Community Engagement

Department website

College: General

Program Overview

UW-Parkside’s certificate in community engagement integrates the needs and resources of our communities into the classroom to fulfill clearly articulated learning outcomes. The certificate complements all majors and prepares students to be effective leaders and citizens in their communities. Students work with community partner organizations to help address environmental, social, health, economic, and cultural issues through community engagement projects and placements. Approaches to addressing societal changes include capacity building of existing community organizations, developing strategies to effect political policy changes, and the implementation of communication campaigns. Central to all community engagement courses is the transformative act of reflection.

Community engagement classes are formatted to focus on projects, presentations, and/or placement of students, to fulfill the needs of organizations in Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee, Northern Illinois, and beyond. In the past, students have helped to create phone apps for public buses, community gardens to provide fresh produce to local food banks, worked with organizations to build homes, tutor school children, maintain public waterways and eco-systems, and conceptualized and implemented multi-faceted communication campaigns. Some community engagement classes provide support in research (surveys, focus groups), marketing and public relations, fundraising and grant writing, and the design of databases, computer apps, and digital artifacts.

Community-engaged learning experiences strengthen students’ ability to contribute meaningfully to their communities, enhance their professional preparation, and provide relevance to course work. Community-engaged classes are designed to help students:

• Use effective, inclusive communication methods to promote civic action in local, national and/or global contexts.
• Exercise reasoned judgement through critical thinking to collaboratively address challenges of the local, national and/or global communities.
• Work effectively within diverse teams to address a community need.
• Demonstrate ongoing social and personal responsibility to promote civic action.
• Connect and extend classroom learning to engagement outside the classroom.
• Promote inclusive engagement with diverse communities and cultures.

Programs Offered

Courses in Community Engagement