THE CITY AS INSPIRATION: Using Partnerships to Write toward Creative Change

Photo: Rebecca Kennison

Elizabeth ParfittFirst-Year Writing Program

Emerson CollegeITGA Conference, June 2011

Allow me to introduce myself: Past and Present Town/Gown Partnerships

Beth Parfitt

Emerson College

MFA

Creative Writing

__________

Lecturer

Writing, Literature and Publishing Department

State College, PA

Penn State University

Boston, M

A

Emerson College

Student

Amateur Figure Skater

Sister

Nittany Lion

Freelance Writer

Volunteer

Resident and Citizen

MFA Candidate

Writing Teacher

Dog Owner

ONEin3 Mayor’s Advisory Council

19812011

WR121: Research Writing

Inquiry-driven research Web searching Library Archives News reports Experience as citizens,

students and scholars in the City of Boston

Genre-based assignments Informative Report Reflective Essay Blogs Independent Study Group PSA Script

Research Writing

RESEARCH WRITING: COURSE OBJECTIVES

Understand the civic roles you play as scholar, citizen and producer of culture in the Boston community.

Make informed choices about genre presentation based on given rhetorical situations.

Implement multiple research methodologies.

Use research to create professional public documents in a variety of genres.

Use the community and city of Boston as a resource for personal and academic research.

Collaborate with a civic organization to craft public documents

After this course you should be able to…

For Example…

Craft a Profile on the Very Special Arts (VSA) – state organization on arts and disability

Conduct an Interview with a professional at the Huntington Theater

Design a Fact sheet on Boston organizations dedicated to accessibility for the arts

Volunteer with a Theater or non-profit and reflect on the experience in a personal narrative

Participate in Deaf Deaf Boston at Boston University and write a news report on the event

Keep a on-going public blog documenting research and experiences

Student Interest Sample Assignments

Student Major: Theater Studies Major with a minor in Communication Studies

Additional coursework: “ASL” (American Sign Language) and “Movement” (acting-emphasis theater course)

Social Issue for Research Writing: Disability Access for the Arts

My Philosophy on Teaching Writing

Created and Published with Permission from www.Wordle.net

Me and a few of my Partners

Emerson College Office of Service

Learning and Community Action

Students!

Case Study #1

INSTRUCTOR ROLE: Civic Leadership Institute Fellow, Boston Cares

2009-2010 Boston Cares Project Leader and Volunteer

2008-present

COMMUNITY PARTNER: Boston Cares Campus Initiative Program Promoting research on urban issues, city

inhabitants and social problems. 18 students + 1 student design and production

editor 40-page online magazine of research and

reflections 90+ hours of community outreach.

Student Writing in the Community

The Sky is Wicked Huge. WR121: Research Writing Spring 2010 course project. Funded by a “Service Learning Seed Grant for Course Development.” Office of Service Learning and Community Action. Emerson College.

Boston, MA Spring 2010

Graphic Design + Student Research

Case Study #2

INSTRUCTOR ROLE:•ONEin3 Boston•Mayor’s Advisory Council •City of Boston, Redevelopment Authority

COMMUNITY PARTNER:•ONEin3 Jobs and Careers Subcommittee• Public Service Announcements for ONEin3 Boston as part of an on-going course research project on creativity and innovation as found on the streets of Boston. •36 students•2 student filmmakers•8 PSAs

One in every 3 Bostonians is between the ages of 20 and 34.www.onein3boston.com

The PSA Assignment

Town and Gown Partnerships

Emerson College First-Year Writing ProgramWriting, Literature and Publishing Department

ONEin3 Boston, Mayor’s Advisory Council City of Boston Redevelopment Authority

Suzanne Hinton and the Emerson College Office of Service Learning and Community Action Innovation Grant

Hsiao-Yen Jones and Ananda Boga, Emerson College First-Year Film Students

The PSA Partnership

Student

Student

Film Producer 1

ONEin3 Boston

City of Boston

Office of SLCA

Instructor

WR121 Section 1

WR121 Section 2

Roommate

Film Producer 2

Mayor Menino

Elizabeth Parfitt

THE EMERSON COLLEGE ANDONEIN3 PARTNERSHIP

PSAs from WR121 Research Writing SPRING 2011

Using local partnerships for creative change on campus, in the classroom, and around the local community

Designing Partner Projects

Before you begin

Do I want to partner inside the university or outside in the broad local community ?(remember the university has a community all its own)

Does my institution have an office of service learning or community engagement to help with my goals , and do they offer grants or assistance for this type of work?

What organizations do I already have partnerships with that might be interested in working with my students?

How can I connect my course to a community partner in a way that establishes an exchange between students and the partner?

Is this a required course or an elective and how will that effect student engagement?

How will I negotiate participation, service hours or community time that requires off-campus visits?

What type of project will best showcase the skills and talents of my students, while also creating a deliverable that could be of use to audiences outside the classroom?

How will I grade the partner project?

What projects would help to promote our organization, advance our mission, develop our programming or bridge connections between students and the greater campus community?

Which courses at the university might have students with the talents and skills necessary to complete this project?

What kind of exchange can we create with those students? What might our office have to offer in the form of education and experience?

Does our office/department/organization have access to funds that would help to complete this project?

What kind of connections do we already have with the local community? What kind of connections do we want to have? How will this project advance our goals?

Do we have the time and resources to commit to the students who will be working on this project? Can we complete the project in a semester timeline? If not, how can we break this project into manageable pieces or steps?

Questions for Instructors Questions for University Colleagues

What’s in it for me?Or why you should experiment with partnerships as coursework on campus

Creates connections to a broader community

Appeals to prospective students and parents (admissions and recruitment tool)

Promotes engagement in under-served campus programs and organizations

Stimulates ties with alumni through the development or university advancement offices

Launches a positive connection between residents and students

Works to fulfill needs with intellectual/physical resources– communities have needs and students often have the resources to attack those projects

Revitalizes neighborhoods, organizations, or under-utilized spaces with youth appeal

Works to connect diverse audiences with a common goal

Local Community Student CommunityCampus Community

Potential connections for internships and future employment

Transferability of coursework across disciplines and into the public world

Experience in collaborations, communicating with diverse groups, problem solving, creating public documents, and team building

Establishes an awareness for the civic and scholarly roles played on campus and in the community

Turning Partner Projects into Course Assignments

Work backwards to establish course-specific learning objectives and show how those goals can be achieved with the partner project –this information should be clear in the assignment

The purpose of this project is…

From this experience, you

will gain…

Our partners in this project are…

The audiences for our work are…

The time commitment for this

project is…

The graded elements of this

project are…

Our timeline (though subject to change) is…

This is what I expect from your

participation…

I’m excited about this project because…