Springer Civic Engagement Pedagogy in the Community College: Theory and Practice: 3 (Education, Equity, Economy)

This book will help post-secondary educators to discover the joys and challenges of implementing theoretically grounded civic engagement projects on their campuses. The essays on civic engagement and public scholarship are written by an interdisciplinary group of community college faculty who have designed and implemented civic engagement projects in their classrooms. The projects they describe stand at the intersection of research, theory and pedagogy. They challenge dominant constructions of civic engagement as students bring their community, culture and history into the classroom. The authors consider the particular complexities and constraints of doing civically engaged teaching and scholarship at the community college level and situate their projects within current theoretical debates about civic engagement, public scholarship, and public higher education. Review Civic Engagement Pedagogy in the Community College arrives in a timely fashion. Community colleges serve diverse students in a vibrant microcosm of their surrounding local neighborhoods. These institutions have become a fiscally attractive option as college tuition and loan interest rates soar. In fact, President Barak Obama has even introduced a proposal to provide free tuition for community college students. Responding to the inherent value of these educational epicenters, these authors explore collective academic and social spaces in an urban community college. In their research, constructs of community and communal alliances are investigated and imagined. Using an interdisciplinary approach, these scholars blend theory and practice, inspiring students and educators to reconceptualize civic engagement on college campuses and in local communities. Kathleen Nichols, PhD, Assistant Professor of Educational Studies at Ripon College From the Back Cover This book will help post-secondary educators to discover the joys and challenges of implementing theoretically grounded civic engagement projects on their campuses. The essays on civic engagement and public scholarship are written by an interdisciplinary group of community college faculty who have designed and implemented civic engagement projects in their classrooms. The projects they describe stand at the intersection of research, theory and pedagogy. They challenge dominant constructions of civic engagement as students bring their community, culture and history into the classroom. The authors consider the particular complexities and constraints of doing civically engaged teaching and scholarship at the community college level and situate their projects within current theoretical debates about civic engagement, public scholarship, and public higher education.