The Practice of Community Action
(The Action Research Seminar) Sociology 370 / Political Science 370, Fall 2004, CLA 305

This seminar, bridging theory and applied research in community action, uses a learner-centered teaching approach. The course introduces the student as “scholar-citizen” to the multiple ways of seeking information on communities, examining community issues, developing action plans, and implementing proactive programs. In this course, students learn the interviewing, networking, and organizing skills that they will need to be effective agents of change.

Course goals for students are to:

  • engage the local community as active citizens
  • develop skills important for community action leadership
  • participate in team-organized community projects
  • form working partnerships with faculty, students, and community members
  • draft action projects for long-term Bloomington-Normal community involvement
  • present summaries of projects to executive boards

By the end of this course, students are expected to complete:

  • a reflective journal containing summaries of their involvement as individuals and team members working on community projects
  • a series of weekly exercises for their personal and collective development as team members in the community
  • 15 hours of on-site volunteer work
  • an individual plan for their community project
  • a news release or editorial
  • a team action plan applying the reading to their community partner’s project
  • a team presentation and formal paper to their community partner’s executive board
  • an evaluation of their team members’ effectiveness

Required Text:

Stringer, Ernest T. 1999. Action Research. Second edition. Thousand Oaks , Ca.: Sage Publications.  Please bring Stringer’s book to class each Tuesday.

E-Reserves: Required e-reserves at Ames Library (password: action ) include:

  • Nyden, Philip, Anne Figert, Mark Shibley, and Darryl Burrows (editors). 1997. Building Community: Social Science in Action. Thousand Oaks , Ca.: Sage Publications.
  • Obama, Barack. 1995. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance. New York . Kodansha International
  • Reason, Peter and Hilary Bradbury (editors). 2001. Handbook of Action Research: Participative Inquiry and Practice. Thousand Oaks , Ca.: Sage Publications

Action Research Center Resource Cabinet

In the file cabinet outside CLA 263 are materials for review as you work on your respective projects. Some of the selections include:

  • Kretzmann, John P. and John L. McKnight. 1993. Second edition Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing A Community’s Assets. Evanston , Illinois : Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Research,
  • McLean County Regional Planning Commission (MCRPC), 211 West Jefferson Street Illinois Building Bloomington
  • PATH’s Directory of Human Services. 2004. Bloomington-Normal McLean County .

Attendance: Required. Since we meet only once a week, missing one day is equivalent to missing a week of class. Please be on time for each class.

Exercises, community partner presentations, discussions, team activities, and skill building demand our full attention from 6:00-8:30 pm .

Readings , Student Challenges & Opportunities for Tuesdays ( 6:00-8:30 pm ). 

  • (S)—Action Research, pages from Ernest Stringer’s text
  • (HAR)-- Handbook of Action Research, e-reserve articles and pages
  • (BC)— Building Community: Social Science in Action, e-reserve articles and case studies

Except for August 31, read the assigned material prior to each class period to prepare for discussions and quizzes.

Schedule:

Aug 31: (S) Stringer’s Chapters 1 & 2, pp.1-42: “Research in Professional and Public Life,” “Principles of Community-Based Action Research.”

  • Course orientation and introductions
  • Discussion of Stringer’s chapters          
  • Completion of the Skills and Interests Inventory
  • Skills building exercise: Becoming an active listener

Sept   7: Due: Clean draft of your resume
Read (S) Chapters 3 & 4, pp. 43-88: “Setting the Stage” and “Look: Building the Picture.”

  • Quiz on readings
  • Discussion of today’s readings
  • Skills exercise: Managing and conducting meetings.

Sept 14: Due: Resumes, for possible distribution to community partners.
Read (BC) pp. 240-242: “Conclusion: Collaboration Gives Hope and Voice in an Age of Disenchantment.”

Community Partner Presentations and Opportunities

  • 6:00-6:45 --Debra O’Connell, Child Health & Development Content Leader, Heartland Head Start
  • 7:00-7:45 —George Boyle, Managing Attorney, Prairie State Legal Services.
  • Student-led discussions of community partner opportunities.

Sept   21: Community Partner Presentations and Opportunities:

  • 6:00-6:45 —Karen Zangerle, Assistant Executive Director, PATH--(Providing Access To Help)
  • 7:00-7:45 —Mark Edwards, Director, Old House Society
  • Student-led discussions of community partner opportunities.

Sept   28: Read (S) Chapter 5, pp.89-114: “Think: Interpreting and Analyzing.”

