Research as a Tool for Change

4 credits Tuesdays/Thursdays 11:15-12:30: Dickinson 214 Teaching Team:

Weds. 3:00-5:00 and by appointment

This course is offered through the UMass Office of Community Service Learning (OCSL) at Commonwealth College. OCSL promotes positive change, intellectual growth and social justice. OCSL connects community members, students and faculty in partnerships to enhance student learning, strengthen community assets, meet immediate needs and address the root causes of social problems. By combining community service with experiential and academic learning, OCSL supports the University's land-grant mission to use education to improve the lives of the people of the Commonwealth.

Course Overview:

Honors 291 S: Research as a Tool for Change is the second of four courses taken by students in the Citizen Scholars Program. The first course in the program (The Good Society) aimed to engage your imagination in envisioning the ways you would want society to be organized. The next three courses in the program explore different ways that Citizen Scholars can work to bring society closer to the values you have articulated. Each of the three courses will have a project as a way of linking inquiry and action. This course explores how scholarship can be linked to Citizen action: how citizens can use research to generate knowledge that is locally useful, helping to solve problems or build assets in the community. Its central project is an action research project worked out in collaboration with the Vision Council of the Hampshire Community United Way. The course has three major threads:

1. Participatory Action Research. Readings will demonstrate how research can be a tool for change, and will raise a range of questions about the relationship between research and action. The participatory action research (PAR) project will allow you the opportunity to learn about a social issue on the ground in this regional community, while also producing a report that will be useful to a group of community "stakeholders".
2. Community Service. Citizen Scholars are required to complete 60 hours of community service each semester of the program; at least 30 hours must be at a single approved site during the spring semester. In addition, the research component of the course will include extensive community interaction. You can count your participatory action research project for up to 30 hours. Whenever you visit your service placement, the journal entries you generate will provide you with a "text" from which you can generate thoughtful analyses of your experiences. In this way, we will "read" service experiences to enrich our understandings of community and social problems, of ourselves, and of the tools available to create social change.
3. A Social Justice Framework. Readings and discussion will develop a framework for analyzing social problems and the process of social change using concepts of social justice. We will apply this framework to our experience of participatory action research and of community service.

Course Objectives: By the end of this course, you will have: • Considered how knowledge is a form of power, and explored some of the ethical dilemmas involved in creating and accessing knowledge. • Generated new knowledge in collaboration with a community organization, to help them address community problems. • Developed and used skills in community-based research. • Developed and used skills in working as part of a team. • Explored social justice theory, and used the theory to analyze your research project, your service experience, and your own social position.

Required Readings: Required readings will be available on line, through WebCT. Additionally, your service and your research will be used as "texts" for this course.

Team Work and Team Facilitation: Early in the semester, the class will be organized into teams to conduct parts of the PAR project. Working in teams will help the class produce a final product for the community; it also gives you an opportunity to develop skills in group dynamics. We will use readings and class activities to help you work on those skills. Teams will be given some time to meet during the class time, but in order to succeed with your project, you will need to schedule a weekly meeting outside of class with your team. WebCT has a team project function that you can use to facilitate communication between team members outside of the times you meet face to face.

WebCT: You are expected to use WebCT for the following course functions:

• Readings are available from the "Readings" content module. You can read them online (if your browser will let you rotate them; they're .pdf files that are loaded sideways). You can save a copy to your computer and manipulate it there. You can print a copy.
• There is also a link to the United Way Community Agenda, where you'll find reports from the Participatory Action Research project of the Citizen Scholars last year. You'll be asked to do some reading here. Other links will probably be added during the semester.
• The Calendar will have the next reading assignments and the next writing assignment listed on it, plus other information.
• Discussion has at least two sections. "Notes" will carry threads of comments on the readings. For the-first three days with reading assignments, you are expected to:
• Click on "Discussion" at the top of the .pdf file and post a response to the reading. Go to the Discussion for "The Relocation of North Bonneville" or for "Knowledge Struggles" for more directions, and post a response to either or both articles.
• When several of your classmates have also posted responses, read their responses and post at least one response to one of them. After you have used "Discussion" as a way to jump-start our in-class discussion of the readings for those first three days, you are not required to keep doing this. However, you'll know how to do it, and we hope you'll find it valuable enough to keep using it with each other, to begin processing the readings before we come to class. "Main" will carry comments about any aspect of the course. You are welcome to post to it at any time. In addition, research teams will have space available within WebCT to converse with each other and to upload and download text files with draft sections of their reports. This is an option available to you to help you communicate within the team; it is not a requirement to use it.

Course Policies: Written Assignments • Unless otherwise specified, all written assignments should be in a 12-point font, double-spaced, and with 1-inch margins.

