism and the Economy: Focus on Entrepreneurship. https://www.atlantafed.org/news/conferences-and-events/conferences/2021/06/02/racism-and-the-economy-focus-on-entrepreneurship/transcript.aspx

https://socialequity.duke.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Entering-Entrepreneurship.pdf

http://thoward.faculty.unlv.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/BOA-REPORT-FINAL_2020.pdf



Week 3, September 27: Professional Skills

Tasks:

~Upload to Canvas, by beginning of class, a guided reflection covering September 20 on the question “What are the potential challenges, risks, and worries in developing a Black entrepreneurship support system?”

~Complete Human Subjects Research training at https://my.gradsch.wisc.edu/citi/index.php  and upload completion certificate to Canvas before class time.

~Work on project—develop overall plan for project and tasks for coming week

~Upload work plan by end of class

Read:

Facilitation

Community Tool Box.  2014.  Developing Facilitation Skills.  http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/leadership/group-facilitation/facilitation-skills/main

Teamwork

Page, Diana, and Donelan, Joseph G. 2003. Team-Building Tools for Students. Journal of Education for Business. Vol. 78 Issue 3, p125. Download from Canvas at https://canvas.wisc.edu/courses/271815/files?preview=21200532

Project planning and tracking

Mochal, Tom. 2009. 10 best practices for successful project management. TechRepublic. July 23. http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-best-practices-for-successful-project-management/

Problem solving

ITS.  2005-2018.  Read What Are Problems?, The Stages of Problem-Solving, The Skills of Problem Solving, Why People Fail to Solve Problems Effectively, Barriers to Finding the Best Solution, and Overcoming the Blocks to Problem Solving

Group-Centered Leadership (read one of the following)

Chris Crass. 2008.  Organizing Lessons from Civil Rights Leader Ella Baker http://www.anarkismo.net/article/7645  

Colin Ward.  1966.  Anarchism as a Theory of Organization. http://www.panarchy.org/ward/organization.1966.html  

Mary Wandia.  2011. Challenging Structural Inequalities: The Vision of Feminist Transformative Leadership. BUWA! – A Journal on African Women’s Experiences. Download from Canvas https://canvas.wisc.edu/courses/271815/files?preview=21669233

Week 4, October 4: Research Approaches

Tasks:

~Upload to Canvas, by the beginning of class, a guided reflection covering the September 27 class on the question “How can you imagine using professional skills of facilitation, problem solving, project management, and group-centered leadership in our work?”

~Work on project—develop overall plan for project and tasks for coming week

~Upload work plan and progress report by end of class

Read:

Environmental Scans

Amanda Wilburn, Robin C. Vanderpool, Jennifer R. Knight. (2016). Environmental Scanning as a Public Health Tool: Kentucky’s Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Project. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2016/16_0165.htm

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (2019). Measures Management System. https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/MMS/Downloads/How-to-Conduct-the-Environmental-Scan-for-Quality-Measure-Development.pdf

Graham, P., Evitts, T., & Thomas-MacLean, R. (2008). Environmental scans: how useful are they for primary care research?. Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 54(7), 1022–1023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2464800/



Week 5, October11: Higher Ed community engagement and allyship

Tasks:

~Upload to Canvas, by beginning of class, a guided reflection on successes, challenges, and questions you have about the project and your own learning in the class during this past week.

~Work on project

~Upload work plan and progress report by end of class

Read:

The Anti-Oppression Network. 2015. Allyship. https://theantioppressionnetwork.com/allyship/

Viraj S. Patel. 2011. Moving Toward an Inclusive Model of Allyship for Racial Justice. The Vermont Connection. http://www.uvm.edu/~vtconn/v32/Patel.pdf

Randy Stoecker, Karen Reece and Taylor Konkle. 2018. From relationships to impact in community–University partnerships. In Michael Seal (ed) Participatory Pedagogic Impact Research. Available on Canvas at https://canvas.wisc.edu/courses/271815/files?preview=21285666

Resources:

Stoecker, Randy.  2012. "CBR and the Two Forms of Social Change." Journal of Rural Social Sciences. 27:83-98. http://journalofruralsocialsciences.org/pages/Articles/JRSS%202012%2027/2/JRSS%202012%2027%202%2083-98.pdf

Stoecker, Randy. 2013. Research Methods for Community Change. Chapters 1-3. Available on Canvas at https://canvas.wisc.edu/courses/271815/files?preview=21200835

Randy Stoecker and Mary Beckman, 2009, Making Higher Education Civic Engagement Matter in the Community.  Campus Compact.  http://www.compact.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/engagementproof-1.pdf

Randy Stoecker and Elizabeth Tryon. 2009. The Unheard Voices:  Community Organizations and Service Learning. Temple University Press.  See chapter 1 at  http://www.temple.edu/tempress/titles/2023_reg.html

Ward, K., & Wolf-Wendel, L. Community-centered service learning. The American Behavioral Scientist, (2000).43(5), 767-780 http://abs.sagepub.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/cgi/reprint/43/5/767

Pamela Rao et al.  2004.  Student Participation in Community-Based Participatory Research to Improve Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Health. Journal of Environmental Education.  http://www.fachc.org/pdf/Student%20Participation%20in%20Community%20Research%20to%20Improve%20MSFW%20Health.pdf

Nadinne I. Cruz and Dwight E. Giles, Jr.  Where’s the Community in Service-Learning Research?  Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning 2000 (special issue)

Week 6, October 18: TBA

Tasks:

~Upload to Canvas, by beginning of class, guided reflection on successes, challenges, and questions you have about the project and your own learning in the class during this past week.

