1 Developing an Undergraduate Community ...

1 Developing an Undergraduate Community Psychology Curriculum: A Case Example Olya Glantsman DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois Susan D. McMahon DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois Mary Gloria C. Njoku Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu Abstract Community psychology principles and values are relevant to the current needs of the society. Community psychology offers helpful theory, research, and practice that provide solutions to addressing many problems, including racism, poverty, violence, substance use, homelessness, and a host of other global social issues. It is therefore important to expose students to the study of community psychology at the undergraduate and graduate levels of education. Graduate education in community psychology is more developed, yet very few universities currently offer students the opportunity to major in community psychology at the undergraduate level. This chapter presents an example of one university’s undergraduate program in community psychology, DePaul University, in Chicago, Illinois, USA. This program exposes students to theoretical and practical knowledge that prepares them for succeeding in the workforce and society. It is recommended that universities and colleges consider offering community psychology programs to undergraduates. Keywords: Community psychology, undergraduate education, workforce values, university, college, case study.

2 Developing an Undergraduate Community Psychology Curriculum: A Case Example Community psychology is a branch of psychology that emphasizes seeing and understanding peoples’ behavior and well-being within the context of the community environment and the social systems in which they live. Community psychology “concerns the relationships of individuals with communities and societies. By integrating research with action, it seeks to understand and enhance quality of life for individuals, communities, and societies” (Kloos, Hill, Thomas, Wandersman, Elias, & Dalton, 2012, p.12). Most community psychologists believe that all humans are nested in a system that comprises various levels. According to Bronfrenbrenner (1996), the ecological levels can be classified into the individual level, microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. The ontogenetic or individual ecological level consists of a person's age, sex, temperament and other personality characteristics. At the microsystem, the family, school, social network, workplace and other immediate social setting factors impact the individual. The mesosystem comprises the links between microsystems such as home-school (parent-teacher) and work-home relationships. Community resources that support families, such as educational, medical, and recreational facilities, form the exosystem. The macrosystem is composed of societal level factors like politics, values, economy and culture. The chronosystem involves environmental events and the transitions that happen over time in a one’s life (Levine, Perkins & Perkins, 2004). Community psychology values individual, family, and community wellness, strengthbased approaches (e.g., building competencies and coping skills and recognizing community assets), sense of community (feeling a sense of being part of a supportive network), ecological perspectives (defining, understanding, and solving social issues from multiple perspectives and

3 recognizing the importance of seeing persons within their environments), diversity, empowerment (increasing one’s sense of control and access to resources), action research (developing interventions and evaluating their effectiveness), social justice and social change (which often includes engagement in public policy issues), and collaboration (collaborating with other researchers and community members as well as with other disciplines) (Kloos, et al., 2012). Furthermore, as posited by Levine, et al. (2004), "community psychologists are committed to the belief that application of scientific approaches to social and psychological problems can contribute to the solution of those problems and to our knowledge of ourselves and our social world" (p. 458). These values of community psychology influence the education of students in community psychology. Education in Community Psychology There are undergraduate, masters, and doctoral programs, with the majority of programs at the graduate level. The master’s programs in community research and action are variably framed as community psychology, community social psychology, clinical-community, counseling, and interdisciplinary programs in community research and action. Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA; scra27.org) surveys have identified over 25 master’s and over 40 doctoral programs throughout the world in Australia, Canada, Egypt, England, New Zealand, Portugal, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. The main difference between masters and doctoral offerings in the U.S. is that the doctoral programs tend to cover more advanced quantitative data analysis approaches (Dziadkowiec & Jiménez, 2009). Masters programs place less emphasis than doctoral programs on conducting independent research and more emphasis on practice than doctoral programs. Thus, masters versus doctoral training, as well as unique features within particular programs, may differentially prepare students for certain career paths over others.

