Georgetown Community-Based Research
At the Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service (CSJ) we support research that addresses the pressing social issues in our complicated world today. Social Justice Research is conceptualized in a number of ways including research on social justice issues and community-based research in which community members have a role in designing and implementing the research activities. CSJ supports faculty in these efforts by partnering with faculty and assisting faculty in designing the research protocol, partnering with community-based organizations, and identifying student to support the research.
Although CSJ supports all social justice research, we have placed a particular emphasis on supporting faculty engaged in collaborative, community-based research (CBR). CBR is research that is conducted with and for, not on, members of a community. Research in this model is collaboratively developed among researchers and community members with the goal of creating social change.
At Georgetown University, faculty often envision CBR as a process that combines classroom learning and skills development with social action to empower community groups to shape their own futures. In this model, CBR emphasizes students’ development of knowledge and skills that prepare them to be active creators and effective agents in their civic participation. To learn more about CBR, we recommend reading Strand and Colleagues (2004) Community-based Research and Higher Education.
Faculty engagement in community-based research is vital to successfully completing complex research projects that can buttress the social justice goals of our community-based partners. CSJ is able to support you in building these relationships, engaging yours and other’s students in the project work and identifying venues for publishing your research findings.
For more information click here to go to the CBR homepage.