• It is our expectation that every written assignment will be handed in, in hard copy, during class on the day that it is due. If you are having technical difficulties printing the paper, and are concerned about being late to class, then (and only then!) e-mail the paper to Rod and come to class on time. This should not become a habit.
• If you are not able to complete a writing assignment by the day it is due, obtain an extension before class time on the day it is due. To obtain an extension, contact Rod in a timely fashion, explain why you need the extension, and work out an extended due date with him if he grants the extension (which he almost always will). Late papers without extensions will not be accepted unless you can convince Rod otherwise. It will be a lot easier to ask for an extension ahead of time than to convince him later.
• Your team must complete an acceptable draft of the final paper in order to complete the course and receive credit for it. "Acceptable " means that it is good enough to pass on to the United Way receiving an AB or higher.

Participation

• Your active participation is important for building this learning community.
• We recognize that people participate in many ways, and that active listening can be just as important as speaking. In fact, it's more useful than some forms of speaking.
• In-group discussion, one good principle is "Step Up; Step Back." 
• Attacking, dominating, and withdrawing are not useful forms of participation.
• Facilitating the contributions of others is an important way to participate.
• Writing is another way to process what you hear and see, and to give back your take on it. Electronic communication within the group will be another way you can participate in exploration of issues, ideas, and experiences.

Attendance

• Attendance is critical. You can't participate without attending. And we can't re-create what happened in class through "make-up" assignments.
• If you need to miss class, contact Rod before class.
• If you feel your absence should be excused, email or write a memo to Rod on why you should be excused (for example, if you are sick, or if there has been a death in your family). Be specific, and include documentation where appropriate.
• Unexcused absences will affect your grade adversely. Multiple unexcused absences put you in danger of failing the course.
• Whether your absence is excused or not, you are responsible for making up the work. Obtain class notes from one of your colleagues and talk with her or him so you know what you missed. Make sure you know what was presented and discussed, and get hold of any handouts from class. We will expect you to turn your work in on time, even if you are missing class, unless you make other arrangements with Rod.

Meetings with teaching staff

• We are requiring two meetings with the teaching staff throughout the semester. You may also choose to meet with either or both of us for additional meetings. You may want to meet with us individually or in your project groups at any point in the semester. Here are some, but almost certainly not all, of the good reasons for initiating a meeting:
• You have questions about something in the course or in your development. • You'd like to work on skills development relevant to the course, such as writing, running meetings, public speaking.
• You are experiencing personal strife that is interfering with your work or your happiness, and you'd like a friendly ear, help in strategizing how to manage, or other support
• Issues come up in your project team or service placement that you want help with. If you have long-term concerns that may compromise your capacity to meet the requirements of this course, such as ongoing illness, hospitalization, or major family emergencies, please come talk to us as soon as possible so that we can talk about your options and help you figure things out!

Assignments

You will have five kinds of writing assignments in this course:

1) Journal entries: In your service placement, you are both a participant and an observer. What you observe while you are doing your service can become the basis for further learning, if you cultivate the habit of systematic reflection. The service journal is one tool for that reflection. After every time you go to your service placement, write an entry in your journal that addresses these three questions:

• What did you learn today?
• How did you learn it (what happened to lead to this learning)?
• What's the value of this learning (why does it matter? What else does it explain or connect to? Etc.)

You may get to these questions in at least three ways. Sometimes you'll walk away from a service experience with a new learning flashing before your eyes, so you can start writing by writing down what you learned. Other times it's not so clear. In those times, you can start by telling about an event that stands out for you, and use the writing to unpack the lessons it can teach you. A third approach is to describe a typical pattern in your placement - a pattern of interaction that may be repeated frequently, for example-and again unpack the lessons that pattern may teach you. The journal entries will be collected four times: on February 24, March 23, April 15 and May 13.

2) Focused Reflections. On five occasions, you will be given a question or a set of questions to answer. The first Focused Reflection assignment is attached to this syllabus. Other focused reflections will ask you to reflect on concepts presented through the course, applying them to your experience in your service placement, your research project, or elsewhere.

3) PAR Progress Reports. On three occasions, you'll be asked to submit a progress report on the research project. The first of these will be written individually by every student; the second and third will be written collectively by you and your team members. Each progress report will have three sections:

• Process: For your group, what were the major steps in the process by which you allocated tasks and made other decisions? For each of you individually, what were the major steps in your research process? What did you do?
• Key Learnings: Key learnings are both practical and personal. Practical learnings relate directly to the final report: they include insights and significant information that you expect may be included in the report; they also include insights into how to get the data you need (who the local expert is who you need to interview, how to access a set of statistics you need, etc.) Personal learnings are all those insights that probably won't show up in the final report: new understandings about group dynamics because of the conflict your team worked through, insights into the ways that community organizations balance scarce resources and expanding needs, etc.
• Plan for the Next Steps: Given what you (individually and collectively) have done and learned so far, what do you need to do next? Who will do what, when? The written plan should grow out of your group's analysis of the findings of all team members; it should reflect your team's best thinking about how to proceed, and it should have sufficient detail in it that it can guide each of you in your next steps. Break your major objectives into steps, and attach realistic deadlines to each step. Doing this step -by-step planning is one of the most challenging-and most useful and important-aspects of this entire project.