4 In addition to masters versus doctoral training, educational programs in different countries may have particular niches they cater to, based on culture, history, and career opportunities. For example, a masters program in community psychology in Perú at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) prepares students for careers in government, and graduates are entering positions in which they develop and evaluate programs for Peruvian people within the auspices of various governmental branches (T. Velázquez Castro, personal communication, June 12, 2013). Students graduating with their Masters in Community Psychology from the American University in Cairo, Egypt will likely go to work as consultants or in one of the NGO’s where they will primarily engage in capacity building activities and community development (Carrillo & Forden, 2013). While graduate education is crucial to provide students with the core competencies of the field (e.g., foundational principles, community program development and management, community and organizational capacity building, community social change, and community research; Dalton & Wolfe, 2012), undergraduate education is also essential and an often overlooked key to providing students with an introduction to the field’s values, research, and skills that can be applied in many settings. Undergraduate Education in Community Psychology A number of universities across the world offer undergraduate courses in community psychology, yet those programs that offer community psychology, typically provide a single course within the wider psychology curriculum. Only a handful of higher education institutions offer community psychology degrees, multi-course concentrations, or certificates, which allow in-depth introduction to the field at the undergraduate level (McMahon, Jimenez, Bond, Wolfe, & Ratcliffe, 2015). Having a degree or concentration in community psychology offers students a sequence of courses and allows them to get a more in-depth introduction to the field. A program

5 in community psychology also generally includes a form of supervised applied experience. For more information about undergraduate and graduate programs in community psychology, see http://www.scra27.org/what-we-do/education/academic-programs/ and McMahon et al., (2015). For more information on teaching and learning processes from an international perspective, see Serrano-García, Pérez-Jiménez, & Rodríguez-Medina (in press). To better prepare their graduates for work in community psychology-related fields, undergraduate programs allow their students to apply their community psychology knowledge in real-world settings. The students get an opportunity to bridge the gap between the classroom and community, while acquiring marketable competencies, such as critical thinking and the ability to collaboratively work in diverse settings. These competencies are highly valued by employers and graduate program recruiters alike. Further, there are many career opportunities for community psychologists in diverse settings (e.g., non-profit organizations, healthcare, education, government, foundations, consultation, business) that offer opportunities to be involved in positive social change (McMahon & Wolfe, in press). We hope the following materials inspire others to consider creating an undergraduate community psychology program. Case Example: DePaul University. DePaul University, located in Chicago, Illinois, USA, provides both undergraduate and graduate education in community psychology. In this chapter, we focus on the undergraduate program as one example of curriculum development (http://csh.depaul.edu/academics/undergraduate/psychology-ba/concentrationrequirements/Pages/community.aspx). For many years, DePaul University had focused on doctoral programs in clinical-community psychology and more recently, community psychology, with only a single course at the undergraduate level in community psychology. Based on faculty and student interests, and a perceived need for enhancing education and training at the

6 undergraduate level, efforts began to build a community concentration. In addition to the existing Community Psychology course (PSY354), 3 new courses were created, including an advanced community psychology course (PSY356 – Principles of Field Research and Action; offered in the spring of the junior year) and a two-course internship sequence (PSY359 – Field Work in Community Research and Action in the fall and winter of the senior year). DePaul’s undergraduate program in Community Psychology was launched in the Fall of 2006. The program’s application form was modeled after DePaul’s long-running Human Services concentration, which had been developed in the early 1980s (Jason, 1984). A description of the concentration for the psychology department’s website was created, and the Community Psychology concentration was advertised by the Psychology advisor as well as class visits to introductory courses in psychology and community psychology courses. The goals of our program include the following: 1) Providing unique training in community psychology, emphasizing prevention of mental and physical problems, program evaluation, and consultation; 2) Providing students with educational and practical skills as community advocates of social justice and empowerment; 3) Actively illustrating the relevance of academic work in an applied setting; 4) Providing an opportunity to apply concepts and ideas learned in the classroom to a work setting; 5) Assisting students in developing and/or applying valuable technical communication and interpersonal skills in a work environment; 6) Strengthening students’ confidence in their abilities to function effectively in a professional setting; and 7) Enhancing students’ employability in their chosen field by providing them with work experience in that field. DePaul’s Community Concentration was designed to build the students’ understanding of community psychology from basic introduction to the field to practical skills they can use in

