Community-Action Learning

Abstract

This paper describes and analyzes an undergraduate course entitled Public Interest Research in which students learn research methods by conducting research on behalf of one or more community organizations. Students' work is conceived of as community action learning, a combination of participatory action research and service learning, emphasizing active citizenship, community empowerment, systemic change, and social justice.

Keywords:

• action
• community
• learning
• research
• service

Notes

Sarah Bell was a student in POL241 Public Interest Research during spring semester 2002.

That course was described and evaluated in Jill Gregory, Mark Mattern, and Shari Mitchell, “From Ivory Tower to Urban Street: Using the Classroom as a Community Research and Development Tool,” PS: Political Science and Politics 34:1 (March, 2001).

Evaluations were not administered for 2004 due to a medical emergency.