Planners, policy makers and designers are often instructed to “engage the community” as a part of our work, yet few of us are equipped to do so in a way that is responsible and is robust enough to meaningfully inform our work. This course will provide students with an opportunity to meaningfully engage with community partners and practitioners working in Philadelphia and the surrounding region, and to grapple with the complex issues necessary for understanding community perspective, thereby influencing the approach when planning and designing as professionals.
The course will prepare students to productively and sensitively work with communities of all types, on projects of all scales, to work towards common goals and high aspirations. The course will critically examine the argument that engaging with the community leads to better outcomes. We will study theories about why community engagement is so important to creating plans, policies and designs that work for the people they will affect. Students will also learn a range of methods for how to engage diverse communities in ways that are ethical, non-extractive, and generative.
The course will be taught as an Academically-Based Community Service (ABCS) course affiliated with the Netter Center for Community Partnerships. Classroom sessions will be heavy on reading and discussion, relying both on theory and on examples of a range of engagement approaches and results. Guest speakers will join us to talk about their experiences, both as professionals and as members of communities.
Assignments will include reflection pieces, presentations, and case studies. Students will also work on group projects through partnerships with one or more community-based organizations in Philadelphia to build their skills and contribute a piece of meaningful work to an organization. Students will work together, with the partner, and with community members to complete a project (could be built, a printed deliverable, evaluation, or other).
Refer to Penn Course Search for the official roster and details of courses offered in a particular term.