7 their future careers. The ultimate goal is that this multi-course program will empower students to become agents of change in their own communities and prepare them for graduate study or a career that may utilize community psychology competencies in a related field (e.g., social work, public health, clinical psychology, etc.). The program consists of three core courses and four electives. In the first class of the concentration, Community Psychology (PSY354), students are introduced to the basic concepts of community psychology largely through textbooks, lectures, and class exercises. Please refer to sample syllabus in Appendix 1 for more information. Exams are content-driven to ensure that students are learning and retaining the material. Students are also introduced to empirical research through assignments such as an Annotated Bibliography and an Article Review. Special emphasis is placed on the value and importance of empirical evidence and grounding all work in research. Students are also taught to search for, critically analyze, and write about peer-reviewed articles. Principles of Field Research and Action (PSY356) follows the introduction to the field (PSY354) and is the second class in the core of the Community Psychology undergraduate concentration (See Appendix 2 for sample syllabus). In this course, students continue learning more about the field by reading peer-reviewed articles based on the works of renowned Community Psychologists with a focus on both the field’s history and the current progress. In this course, students also get a chance to meet Community Psychologists, both academics and practitioners, and learn about their work through guest lectures (in person and via Skype). Furthermore, the goal of PSY356 is to prepare the students for the PSY359 Field Work sequence (i.e., the senior year two-quarter internship). Among others, the students are exposed to basic program evaluation and consultation skills.

8 The third course in the undergraduate concentration is a two-quarter Field Work (PSY359). This course takes the students further into community psychology by combining twenty-two weekly class meetings with engaging in an applied internship for 6-8 hours per week. The class meetings are intended to provide students with opportunities to share their experiences with their peers and learn from one another, discuss substantive issues associated with work in the field of community psychology, and to allow students and the instructor to keep track of students’ progress at their individual sites. This course helps actively illustrate the relevance of academic work in an applied setting and allows students to engage in hands-on experience in the community. Another aim of this course is to strengthen students’ confidence in their abilities to function effectively in a professional setting. Assignments aim to make the courses very practical. Every assignment is designed to make each student a more critical consumer of knowledge and/or get them closer to their future career. Effort is geared towards making students more marketable for whatever they decide to do after they receive their undergraduate degree, whether a job or graduate school. Below, we will describe in detail two assignments from PSY356 (1) Curriculum Vitae (CV) and (2) Organizational Profile, which assist with these goals. Curriculum Vitae (CV): In PSY356, every student is required to create a curriculum vitae. Creating a CV helps prepare students for achieving their goals after graduation. Students also use their CV to apply for an internship required for the PSY359 course sequence. For this assignment, students listen to the Power Point presentation on the requirements for a typical CV and look at copies of other people’s CVs, including those of former students. Students are then asked to exchange their CV drafts with their peers (i.e., email a draft to their assigned partner on Wednesday and send back a copy of their partner’s CV with revisions the following Monday). After three reviews by their peers, the final draft is then submitted to the instructor for a review.

9 This way, each student has an updated version of a CV with the instructor’s comments by the end of the class in the spring of their Junior year. Organizational Profile: Another assignment in PSY356 is an organizational profile. For this assignment, each student is required to choose a nonprofit organization or a research project of interest to him/her. This assignment facilitates their internship search and selection, and it parallels the process of searching for jobs and graduate schools. Students are required to visit the community/research project and collect information about that community (e.g., physical surroundings, ease of access via public transportation, friendliness of staff, need for interns, etc.), compose a profile of the site (e.g., what is its organizational chart, where does its funding come from, etc.), and conduct an interview (at least 30 minutes) with a member of the organization, community, or research team. In addition, students are asked to describe the social issues addressed by the organization, the specific problem/social issue they are personally interested in, what they liked or did not like about the organization, and what they learned in the process. This report should also describe how, if they were to work with the organization, their experiences will relate to community psychology and what they have learned in class so far. The final aspect of this assignment includes a brief literature search and review on the topic related to the organization/research team they have chosen. The purpose of this assignment is to increase knowledge, enable students to apply the concepts, methods, and issues discussed in class, and to prepare them for engaging with their internship site. Further, this process provides practice for selection, preparation, and engagement with a potential job or graduate school. Similar to any other undergraduate program, DePaul’s community psychology concentration is not without its challenges. For example, some students, particularly transfer students, may not learn about the concentration in time to complete the sequenced requirements

