Schedule
Introduction.
WHY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT?
January 21
In-class film: "America's War on Promise, part 3: City of Promise."
January 26
Von Hoffman, House by House, Block by Block, chaps. 1. 3, 5-7.
Recommended:
"Mayors Urge Bush Not to Cut Aid Program" (New York Times, January 19, 2005).
1:00-2:00 pm: reduced class session on field note-taking. Submit individual student fieldwork assignments to Blackboard by Monday, January 31, 5 pm.
REQUIRED - attend campus lecture: Nicole P. Marwell, "Does Community Matter to the Urban Poor?" 3:30-4:30 pm, New England 104.
Read Mr. Nevarez's fieldnotes: board meeting, Center of the Square (1/19/05). [hand-out]
EVALUATION RESEARCH
February 2
Center In The Square visits class for first consultation.
Read other students' fieldwork assignments.
Chen, Practical Program Evaluation, pp. 1-70.
(Project coordinators will read further.)
February 4
No class: team research in the field. Submit field notes (#1) to Blackboard by Monday, February 7, 5 pm.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND ITS INSTITUTIONS
February 9
In-class film: "A Digital Tour of Poughkeepsie."
Read other teams' fieldwork notes (#1).
Flad, Harvey. 1987. "A Time of Readjustment: Urban Renewal in Poughkeepsie, 1955-75." Pp. 152-180 in New Perspectives on Poughkeepsie's Past, edited by C. Griffen. Poughkeepsie: Dutchess County Historical Society. [hand-out]
February 11
Class field-trip to the Southside. Meet in front of Main Building at 1 pm instead of in class.
Fieldtrip plus regular research assignments comprises research for teams this week. Submit field notes (#2) to Blackboard by Monday, February 14, 5 pm.
PROGRAM EVALUATION
February 16
Read other teams' fieldwork notes (#2) plus prior week's hypotheses/questions.
Chen, Practical Program Evaluation, pp. 179-227.
February 18
No class: team research in the field. Submit field notes (#3) to Blackboard by Monday, February 21, 5 pm.
February 23
Read other teams' fieldwork notes (#3) plus prior week's hypotheses/questions.
Meyer, John W. and Brian Rowan. 1977. "Institutional Organizations: Formal Structure as Myth and Ceremony." American Journal of Sociology 83: 340-363. [download from Blackboard: Course Documents: Readings]
February 25
No class: team research in the field. Submit field notes (#4) to Blackboard by Monday, February 28, 5 pm.
Read and respond in discussion board to team-written essays [in Blackboard: Course Documents: Essays].
March 2
Classroom discussion: turning field-research indicators into possible survey questions.
Read other teams' fieldwork notes (#4) plus prior week's hypotheses/questions.
Samuels et al., Know Your Community.
March 4
Deadline: bring survey questions to class.
Spring break: March 6-19
Professor Nevarez prepares the survey.
March 23
Class field-trip: conduct pilot surveys @ Family Partnership Center. Meet in front of Main Building at 1 pm instead of in class.
March 25
No class: administer residential surveys.
No team assignments this week. Post individual fieldnotes on the survey process to Blackboard.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
March 30
Read individual fieldnotes on the survey process.
Charles C. Euchner and Stephen J. McGovern. 2003. "Chapter 3: Economic Development and the Construction of Opportunity." In Urban Policy Reconsidered. New York: Routledge. [HAND-OUT]
No class: administer residential surveys.
No team assignments this week. Post individual fieldnotes on the survey process or economic development to Blackboard.
FAITH-BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
April 6
Judith Weisenfeld (Dept. of Religion) and Sam Speers (Office of Religious & Spiritual Life) visits class.
Read Blackboard discussion on economic development and the survey process.
Roberto Suro. 2005. "Survey of Mexican Migrants: Attitudes About Immigration and Major Demographic Characteristics." Pew Hispanic Center, March 2. [HAND-OUT; also available here as a PDF download]
"The Criminologist Who Discovered Churches" (Christianity Today, June 14, 1999). [HAND-OUT; also available here as a PDF download]
"Bush's Faith-Based Office" (The Christian Century, February 7-14, 2001). [HAND-OUT; also available here as a PDF download]
"One More 'Moral Value': Fighting Poverty" (New York Times, January 30, 2005). [Registration is required to read this article.]
April 8
No class: administer residential surveys.
COMMUNITY AND WELFARE REFORM
April 13
Read other teams' survey notes and post to "respondent themes" discussion board.
"The Quality of Life of Former Public Assistance Recipients in Dutchess County, New York." Final Report to the Dutchess County Legislature, May 29, 2003. [HAND-OUT]
April 15
No class: team research in the field. Submit survey analysis reports (team fieldnotes #5) on the survey process or another event/activity to Blackboard by Monday, April 11, 5 pm.
Deadline: Finish and enter survey data by Tuesday, April 19.
REPORT PREPARATION
April 20
Read and comment on other teams' survey analysis reports (team fieldnotes #5).
Susan Sigler-Popkin (Center of the Square's new executive director) visits class. Revise prior survey analysis reports (team fieldnotes #5).
April 27
Read and comment on survey analytical essays (team fieldnotes #6).
Revise survey analytical essays (team fieldnotes #6).
Deadline: all student writing for Center report due.
Read and comment on first draft of Center report.
Tuesday, May 10
Optional field-trip: we deliver the report at Center of the Square board meeting. Meet outside Main Hall at 6:30 PM. We should be finished by 7:30.
Wednesday, May 11
Optional field-trip: Peter Leonard interviews class for "Hudson Valley Focus" (KPIW 1450 AM radio). Meet outside Main Hall at 10:40 AM.
May 13
Deadline: final essays due at noon.