~Work on project

~Upload work plan and progress report by end of class

Read:

Week 7, October 25:  TBA

Tasks:

~Upload to Canvas, by beginning of class, guided reflection on successes, challenges, and questions you have about the project during this past week.

~Work on project

~Upload work plan and progress report by end of class

Read:

Week 8, November 1:      TBA

Tasks:

~Upload to Canvas, by beginning of class, guided reflection on successes, challenges, and questions you have about the project during this past week.

~Work on project

~Upload work plan and progress report by end of class

Read:

Week 9, November 8:    TBA

Tasks:

~Upload to Canvas, by beginning of class, guided reflection on successes, challenges, and questions you have about the project during this past week.

~Work on project

~Upload work plan and progress report by end of class

Read:

Week 10, November 15:              TBA

Tasks:

~Upload to Canvas guided reflection on successes, challenges, and questions you have about the project during this past week.

~Work on project

~Upload work plan and progress report by end of class

Read:



Week 11, November 22:  TBA

Tasks:

~Upload to Canvas guided reflection on successes, challenges, and questions you have about the project during this past week.

~Continue project work

~Upload work plan and progress report by end of class

Read:

Week 12, November 29: TBA

Tasks:

~Upload to Canvas guided reflection on successes, challenges, and questions you have about the project during this past week.

~Work on project

~Upload work plan and progress report by end of class

Read:

Week 13, December 6:  TBA

Tasks:

~Upload to Canvas, by beginning of class, guided reflection on successes, challenges, and questions you have about the project during this past week.

~Work on project

~Upload work plan and progress report by end of class

Read: TBA

Week 14, December 13: TBA

Tasks: TBA

~Upload to Canvas, by beginning of class, guided reflection on successes, challenges, and questions you have about the project during this past week.

~Work on project

~Upload work plan and progress report by end of class

Read: TBA



Designated Finals Period: no class

Tasks:

~Complete all Project Tasks

~Upload to Canvas, by beginning of class, a summary guided reflection on your experiences with the project over the semester.

Strengths and Weaknesses Essay by Randy Stoecker

Randy Stoecker

I have been involved with community change projects for over three decades. I have also studied the process of making community change for the same amount of time. And probably the first thing I have learned about myself in the process is that I really like combining the making of change with the studying of change. In fact, I think combining them makes each stronger. So my main strength is my ability to transform the research process to serve the community change process. I can easily see what knowledge questions a community is facing, possible ways that they can answer their knowledge questions, and how to use the knowledge they get.

Of course, for me, all strengths have a kind of yin-yang weakness associated with them, and I was reminded of this recently, when I helped with a community event that included an issue development process. I had forgotten that what seems obvious to me is not obvious to others and may not even be part of how people think in the world. So I didn’t do as well in working with a community leader to communicate the issue development process and we ended up causing some confusion in the group as a consequence. It wasn’t a fatal lapse, but was still humbling.

One of the other things I have become quite good at in just the past half-decade is moving a course-based community project from start to finish. Without fail, by the end of the project we have produced for the community what we said we would produce. And those projects matter. I have worked with groups who have changed water policy, founded a new community center, and changed the City of Madison entertainment policy process. Part of the reason for that is the students, community members, and myself all become involved in planning the project and shaping it as we went.

Now, I must admit, that sometimes the project grows, but the class always finishes what we agreed to. But I always reserve some time in case I need to spend another semester and perhaps even the summer on making the work the best that it can be. Thankfully there are usually capstone students who also want to keep going with me.

The complementary weakness of my success at finishing projects is that I am often a lot more comfortable with the early uncertainty of such a project than nearly all of the other people involved. In fact, I have the most fun when things are uncertain and we start designing a project. It is in carrying out the project where I feel the most stressed, because I can see when we risk getting behind and that causes me to push harder than others might like. In addition, I am not the best at detail work. I really like the big picture work, and really have to push myself to remember that accomplishing the big picture requires thinking ahead to the details—making sure that I know when community meetings need to be scheduled, and scheduling them two weeks ahead, making sure there are drafts ready for review a week before the meeting, and so on.

My final strength/weakness is that I am comfortable with the critical reflection process. I am hardly ever satisfied with my own work, and actually like the process of reflecting on how to do better. Sometimes I carry that over to how I reflect on the work of others without as much sensitivity as I’d like or I hold back because I worry about being insensitive. So I am still feeling clumsy about that.





Construction Materials--ignore

Focus Groups

Mousa A. Masadeh. 2012. Focus Group: Reviews and Practices. International Journal of Applied Science and Technology Vol. 2 No. 10. http://ijastnet.com/journals/Vol_2_No_10_December_2012/9.pdf

Eliot and Associates. 2005. Guidelines for Conducting a Focus Group. https://irep.olemiss.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/98/2016/05/Trinity_Duke_How_to_Conduct_a_Focus_Group.pdf

Community Toolbox. 2021. Section 6: Conducting Focus Groups. https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-and-resources/conduct-focus-groups/main

Online Focus Groups (if needed):

Faith Lewis, Seth Muzzy. (2020). Conducting Virtual Focus Groups. MDRC. https://www.mdrc.org/publication/conducting-virtual-focus-groups

Isabel Griffith, Jenita Parekh, Chris Charles. (2020). Conducting Successful Virtual Focus Groups. Child Trends. https://www.childtrends.org/publications/conducting-successful-virtual-focus-groups

Sarah G. Forrestal, Angela Valdovinos D’Angelo, Lisa Klein Vogel. (2015). Considerations for and Lessons Learned from Online, Synchronous Focus Groups. Survey Practice. Vo. 8, Issue 3. https://www.surveypractice.org/article/2844-considerations-for-and-lessons-learned-from-online-synchronous-focus-groups