10 that occur during the junior and senior year. Another challenge for students is balancing the varied senior year requirements while completing an internship in the field. In addition, internships can vary, in terms of the responsiveness of the organization, the fit between the student and organization, and the quality of the student experience. The many benefits of the program, however, overshadow the challenges. Students often reflect positively on their newly acquired skills, including conceptualization of strategies to address social issues, building collaborative relationships with non-profits, evaluating and utilizing research, and understanding how non-profits may use consulting and evaluation tools. In addition, students grow professionally in their time management, finding and securing experiences as preparation for jobs or advanced study, and polishing their CVs. Conclusion The study of community psychology is relevant to the needs of society. However, few universities offer students the opportunity to specialize or major in community psychology at the undergraduate level. DePaul’s undergraduate community psychology concentration provides a viable option for meaningful education that can provide excellent knowledge, skills, and experience that will better prepare our workforce to address social problems. We have presented just one example of an undergraduate community psychology concentration, and colleges and universities are encouraged to examine others and create, develop, and grow their own programs.

11 References Bronfrenbrenner, U. (1996). The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Carrillo, A.M., & Forden, C.L. (2013). Community psychology practice competencies in Egypt: Challenges and opportunities. Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice, 4(4), 1-12. Dalton, J., & Wolfe, S. (Eds.). (2012). Education connection and the community practitioner. The Community Psychologist, 45(4), 7-13. Dziadkowiec, O., & Jimenez, T. (2009) Educating community psychologists for community practice: A survey of graduate training programs. The Community Psychologist, 42(4), 10-17. Jason, L. (1984). Developing undergraduates’ skills in behavioral interventions. Journal of Community Psychology, 12, 130-139. Kloos, B., Hill, J., Thomas, E., Wandersman, A., Elias, M. J., & Dalton, J. H. (2012). Community psychology: Linking individuals and communities (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. Levine, M., Perkins, D. D., & Perkins, D. V. (2004). Principles of community psychology: Perspectives and applications (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. McMahon, S. D., Jimenez, T. R., Bond, M. A., Wolfe, S. M., & Ratcliffe, A. W. (2015). Community psychology education and practice careers in the 21st century. In V.C. Scott & S.M. Wolfe (Eds.). Community Psychology: Foundations for Practice, 379-409. Sage Publishing, Inc, Thousand Oaks, CA.

12 McMahon, S. D., & Wolfe, S. (in press). Career opportunities in community psychology. In M. Bond, I. Serrano-García, & C. Keys (Eds). Handbook of community psychology: Volume II. Washington D.C.: American Psychological Association. Serrano-García, I., Pérez-Jiménez, D., & Rodríguez-Medina, S. M. (in press). Educating community psychologists in a changing world. In M. Bond, I. Serrano-García, & C. Keys (Eds). Handbook of community psychology: Volume II. Washington D.C.: American Psychological Association.

13 Appendix 1. Sample Syllabus for Introductory Community Psychology Course COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY Psychology 354 Instructor: Olya Glantsman, Ph.D. Text: Kloos, B., Hill, J., Thomas, E., Wandersman, A., Elias, M. J., & Dalton, J. H. (2012). Community Psychology: Linking Individuals and Communities (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. Additional readings may be posted on Desire to Learn (D2L) throughout the quarter. COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course provides an introduction to the field of community psychology. Community psychology is concerned with person-environment interactions and the ways society impacts on individuals and community functioning. It focuses on social issues, social institutions, and other settings that influence individuals, groups, and organizations. The practice of community psychology is directed towards the design and evaluation of ways to facilitate psychological competence and empowerment, prevent disorder and problem behavior, and promote social change. Community psychologists grapple with an array of social and mental health problems and they do so through research and interventions in both public and private community settings. Community psychologists emphasize both (applied) service delivery to the community and (theory-based) research of social issues. They focus, not just on individual psychological makeup, but on multiple levels of analysis, from individuals and groups to specific programs to organizations and, finally, to whole communities. COURSE GOALS: 1. To understand and think critically about the major tenets of community psychology. 2. To understand the role of the environment (context) in human behavior and the advantages of viewing behavior as a function of person-environment interactions. 3. To be able to identify and understand root causes of social issues that adversely affect specific population’s well-being as well be able to recognize these populations’ assets. 4. To get exposure to a cultural setting different from one’s own. 5. To become agents of change in one’s own community. 6. To apply community psychology to a range of social issues. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: 1) Class Participation (5% of the grade) One learns best through active participation and just like one of the core principles of Community Psychology, this class strives on citizen participation and collaboration. By sharing your opinions, thoughts, and experiences with the class, you are ultimately becoming a better student and an educator. If you are not here, you cannot participate! 2) Quizzes (20% of the grade)

