Partnering with Faculty and Courses
Georgetown University sees partnering with community organizations as a viable and important tool for engaging GU’s faculty and students with important social justice issues in our communities. We partner faculty, courses and community-based organizations (CBOs) typically through community based-learning courses and through faculty-led research projects.
Community-based learning (CBL) is an academic course-based pedagogy that involves student work with disadvantaged and underserved individuals or groups (or organizations working with and for these groups) that is structured to meet community defined needs. Critically, course objectives and student community work are fundamentally integrated. Students take a course that includes working with a community organization and engage in reflective activities to help them. To a CBO, the advantages of having CBL students are that they are supervised by faculty and administrators in the context of courses, so there is a clear accountability structure. Students in this scenario are often seeking a deeper level of learning from their community experience than the typical volunteer. In CBL, community-based organizational staff are co-instructors of the students.
Community-based research (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. In instances in which CBOs need research projects completed, CSJ can assist in matching faculty and community partners to conduct a CBR project. These projects require a higher knowledge base and a person to ensure the successful completion of the project.
For information on CBR, please contact Deanna Cooke.
For information on CBL, please contact Jane Kirchner.