4) PAR Final Report. Guidance for this will be provided through our continued interaction with the United Way Vision Council, which is generating the questions that it needs to answer.

5) Reading Discussion. Written responses to the readings will not be graded separately, but your use of the "Discussion" section of WebCT to start discussion about the readings will be assessed as part of your participation in the course. You are required to enter responses to at least one reading each of the first three days we have readings assigned, and to at least one of your classmates' responses each of those days, and are encouraged to keep using this system as a way to clarify and extend your responses to the readings.

Grading Structure: As this is an Honors course, we expect that your work will reflect substantial thought and care. We expect very good work, which would be graded at a level of at least AB. Excellent work leads to an A; work below our expectations leads to a B or lower. Grades will be assigned as follows:

A - 93 -100 points AB - 88-92 points B - 83-87 points BC - 78-82 points C - 73-77 points CD - 68-72 points D - 60-67 points F - Below 60 points

Special Events: The Citizen Scholars Program is more than just a collection of courses; it is a learning community designed to help you become effective citizens. To that end, we have scheduled three special events during the semester:

1) "Tools for Change" student conference on the skills of civic engagement, Saturday, March 6, in the Campus Center. This all-day conference is designed to help students develop some of the skills that are central "tools for change." This event will give you access to expert training that would otherwise be unavailable to us, and also the opportunity to make connections with other UMass students and students from across the state who have a commitment to change. It is funded by a national initiative "Raise Your Voice - Student Action for Change," and by several UMass programs, so there will be no charge for you. To make it easier to attend, the regular class meeting for that Thursday (on March 4) will be cancelled. Your participation is required. If you would like a letter from John to give to an employer explaining this conflict, let him know by February 17, and he'll bring letters to class on February 19. Registration is required. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.

2) Citizen Scholars Recognition Dinner. This event, on the evening of April 20, will feature the induction of new Citizen Scholars, recognition of your class, awarding medallions to the graduating Citizen Scholars, recognition of program alumni who are still around, and a talk by our Distinguished Citizen Scholar, Evan- Dobelle, President of the University of Hawaii. President Dobelle will also be leading a seminar for all the Citizen Scholars earlier that day, during our class time, on the civic role of higher education. Your participation in the dinner is very strongly encouraged.

3) Evening Gatherings. This semester the evening gatherings have been moved to Wednesday evenings, to avoid some conflicts that were present on Mondays. Evening gatherings will be the first Wednesdays in February and March, February 4 and March 3, from 5:30 to 6:30 in the lounge of Butterfield. They will feature pizza and conversation with someone who is working to live with integrity, aiming to make a difference in the world. The speaker in February is the Dean of Commonwealth College, Linda Slakey. Your participation is strongly encouraged.

Course Schedule

Our typical schedule will lead us each week to: • Explore issues and methods in community-based research, and work on our participatory action research projects, • Explore issues in social justice theory, and • Examine our experience in our service placements. Details will be available on the Calendar of WebCT. Here are a few of the milestones in the schedule:

• Thursday, January 29: First Class. • Introductions • Map of course • Our goals and ground rules as a learning community
• Tuesday, February 3: In Class: Knowledge as a form of power; introduction to Participatory Action Research Readings due: • The syllabus • Comstock & Fox: The Relocation of North Bonneville • Gaventa: Knowledge Struggles Assignment due: • Focused Reflection #1
• Thursday, March 4: NO CLASS
• Saturday, March 6: Tools for Change Skills Conference (attendance required)
• Tuesday & Thursday, March 16-18: NO CLASS; SPRING BREAK
• Tuesday, April 20: Special seminar with Distinguished Citizen Scholar Evan Dobelle and other Citizen Scholars Evening: Citizen Scholars Recognition Dinner
• Thursday, April 22: NO CLASS; MONDAY CLASS SCHEDULE
• Tuesday and Thursday, April 27-29: Presentations of PAR projects
• Thursday, May 6: PAR reports due Tuesday, May 11: Class Evaluation
• Thursday, May 13: Celebration; Plans for next year

Focused Reflection #1 Please go into detail in answering each of the questions below. Your responses will help us especially your new instructor (John) - understand the resources and goals you bring to this class. • What knowledge, skills, and/or changes in attitude or perspective regarding your place in the world have you gained from the coursework and service of your first semester in the Citizen Scholars Program? Please focus on what has been most significant for you, and explain in some detail how you were led to these learnings. • What new knowledge, skills, and/or changes in attitude or perspective do you seek from your work in the Citizen Scholars Program this semester? • To move toward these goals, what will you need to do? What will you need from your instructors? What will you need from your classmates? • What resources (group skills, knowledge about Hampshire County, whatever) do you bring to the work we'll be doing together this semester? • Is there anything else you want us to know as we begin the semester together?