Community Partner Presentation and Opportunities:

  • 6:00-6:45 —Michelle Covi, Director, Ecology Action Center
  • Quiz
  • Student-led discussion of community partner opportunities
  • Students decide on their community projects: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices.
  • Skills exercise: Developing agendas and taking minutes for meetings.

Oct     5: Due: Journals
Read (S) Chapters 6 & 7, pp. 115-163: “Act: Resolving the Problems” and “Act: Resolving Complex Problems.”     

  • Quiz
  • Discussion of today’s reading.
  • Assigning of student teams for community projects, and each team selects a community partner contact person
  • Skills exercise: The process of brainstorming for team action

Breakout time for teams: Building a preliminary picture, Stringer: 59-60.

Oct  12: Read (S) Chapter 9, pp.187-215: “Understanding Action Research: The Theory Behind the Practice” and (BC) pp. 3-13: “University-Community Collaborative Research: Adding Chairs at the Research Table”

  • Quiz
  • Expressive group formed
  • Discussion of today’s reading
  • Breakout time for student teams on community partner projects
  • Skills exercise: Preparing teams to work effectively with their community partners.

Oct   19: Due: Paper on individual student objectives and plan for the team project.

Team Breakout Time: This is a special time for team meetings and consultation with course faculty. Use your journal entries and on-site volunteer experiences as background information to share with team members. Formulate a preliminary team action plan (see Stringer, page 144, for content categories) and assign rotating community contact persons.

Oct     26: Due: Team action plan and individual tasks
Read Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father, 123-171

  • Quiz
  • Discussion of today’s reading
  • Expressive group meets
  •  Skills exercise: Guidelines for giving and receiving feedback and criticism.
  • 10-minute presentations of team action plans and feedback from class
  • Team breakout time                                

Nov    2: Due: Journals and additional team preliminary pictures, action plans and presentations of feedback.
Read (HAR) pp. 356-362: “Participatory Research and Education for Social Change: Highlander Research and Education Center ,” and pp. 396-402: “ Six Street Youth Who Could . . .”

  • Quiz
  • Expressive group meets
  •  10-minute presentations and feedback from class
  • Team breakout time
  • Skills exercise: How to write an editorial. (Paper #2 option)

Nov    9: Read (BC) pp.32-41: “Case Study 1: Creating and Sustaining Racially and Ethnically Diverse Communities”; pp. 85-91: “Case Study 9: Local Knowledge and Collaborative Environmental Action Research”; and pp. 219-225: “Case Study 25: The Imperfect Practice of Collaborative Research: The ‘Working Group on Neighborhoods’ in Toledo , Ohio .”

  • Quiz
  • Expressive group meets
  • 10 minute presentations and feedback from class
  • Team breakout time
  • Skills exercise: How to write a press release. (Paper #2 option)

Nov    16: Formal audio-visual presentations to class of community action projects

Nov   23: No Class: Thanksgiving Break

Nov   30: Formal audio-visual presentations to class of community action projects

Dec    7:  Formal audio-visual presentations to class of community action projects

Dec    14:  Due: Journals and Team Project Reports

  • Course Debriefing
  • Course Evaluations

Course requirements:

Students will be graded on the following:

10%     Quizzes on readings scheduled for most Tuesdays.

10%     Classroom, team, and community partner contributions (resume¢, on-site work, skill exercises engaged, participates in class discussions, etc.)

20%     Two papers (10% each): Individual student objectives and plan for team project, and an editorial or press release regarding your community partner project.

20%     Team’s written preliminary pictures and action plans.

15%     Team’s formal presentation, with Powerpoint, on BN community partner project. Include in your presentation the following: your project as informed by Stringer’s basic steps and information for developing an action plan, as well as your experiences with the community partner, background history of partner organization, table of organization and where your project fits into the organization, timeline and objectives for this semester and beyond.

25%     Journal: Each student maintains a weekly synopsis of plans and actions taken by the student, individually and as a team member. As plans and actions change, explain what changed, why it changed, and your personal involvement during those changes. What did you learn from the changes?

Journals must be dated, current, and kept weekly throughout the semester, using only your ideas and writing style. Journals are due at the start of class on October 5, November 2, and December 14 (last day of class). Journals will be returned the following Tuesday.

Office hours:      

Jim Sikora,  CLA 263, 556-3163
MW 1-2 and 3:15-3:45
Tu 10:45-11:45 and  2-4
Th 10:45-11:45 and by appointment		 Jim Simeone, CLA 251, 556-3126
TTh 4-5,
W 9-12 and  1-2
and by appointment