14 The purpose of the quizzes is to make sure that students understand the concepts presented in the readings and class. They will include a variety of question formats - short answer, definitions, matching, multiple choice. Anything we cover either in class, including discussions, videos, class readings, etc. is fair game for the quizzes. The best way to prepare for the quizzes is to read the material when it is assigned, take good, complete notes on the main points, and review the study guides. Study guides for the quizzes will be posted at least a week in advance. I will drop the lowest scored quiz. If you miss a quiz, you must contact me no later than the day of that quiz to qualify to take a make-up. Note: The make-up quizzes will be more difficult than the ones given in class and the lowest quiz grade will be dropped only if EVERY quiz has been taken! 3) Research Topic (5% of the grade) For this assignment you will need to identify a topic that interests you and the chapter from our text it is most relevant to. You must have the instructor's approval on a topic! A topic sign-up sheet will be passed around in class. If you are not in class that day, you will need to email me your topic no later than 11:20am on the day it is due to receive the full credit. Note: If you are doing Service Learning in this class, I would recommend the topic be closely related to the population your site is focusing on and/or the services your site is providing. 4) Annotated Bibliography (15% of the grade) The purpose of the annotated bibliography is for you to learn more about your topic of interest. Make sure to include the full citation (use APA style!) and a brief 1-2 paragraph description, written by you, of each scholarly, empirical(!) article reference source. You will be graded on the quality of articles that you choose and the adherence to the APA format. All three of your sources must come from peer-reviewed journals. I suggest that you use a psychologyoriented database (i.e., Psych-Info, Wilson, or InfoTrac College Edition on-line library) via the DePaul Library to assist you with finding appropriate articles. You can choose from any assortment of the following journals: American Journal of Community Psychology, Journal of Community Psychology, Journal of Primary Prevention, Applied and Preventive Psychology, Prevention Science, Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community, Journal of Health and Social Policy, Journal of Community Practice, Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, Journal of Community Health, and/or the Journal of Social Issues. 5) Diversity Project (15% of the grade) Experiential learning about human diversity is best done with other people, especially those who are different from you in race, gender, social class, sexual orientation, or other dimension of diversity. You will need to seek out a culturally diverse setting, which you would not have typically visited. Make time for this. Visit the setting during an event or a presentation. Observe and talk to the people around you. Be patient and open to learn. Do not try to become an instant expert. Following the event, write a 1-2 page reflection of your experience. Note: Guidelines for and examples of this project will be discussed in class. Note: This assignment is designed only for those who are NOT participating in Service Learning. 6) Article Review (15% of the grade) After you have selected your research topic, you will then do a thorough search, especially of the recent research literature, on the topic. You will then select an empirical(!)

