Courses and Thesis Work

Over a quarter of our faculty has included a community-based component in its courses and nearly half of the student body has engaged in a community-based learning project. Approximately 43 current faculty members have incorporated community-based learning into their courses.

Most courses offer a combination of community-based and traditional work.  Some offer students options from which to choose. Community-based learning is pedagogy rather than an activity in itself. It may be a single class project, a group activity, or an individual assignment. The best examples are closely integrated into academic study.

Students also have the opportunity to incorporate a community component into their senior thesis if they wish. Sometimes a student might tie his/her thesis into prior work that the student has done with a community agency. Other times the student’s research might tie in with questions that his/her thesis advisor is exploring in the community. Often students will work with a new community partner to define an issue that needs investigation.