Teaching Community Organizing and the Practice of Democracy

This paper calls on political science to develop a thicker and deeper idea of civic engagement, linked to building full participation with community partners who take the lead in designing student civic engagement projects and activities. Based on a current curricular experiment with a two-course sequence at an urban, highly diverse public university, the paper argues for treating community partners as leaders and full partners in the design and implementation of community engaged learning. The courses combine democratic theory, community organizing and leadership development, and partnership between students and a community organization in carrying out research and action projects on education, public safety, and affordable housing.Paper delivered at the American Political Science Association (APSA) Teaching and Learning Conference, Long Beach, California, February 10-12, 2017