15 article on your topic and analyze it using the community psychology framework (e.g., what is the problem and how it is being defined, what are the research methods used, what are the community psychology values highlighted, etc.) 7) Activism Project (15% of the grade) For this assignment you will join a group of 4-5 students to advocate a community or policy change. You will practice organizing around an issue, creating influential and effective lobbying materials, and getting the message out to those who will affect change. 8) Service Learning Experience Reflection (25% of the grade) In order to provide an experiential based learning, students will be required to engage in some community volunteer experience during the quarter (a total of 20 hours plus training). This experience can include activities such as attending community events, volunteering at a community service agency, interviewing individuals who are community service program recipients, service providers/administrators, and/or policy makers. You should keep a journal of your community experience where you write down your thoughts, experiences, time spent with community, etc. This journal will help you write the final reflection. In the first week of classes, each student will be assigned to an organization at which they will complete their service learning hours (there is also an option to choose your own site, but you will need to contact me no later than week 2 to arrange this). It is your responsibility to keep track of the hours you spend at your site. A signed copy of your hours is due with your Service Learning Reflection to D2L. 9) Final Take-Home Exam (10% of the grade) Final exam is cumulative and will include all of the material covered in class since the beginning. The questions for the final will be posted at least two weeks before the due date. Note: The final exam is only for those who DID NOT participate in the Service Learning option. CLASS SCHEDULE Topic & Assignments

Readings

Week 1

Introduction to the course Class Activity: Introduction to course and syllabus review Class Activity: Steans Center Visit Service Learning Grid

Week 2

Diversity Workshop Class Activity: Literature Search Introducing Community Psychology (CP)

Chapter 1

Introducing Community Psychology cont. Class Activity: APA Style CP Development and Practice

Chapter 2

Week 3

Week 4

CP Development and Practice cont. Class Activity: Annotated Bibliography Guidelines Due: Research Topic (in class)

16 The Aims of Community Research Quiz#1 (Ch. 1 & 2)

Chapter 3

Methods of CP Research Class Activity: Diversity Project Guidelines Understanding Individuals within Environments Quiz#2 (Ch. 3 & 4)

Chapter 4

Understanding Community Class Activity: Article Review Guidelines Due: Bibliography (by midnight to D2L) Service Learning Check-In

Chapter 6

Week 7

Understanding Human Diversity in Context; Social Justice Class Activity: Activism Project Guidelines Due: Diversity Project

Chapter 7

Week 8

Understanding Stress and Coping in Context Chapter 8 Class Activity: Service Learning Experience Reflection Guidelines Due: Article Review Prevention & Promotion: Key Concepts Chapter 9 Quiz#4 (Ch. 7 & 8)

Week 9

Empowerment and Citizen Participation Due: Activism Project

Chapter 11

Week 10

Community and Social Change Quiz#5 (Ch. 9 & 11) Looking Ahead & Service Learning discussion

Chapter 12

Week 5

Week 6

Chapter 5

Quiz#3 (Ch. 5 & 6)

Week 11

Due: Final, if you have not completed Service Learning OR Service Learning Experience Reflection and Hours

Chapter 14

17 Appendix 2: Sample Syllabus for Advanced Course in Community Psychology Principles of Field Research and Action Psychology 356 Instructor: Olya Glantsman, Ph.D. Readings: All readings will come in forms of articles and chapters COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course provides an advanced introduction to community psychology, which emphasizes values, research, and action that promote positive outcomes among individuals, organizations, and communities. The practice of community psychology includes the design and evaluation of programs and strategies that facilitate psychological competence and empowerment, prevent problems, and promote social change. This course will provide a springboard for students to select their internship sites for next fall. This course will also focus on teaching students skills that will help them become a successful intern. In addition, community psychologists work on many of the social issues facing communities today and we will learn about some research conducted by DePaul faculty to address problems and promote development of the field. COURSE GOALS: 

Apply community psychology principles, theories, and methods of inquiry to the communities in which we live and work  Develop critical thinking skills and apply these skills to social issues  Learn and apply consultation and program evaluation skills  Identify and engage with a community organization or researcher for internship for community psychology concentration students (for next fall and winter quarters)  Learn about the work of community psychologists at DePaul and how they relate to the field COURSE FORMAT: Class meetings will follow seminar format, in which the instructor provides an overview of scheduled readings and related information followed by class discussion encouraging questions on and debate of those topics. Speakers will be scheduled to come in based on class topics. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Attendance and Class Participation: Attendance, preparation, and participation in class discussions are required. If you need to miss class due to severe illness or family emergency, please let me know via D2L in advance. Students are responsible for completing all work/assignments and learning material covered in class, even when absent. Students should be prepared to discuss the topics in the readings, to answer and ask questions, and to share their perspectives and experiences. Readings: Students are expected to come to class prepared to fully participate in discussions. In order to do so, students are expected to have read the required reading assignments before coming to class. All readings will be made available on D2L at least one week before the class in which they will be discussed.

