COMMUNITY STUDIES

INSTRUCTOR
Anthony Baker, Ph.D. - University of Illinois at Chicago
Office: ASC 2077
Phone: (231) 591-2753
Email: bakera@ferris.edu

TEXTS
The Community in Urban Society, by Larry Lyon
Black Eden: The Idlewild Community, by Lewis Walker and Ben Wilson

ADDITIONAL READINGS
The Common Framework: West Michigan, (available in class)
Bowling Alone, by Robert Putnum (available on the web)

COURSE DESCRIPTION
Imagining community is our task for this semester. Through a variety of inputs: readings, speakers, excursions and class discussion we will explore the role communities have played in our life and the changing community in our society today. We will be particularly concerned with the way our society tends to separate our residential and personal network communities by race and ethnicity. We will also explore emerging communities and whether these communities sufficiently replace traditional residential communities.

Our units of study of community will be in West Michigan,  Chicago, the communities of our youth and the imagined communities of our future. Community life has changed very much in the United States, yet the traditional functions it has served are still needed. Traditional community life has also restricted individuals from self-fulfillment, especially in terms of gendered expectations. At times we may want to transcend the limitations of community. We will explore these questions in a seminar and experience based course relying on the development of sociological tools and theory to broaden the notion of community and to challenge the individual’s responsibility within the community.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. To gain a general understanding of analysis and methods of community sociology
2. To develop a critical analysis of the impact of race, gender and class on community life, with respect to the following objectives
3. To examine the individual’s relationship with community
4. To examine the impact of a more mobile economy on community life
5. To articulate this analysis in writing and oral presentations
6. To develop policy making responses to consider a more integrated community life

COURSE DESIGN
This course has a unique design, that utilizes seminars, readings and an emphasis on field experiences. To achieve the objectives of this course we will delve into various communities as deeply as is possible given the parameters of a classroom based course.  We will place ourselves into the experience of others’ communities as observers for the purpose of discussion and analysis. Your required community service, field experience in Grand Rapids, Baldwin, Big Rapids and Chicago will provide you with a deep connection to many ways of imagining community.

In order to fulfill the above objectives, this course will meet Friday afternoons for a seminar and Saturday afternoons during the first seven weeks of the term. One weekend, from Friday at 8:00 A.M. to Sunday at 5:00 we will travel to the Urban Life Center in Chicago, for a three day workshop on communities in Chicago. Saturday afternoons will also include excursions to Grand Rapids, Baldwin and a walking tour of the Big Rapids community. Three Saturdays will be set aside for you to complete community service.