Pursuing Social Justice through Place-Based Community Engagement: Cultivating Applied Creativity, Transdisciplinarity, and Reciprocity in Catholic Higher Education
This article provides an example of how the traditions and values that have long underpinned the work of Christian higher education are of particular relevance to how Christian universities might partner with communities to address critical 21st-century challenges in groundbreaking new ways. The Uni...
Authors: | ; ; ; |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Taylor & Francis
[2020]
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In: |
Christian higher education
Year: 2020, Volume: 19, Issue: 1/2, Pages: 60-77 |
IxTheo Classification: | CF Christianity and Science KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history KBQ North America KDB Roman Catholic Church NCC Social ethics |
Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) |
Summary: | This article provides an example of how the traditions and values that have long underpinned the work of Christian higher education are of particular relevance to how Christian universities might partner with communities to address critical 21st-century challenges in groundbreaking new ways. The University of Dayton's Catholic and Marianist mission and identity calls for community engagement throughout the university and student experience, which gives rise to numerous other efforts across campus. Here we discuss one such effort: a collaborative project that arose out of a space called the GEMnasium, an innovative initiative that provided a new location for place-based community engagement and foregrounded applied creativity and transdisciplinarity as valuable ingredients in fostering reciprocal partnerships in pursuit of social justice. Informed by Gelmon, Holland, and Spring's (2018) conceptual framework for assessing civic engagement and service learning, we deployed a qualitative focus group approach to understand multiple stakeholders' experiences in, and the impact of, a workforce enterprise initiative known as the "Freedom Enterprise." Four thematic findings emerged from the data analysis process: (a) creating a shared community; (b) perseverance in building community; (c) faith-in-action/giving legs to the mission; and (d) uncertain long-term impact. After discussing the findings, we offer implications for community engagement in Christian higher education. |
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ISSN: | 1539-4107 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Christian higher education
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/15363759.2019.1689204 |