18 COURSE ASSIGNMENTS: I.

Reflections – 40%: There will be FOUR 1-2 page reflections on the readings. You can choose which readings you want to reflect on. Each reflection should include all of the readings assigned for that day. Assume your audience has read the same material, and do not give detailed summaries of the readings; however, do mention several concepts raised in the articles, so it is clear to me that you did the reading. The best discussion papers are those that integrate ideas from the readings or discuss the relationships between the new readings and previous readings, lectures, and personal experiences. Use your best critical and analytical thinking skills. These papers should be provocative to both the writer and the reader. As with all other written assignments, reflections should be written in a formal manner and be free of spelling and grammatical errors. Note: Due to the nature of the assignment, late reflections will not be accepted.

II.

Discussion Questions – 5%: You are responsible for generating TEN questions throughout the quarter to help stimulate class discussions. The best questions should challenge and make your peers think critically, while engaging them in a discussion or a healthy debate. Do not be afraid to play the devil’s advocate – you should not automatically agree with everything in the readings.

III.

Initial Internship Search – 10%: By this date, you should have done research on three potential internships. Your paper should include brief descriptions of the three sites you have researched as well as what are some pluses and minuses of each. Note: A detailed rubric will be provided in the first couple of weeks of class.

IV.

Final Vita Draft – 10%: You will email a copy of your vita to one of your classmates (will be assigned). You will send a copy with revisions the following Monday. A final draft of your vita is due to me.

V.

Brief Literature Search and Review – 10%: The purpose of this assignment is to enable you to apply the concepts, methods, and issues that we discuss in class to a specific social problem that requires an intervention. Note: A detailed rubric for this assignment will be distributed later in class.

VI.

Final Project – 20%: Since this is also a field-based course, you will be required to choose a Non-for-Profit organization/Research Project and write an organizational profile of it.

Your final project should include the following: 1) Community Profile: Visit the community/research project you are interested in working at and collect information about that community; 2) Organizational/Research Team Profile: Compose a profile of the organization/research project you chose to work with; 3) Community Interview: Conduct an interview (at least 15 minutes) with a member of the organization/community/research team you plan on working with and briefly summarize what you have learned about the organization;

19 4) Conclusions: Briefly describe what problems is the organizations battling, what specific problem are you interested in, what did you like/did not like about the organization after the interview, what did you learn from the interviews. Your report should also describe how, if you were to work with the organization, your experience will relate to community psychology and what you have learned in class. CLASS SCHEDULE Topic Week 1 Introduction to the course/syllabus review

Assignments Due

Week 2

Visit the Center for Community Research http://csh.depaul.edu/centers-and-institutes/ccr/Pages/default.aspx Getting into Graduate School Curriculum Vitae and Resume Guest Speaker: Madison Sunnquist, BS

Week 3

History of Community Psychology; Social Change & Public Policy Guest Speaker: Lenny Jason, Ph.D.

Week 4

Securing an Internship; Careers in Community Psychology Field & Grant Writing Guest Lecturer: Susan McMahon, Ph.D.

Week 5

Literature Review and Research Proposal; Consulting Attend Midwestern Psychological Association Conference for extra credit! http://midwesternpsych.org/Default.aspx?pageId=1265162

Week 6

Context & Diversity; Ecological Perspective Guest Speaker: Joe Ferrari, Ph.D.

Week 7

Securing Internship revisited; Empowerment Ethics - http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx

Week 8

Initial Internship Search Vita Draft #1

Vita Draft #2

Prevention - http://www.preventionresearch.org/ Participatory Action Research & Collaboration Guest Speaker: Ronald Harvey, Ph.D.

Vita Draft #3

Week 9

Needs Assessment/Evaluation

Literature Review*

Week 10

Dissemination of Findings Course Wrap-up

Week 11

Finals Week

Final Vita due