CARE: COMMUNITY ACTION RESEARCH EXPERIENCES
- Leadership for Good
Overview | How does
CARE work | Apply | FAQ
How does CARE work?
CARE is a year-long, three-stage program, beginning in Spring
semester that is open to all majors. The CARE program can be integrated
with SSFD major requirements (Family and Human Development, Sociology),
the SSFD Honors Program, and Barrett Honors College requirements.
Stage 1. Preparation course.
FAS/SOC 492/497/498 – Leadership, Value Conflicts, and Collaboration
in Public Life (3 credits; Spring semester, T/TH
3:15 - 4:30pm). The purpose of this seminar is to orient students
to leadership and prepare them for conducting community based participatory
research. At this stage, students will:
- Address leadership as a process of working productively with
often difficult content, process, and value conflicts in groups,
organizations, and communities
- Examine the intersection of culture, politics, and religion
at the personal, family, and national level
- Examine their own values and preconceptions
- Learn principles, practices, and ethics of conducting community
based research
- Develop writing, interpersonal communication, and self-management
skills to facilitate collaboration
- Participate in a service learning component (20 hours) with
a community agency
- In collaboration with a community agency and a faculty mentor,
prepare a research proposal that is responsive to the agency’s
needs
- Apply for possible funding to support their summer research
project
- Honors students can form their thesis committee and prepare
their prospectus as part of this seminar
Stage 2. Research project.
FAS/SOC 484 – CARE Research Internship (3 - 6 credits; Summer).
At this stage, students will:
- Implement a community-based participatory research project
- Dedicate 150 to 240 hours (12-20 hours/week X 12 weeks) to
a combination of direct service and research work to benefit
the community agency partner
- Collaborate with a faculty mentor
- Collect, analyze, and summarize data for their research project
- Write narrative reports of their experiences throughout the
summer
Stage 3. Capstone course.
FAS/SOC 493/497/498 – Dynamic Leadership in Social Systems
(3-credits; Fall semester). Seminar purpose: to
have students critically reflect on the experience of conducting
their community-based research project, policy development, and
leadership. Students will:
- Learn principles of policy development and implementation
- Identify the adaptive leadership challenges posed by the issue
they researched and perhaps faced by the agency
- Present their findings to their agency and perhaps at a conference
A major writing product of the course will be a summary written
document composed of:
- A report of the student’s summer research project results
- A policy paper related to the student’s project and/or
partner agency’s mission
- A critical reflection essay integrating the course material
on leadership and experience in the program
- Honors students can align their written document to fulfill
thesis requirements and deadlines, including the oral defense.
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