Community Engagement & Social Change Concentration

Learning Goals 

The community engagement and social change concentration (henceforth CCX concentration or concentration) has been in existence since its initial formal proposal in summer 2011. The concentration has two broad goals for students: 

• Expand and deepen their understanding of local, national, and global issues that affect communities, and 

• Develop the skills, attitudes, and knowledge necessary to collaborate mindfully with these communities as citizens and leaders. 

The concentration seeks to achieve these goals by allowing each participating student to connect an interdisciplinary area of special interest to practical work in off-campus communities. By combining carefully selected coursework, practical experiences in communities, and guided reflection, students are expected to: 

• Develop an in-depth understanding of an interdisciplinary area of interest by integrating coursework and experiential learning 

• Understand how organizations and institutions are structured and function in society 

• Understand interrelationships among structural social inequalities affecting local and global communities 

• Understand the relevance and connection of theoretical knowledge to social issues 

• Use specific theoretical lenses to understand how social change happens (historical, sociological, anthropological, feminist, etc.) 

• Develop an understanding of different forms of community engagement/active citizenship 

• Participate in two or more extended practical experiences that allow for significant engagement with host organizations and communities 

• Gain necessary skills for interacting, learning, and researching with communities in an ethical and collaborative manner 

• Use appropriate “languages” to communicate (speak/listen/write/perform) effectively with different audiences, including traditionally marginalized community groups 

• Reflect on community-based practical experiences in terms of personal growth, skills learned, and career exploration.

Courses

Students are strongly encouraged to have taken CCX 120, Community Based Learning: Ethics and Practice (required for the concentration) before they apply.

Crosslisted Courses

Community Engagement and Social Change Concentration

Requirements

Twenty-two credits

1. The gateway course CCX 120 (2 credits) 
2. Four electives (16 credits) in relevant core content, derived from four different disciplines and chosen in consultation with the concentration adviser:
   1. Two community-based learning (CBL) courses
   2. Two additional electives 
3. Two practical experiences with an off-campus community organization
   1. One experience of at least 100 hours
   2. One experience of at least 200 hours
4. One reflection session each semester
5. The capstone seminar CCX 320 (4 credits)

Concentration Requirement Details

• The most recent list of past and potential CBL courses is available by emailing the Jandon Center. 
• Electives support the student's area of interest and deepen their knowledge of relevant core content, including social justice, systems analysis, equity and inclusion, community development and community-based learning/research. Examples of areas of interest for electives include immigration and citizenship, public health, education, law and policy, community organizing, community narratives, environmental justice, activist science, social movements, cities and urbanism, regional and local economic development, and arts and activism. Course offerings with this content are available in multiple departments at Smith and in the Five Colleges. 
• Practical experiences of longer duration are strongly encouraged. These may include internships, service-learning, community-based participatory research and paid or volunteer community service. They may occur at any time in the calendar year and may be combined with Praxis, off-campus work-study or other stipend programs. The Jandon Center offers practicum opportunities during the academic year.
• Reflection sessions are coordinated by the JCCE and facilitate student learning from practical experiences and allow students to learn from and connect with fellow concentrators.

Practical Experiences

Students will complete two different practical experiences to fulfill the requirements for the concentration. One experience will consist of at least 100 documented hours of work with a community partner. The other experience will be at least 200 hours. When possible, experiences of longer duration are strongly encouraged.

Practical experiences may include internships, service-learning, community-based participatory research, and paid or volunteer community service. They may occur at any time in the calendar year: during the academic semester, interterm, spring break or summer. They may be combined with Praxis, off-campus work-study or other stipend programs.

At least one practical experience must be explicitly related to your area of interest for the concentration.

The two practical experiences must differ in terms of host organization and tasks performed.

Prior approval must be obtained from your concentration adviser, and both student learning goals and community outcomes of substantial benefit to the community partner must be demonstrated.

Documenting Your Experiences

You are encouraged to maintain a journal during your practical experiences (at least one entry per week is recommended) and to keep examples of your work and materials you produce.The Practical Experience Documentation Form and the Supervisor Evaluation Form must be submitted to the Jandon Center within a semester of completing your practical experience in order to be counted toward your concentration.

Retroactive Approval for Practical Experiences

If you have already completed one or more practical experiences (internships, service-learning, community-based participatory research, paid or volunteer community service) before entering the Community Engagement and Social Change Concentration program, you are still eligible to receive credit for these experiences.

You will need to document your experience as follows. These materials should be compiled and discussed with your concentration adviser for your practical experience to be counted toward a CESC Concentration.

1. Complete the Practical Experience Documentation Form retroactively with your concentration adviser.

2. Provide documentation of your experience (electronic versions or hard copies) that may include:

• Examples of work or materials you produced
• Relevant photographs

3. Write a reflection paper (minimum of two pages) that addresses the following questions:

• What did the experience confirm or illuminate about your future academic and/or career goals?
• How did your experience relate to your prior academic work?
• What insights did you gain about yourself and your preferred working style?
• What aspects of your experience were most valuable?
• What were your main duties and accomplishments during your internship, service-learning, community-based participatory research, or paid or volunteer community service experience?

Students will take four courses that support their area of interest. Examples of areas of interest include immigration and citizenship, public health, education, law and policy, community organizing, community narratives, environmental justice, social movements, and arts and activism. Electives deepen students' knowledge in relevant core content, including social justice, systems analysis, equity and inclusion, community development and community-based learning/research. Course offerings with this content are available in multiple departments at Smith and in the Five Colleges. Electives must be derived from multiple disciplines, and two of the electives must be community-based learning (CBL) courses.

List of potential CESC Concentration elective for Spring 2023. This is not an exhaustive list.