COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 640

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 640:
EDUCATION AND PARTICIPATORY
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
COURSE SYLLABUS
SPRING 2003

Readings

Assignments and Grading

Course Outline

Meeting Time: Mondays, 6:00–9:00 p.m.
Meeting Place: 206 Kethley Hall

Instructor: Dr. Alan Barton
Office: 201A Kethley Hall
Telephone: 846-4097
E-mail: abarton@deltastate.edu
www: http://ntweb.deltastate.edu/vp_academic/abarton/

Office Hours: Mondays, 1:00–3:00 p.m. and Tuesdays 3:00–4:00 p.m. or by appointment

Readings:

Chambers, Robert E. 1997. Whose Reality Counts? Putting the First Last. London: Intermediate Technology Publishing.

Freire, Paulo. 1973. Education for Critical Consciousness. New York: Continuum Publishing Co.

Articles as assigned.

Books are available at the University Bookstore. Students should purchase these books, or otherwise make arrangements to access the course readings.

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Course Overview:

The purpose of this course is to critically examine various aspects of community-based adult education and participatory development. The course covers educational theory and practice, and the implications of different educational approaches on community and national development, and on educators. Students are encouraged to think practically and reflexively about the role of education and educators, and gain research experience through participation in course projects. Major themes of the course include power, intervention, and change.

Course Web Page:

A link to the course web site is on the instructor’s home page (see above). Announcements pertinent to the course will also be posted on the instructor’s page. Check the instructor’s and the course web pages periodically for changes on the syllabus and other information pertaining to the course.

The URL for the course web page is:

http://ntweb.deltastate.edu/vp_academic/abarton/COD640/COD640syllabus.htm

Assignments and Grading:

(1) Reading, attendance and participation in class discussions (20% of course grade)
- Each student is expected to do all of the assigned readings and attend all class sessions
- Each student is expected to engage in classroom discussions, reflecting on the topic and readings

(2) Lead class discussion on readings (20% of course grade)
- Each student will prepare and lead a class discussion on one reading assignment, determined at the beginning of the semester
- Discussion leaders are expected to prepare a series of questions that stimulate a productive discussion on the topic of the readings

(3) Paper(s) (30% of course grade)

    Choose one of the following options:

        Option 1: Weekly summary and reflection papers
            - Each student will prepare and submit a two-page (maximum) paper each session that summarizes and reflects on the assigned readings for the week
            - Papers MUST be typed, double spaced, 10- or 12-point font, 1 inch margins
            - Due at the beginning of each class
            - Students can skip papers for two sessions during the semester without penalty (10 papers total due)

        Option 2: Research paper
            - Select a general topic of current interest pertaining to community education and development
            - Formulate a specific question on one aspect of the general topic
            - Identify a project or context to study your question (note: topics of local interest or with local connections are encouraged)
            - Conduct library research on the question, using primarily journals and books that report on original research in the area of education and community development
            - Prepare and submit a twenty-page paper addressing the question, bringing concrete evidence to bear on your conclusions

(4) Group Project (30% of course grade)
        - Join one or two other classmates in a working group
        - As a group, identify a local organization or agency working in an area that interests you
        - Collaborate with this organization on an original research project or practical community development/educational project that addresses a specific topic
        - Prepare and submit a ten-page journal that describes your activities, and a three-to-five page executive summary that describes the purpose and findings of your project
        - Present your group project, with other group members, on the final day of class

Note: This course is taught in an interactive style, and students are expected to take an active interest not just in the course material, but in the course itself, making it a success for all participants. Factors such as interest, motivation, creativity and initiative are important elements in evaluating a student’s performance and assigning a grade.

