This is a comprehensive course on the conceptualization and development of community-based learning in the social sciences, with a particular focus on urban studies, civic engagement, and the inequalities facing various Washington, DC, communities.
· In the first part of the semester we will explore urban studies concepts, theories, and methods with an overview of the development of U.S. cities and the structural roots of urban problems, particularly as experienced in Washington, DC.
· In addition we will study social movement theorists as related to civic engagement in Washington, DC. Then we turn to how civic actors have worked to organize and overcome structural forces to empower themselves and alter their opportunities. We will examine how DC functions as a multi-level international city with effects on global civil society.
· After laying the theoretical groundwork for Community Based Learning (CBL), we will learn how to integrate theory into practical methodologies such as ethnographic fieldwork, community-based research projects, interview and focus group strategies, quantitative and web-based technologies, and social histories.
· This final integration will be developed as a model of creating social justice cultures in which the student is a strategic actor while at the university and as a lifelong “sociological imagination” for social justice.
Is this where we're supposed to post? I'm sorry I missed the tour on Friday, but I can share an observation of mine from a place you guys went to. I used to work at a charter school in Anacostia. It is located just across Suitland Parkway on MLK, next to the Barry Farm housing project. Before I worked in Anacostia I had only been East of the river two other times(aside from driving through) 1) on a field trip to see Fredrick Douglas' home 2) to visit my then boyfriend at the Anacostia Naval base. I learned how beautiful SE DC is when I finally had a reason to spend some time there. SE has some of the best views of the Capitol and has graceful hills and wooded parks. The more time I spent there the more I realized why I didn't ever come East of the river, there is almost nothing in the way of shopping or food within walking distance of the Anacostia metro. There are corner stores and a few carry-out places - but that is really it. With in the last year or so a cafe opened up and so did one or two restaurants. There is no movie theater, there is ONE grocery store in Ward 8. But these facts don't make it a bad place to live, it just makes it a non-urban place to live - these characteristics make it hard for people who are unfamiliar with the place to address the socioeconomic problems.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the delay! I also was struck by how beautiful SE DC is and would actually love to go back to many of the places we went to on the tour, especially U st. Katie is also right about the amazing views of DC and the Capitol, particularly the view from Fredrick Douglas' home.
ReplyDeleteOn the tour I remember noticing, similar to what Katie points out above, extremely limited shopping and dining options in many of the areas we visited. In particular there was a lack of sit down restaurants and social cafes. As we discussed in class, there were fairly obvious racial divides and visible gentrification. In fact, it was even more visible than I would have expected.
At the same time, Anacostia seemed nicer than I would have expected. It is referred to as having a terrible reputation but I felt safe there, and everywhere else we went on the tour.
I am glad to have seen more of the city and particularly from the standpoint of a driver. I had only experienced the city through walking and the metro before and I felt like this gave me a different perspective.
It was also interesting to go back in class and compare the housing prices of these different areas and found out where pricing was most competitive. This made it even more obvious the extreme preference of some "nicer" areas over others.