The course PA 5490 “Civic Participation in Urban Poor Neighborhoods: Theory, Strategies and Structures�? taught by Professor Teresa Terrell meets Monday/ Wednesday 4:00 - 5:15 p.m.
Spring 2009- Course PA 5490
CIVIC PARTICIPATION IN URBAN POOR NEIGHBORHOODS: THEORY, STRATEGIES AND STRUCTURES
Monday/ Wednesday 4:00 - 5:15 p.m.
Professor Teresa Terrell
(terre058@umn.edu)
Economically disadvantaged neighborhoods tend to be viewed as dangerous places inhabited by dangerous and/or apathetic residents. Rather than dismissing all low-income neighborhoods as deficient in social capital, this course is designed to help students develop an understanding of how civic participation is activated and sustained in urban poor neighborhoods. We will examine theory and research across several disciplines that focus on the activation and maintenance of civic participation, paying special attention to the social movement, social capital and civic engagement literatures. Using observational data from a two year study of participation in four urban poor neighborhoods, we will investigate the government and civic structures of neighborhoods and the strategies employed by neighborhood leaders that both encourage and discourage neighborhood participation. Readings will include:
David E. Campbell (2006). Why We Vote: How Schools and Communities Shape our Civic Life. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Susan Saegert, J. Phillip Thompson & Mark R. Warren (2001). Social Capital in Poor Communities. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Thomas J. Sugrue (2005). The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Racial Inequality in Postwar Detroit. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
