University-Community Partnerships

Catalog description

Ranging from civic engagement to economic development, institutions of higher education in the United States have long been involved in a variety of relationships with their local communities; in recent years, there has been increasing attention paid to the opportunities and challenges implicit in those relationships. In this course, students will study and discuss the history, rationales, and manifestations of the partnerships that have developed. Through readings, faculty-and student-led discussions, guest lecturers, and policy-oriented projects, students will develop better understandings of the many topics surrounding university-community partnership activities. Among other themes we will consider institutional roles and relationships, service learning, community perspectives, issues relevant to diverse populations, policy, and evaluation.