East St. Louis Action Research Project

East St. Louis Action Research Project University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign \| College of Fine and Applied Arts
About Us Why East St. Louis? Why University of Illinois? Mission Statement People Community Partners Campus Partners ESLARP Staff Campus Advisory Committee and Affiliated Faculty Graduate Assistants Alumni Get Involved Courses Current Courses FAA 291 Fall 09 Since 2000 1990 through 1999 What We Do Student Learning Community Information and Technology Neighborhoods and Planning Organizational Capacity Building Parks and Open Space Design Assistance and Construction Publications and Reports Academic Publications Student Projects and Reports Neighborhood Plans Conference Presentations Outreach Weekend Reports Retreats and Annual Reports Awards and News ESLARP in the News Awards and Recognitions Newsletters Resources and Links Maps Resources for GAs Make a Gift to ESLARP Outreach Weekend Registration *SPOTLIGHT* ESLARP, in collaboration with the Community Informatics Initiative and Department of Landscape Architeture, will be supporting a Design Workshop and Seminar on Sao Tome starting this December. This is the outcome of a collaboration has been growing for several years now between faculty and students from the University of Illinois and governmental and non-governmental organizations in São Tomé, an island nation off the coast of West Africa. Professors Laura Lawson, Rebecca Ginsberg, and Lynne Dearborn will be the team leaders on a unique interdisiplinary design opportunity. Participants will travel to São Tomé during winter break and work will continue throughout the spring semester. Find out how to apply for the Design Workshop and Seminar. ESLARP in Action Blog Search	Enriching young minds through community engagement FAA291 Spring 09 FAA 291 Civic Engagement in East St. Louis, Illinois Instructor: Sang S. Lee Office: 324 Noble Hall Phone: 265-0533 Email: sanglee7@illinois.edu Meets: Enrollment in this class requires attendance in two in-class sessions (one lecture, one discussion) and one outreach weekend (overnight field trip to East St. Louis). In consultation with Instructor, students will decide which lecture and discussion they will attend after they register for the course. Section FEB: Lecture will be offered on February 17 and February 18, from 5pm-6:30pm. Discussion will be offered on March 3 and March 4, from 5pm-6:30pm. Field trip to East St. Louis from February 27-28. Credit hours: 1 Section APR: Lecture will be offered on March 31 and April 1, from 5pm-6:30pm. Discussion will be offered on April 14 and April 15, from 5pm-6:30pm. Field trip to East St. Louis from April 3-4. Credit hours: 1 Community-based organizations play increasingly important roles in expanding the supply of jobs, affordable housing and social services in many low-income urban communities. Supported by local religious organizations, financial institutions, regional foundations and municipal governments, community development corporations have emerged as the primary organizational vehicles for neighborhood stabilization and community revitalization in many U.S. cities. This course is designed to introduce students from across campus to community development practices and the participatory approach followed by the East St. Louis Action Research Project (ESLARP). This is a unique opportunity to work alongside residents and neighborhood leaders on vital projects identified by grassroots organizations. A hands-on approach to instruction is employed as participants will take part in an Outreach Weekend experience in East St. Louis, Illinois. Students will tour the city and meet neighborhood leaders before engaging in the weekend projects of physical improvements in the community. As preparation for the trip students will participate in a mandatory lecture that addresses structural inequality and highlights the history of the partnership between the East St. Louis community and ESLARP. Students will be required to complete a reflection paper and be prepared to discuss their experiences during the post-trip reflection session. Course Structure: Each section requires attendance to two in-class sessions and one outreach weekend. Section ESL meets in class on September 24 and October 1, and has outreach weekend dates September 26-27. Section ES2 meets in class on November 12 and November 19, and has outreach weekend dates November 14-15. The ESLARP Outreach Weekends are conducted each semester. The weekend experience typically begins on Friday mornings at 7 a.m. and will conclude on Saturday evenings returning to campus before 9 p.m. The College of Fine and Applied Arts’ East St. Louis Action Research Project will fund all travel, food and lodging expenses necessitated by these trips. Readings: Reardon, Kenneth M. (1998). "Enhancing the Capacity of Community-Based Organizations in East St. Louis," in the Journal of Planning Education and Research, 17, 323-333. Last updated on 3/17/2009