Week	Date	Topics	Readings
1	1/6	REGISTRATION
2	1/13	Review Syllabus and Expectations; Introduction to the Sociology of Knowledge	None
3	1/20	MARTIN LUTHER KING HOLIDAY
4	1/27	The Development Enterprise and Community Development	Cohen & Uphoff (1980) Van Riezen (1996) Ewert, Yaccino & Yaccino (1994)
5	2/3	Introduction to Paulo Freire	Blackburn (2000) Ramdas (1997) Schugurensky (1998)
6	2/10	Paolo Freire and *Critical* *Consciousness*	Freire, pp. 1–58
7	2/17	Robert Chambers and Farmer First	Chambers, Ch. 1–3, pp. 1–55
8	2/24	Robert Chambers and Farmer First	Chambers, Ch. 4–6, pp. 56–129
9	3/3	Robert Chambers and Farmer First	Chambers, Ch. 7–8, pp. 130–187
---	3/10	SPRING BREAK
10	3/17	Robert Chambers and Farmer First	Chambers, Ch. 9–10, pp. 188–237
11	3/24	*Extension Education*	Freire, pp. 93–164
12	3/31	Community Development and the State	Meade & O'Donovan (2002) Loughry (2002) Collins (2002)
13	4/7	Community Development and Non-Governmental Organizations	Lammerink/Vergara (1994) Schafer (1999) Burnell/Smith (1992)
14	4/14	Transforming Civil Society	Ratliff (1999) Korten (1995) Rifkin/Murnane & Levy/Karp (1997)
15	4/21	*Community Education in a Globalizing World*	Hall (2000) Guevara (2000) Korten (1999)
16	4/28	*Presentation of Group Projects*	None

Cohen, John M. and Norman T. Uphoff. 1980. “Participation’s place in rural development: Seeking clarity through specificity,” World Development 8(3): 213–235.

Ewert, D. Merrill, Thomas G. Yaccino and Delores M. Yaccino. 1994. “Cultural diversity and self-sustaining development: The effective facilitator,” Journal of the Community Development Society 25(1): 20–33.

Van Riezen, Karsten. 1996. “Non-formal education and community development: Improving the quality,” Convergence 29(1): 82–96.

Blackburn, James. 2000. “Understanding Paulo Freire: Reflections on the origins, concepts, and possible pitfalls of his educational approach,” Community Development Journal 35(1): 3–15.

Ramdas, Lalita. 1997. “The Tao of mangoes, adult education and Freire: The continuing challenges and dilemmas,” Convergence 30(2-3): 17–26.

Schugurensky, Daniel. 1998. “The legacy of Paulo Freire: A critical review of his contributions,” Convergence 31(1-2): 17–29.

Collins, Tom. 2002. “Community development and state building: A shared project,” Community Development Journal 37(1): 91–100.

Loughry, Rebecca. 2002. “Partnering the state at the local level: The experiences of one community worker,” Community Development Journal 37(1): 60–68.

Meade, Rosie and Orla O’Donovan. 2002. “Editorial introduction: Corporatism and the ongoing debate about the relationship between the state and community development,” Community Development Journal 37(1): 1–9.

Burnell, Peter. 1992. "Debate: NGOs and poverty. Third World charities in a changing world," and Smith, Roger. “The role of the voluntary sector in tackling poverty,” Community Development Journal 27(3): 290–309.

Lammerink, Marc P. 1994. "People's participation and action research in community development experiences in Nicaragua," and Vergara, Ricardo. “NGOs: Help or hindrance for community development in Latin America," Community Development Journal 29(4): 322–328, 362–368.

Schafer, Mark J. 1999. “International nongovernmental organizations and Third World education in 1990: A cross-national study,” Sociology of Education 72(2): 69–88.

Week 14

Korten, David C. 1995. When Corporations Rule the World. West Hartford, CT: Kumarian Press. Chapters 1 (pp. 17–23) and 23 (pp. 293–305).

Ratliff, William. 1999. "Development and civil society in Latin America and Asia," The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 565(Sep.): 91–112.

Rifkin, Jeremy. 1997. "Preparing students for the 'end of work,'" Murnane, Richard J. and Frank Levy. "A civil society demands education for good jobs," and Karp, Stan. "Educating for a civil society: The core issue is inequality," Educational Leadership 54(5): 30–36, 40–43.

Week 15

Guevara, José Roberto. 2000. “Rethinking the local-global links in grassroots environmental adult education,” Convergence 33(4): 74–85.

Hall, Budd L. 2000. “Global civil society: Theorizing a changing world,” Convergence 33(1-2): 10–32.

Korten, David C. 1999. The Post-Corporate World: Life After Capitalism. West Hartford, CT: Kumarian Press. Chapters 7 (pp. 137–150) and 9 (pp. 163–182).