|
Community:
the word evokes many images.
Above: Civil
rights leader, now Congressman, John Lewis speaking to class
Below: Fannie Mae Foundation Walk for the Homeless, National Mall
 |
Transforming
Communities is a public policy program that gives meaning to these
images. Are you
interested in vibrant environments where we can live, work and congregate?
Are you concerned about how we balance our desire for individual freedom
with our need to address challenges we face in common? Are you considering
how your particular discipline -- political science, economics, business,
sociology, education – fits in the big picture? The Transforming
Communities Semester is an interdisciplinary exploration of questions like
these.
Transforming Communities is about
-
The concept of community
- What makes a community
healthy
- How we use
forces at the local, state and national level to create and strengthen
community
Because it
transcends disciplines, the Transforming Communities Semester attracts
students of all majors. The program is equally rewarding for those who
want to work for a nonprofit organization as it is for those who intend to
pursue a career in government, policy, politics or the private sector.
The education you obtain will be invaluable whether transforming communities
is at the center of your professional aspirations or community involvement
will be a personal pursuit.
In fact, Washington DC – from
the international to the national to the community level – offers an ideal
setting for Transforming Communities. Poverty, ethnicity, globalization
and immigration are integral to the program. Washington is also a
distinctive learning laboratory for exploring how leadership, grassroots
action, advocacy, litigation and government programs can improve
communities. Federal policy changes are placing more responsibility on
local governments to address their problems. Now is the perfect time to
evaluate these changes and to study new initiatives. Students in the
Transforming Communities Semester bring their diverse backgrounds, academic
disciplines and points of view to the program. In small groups and as a
class, you and your fellow participants investigate a wide range of creative
solutions.
During the semester, your class
meets with activists, policy makers and other leaders in the field. You
gain valuable firsthand insight through an internship, and you can immerse
yourself in a particular topic by researching and compiling an in-depth
project. You learn how to use your talents and resources to make positive
change now and in the future. Your semester is enlightening, inspiring, and
life-changing.
|
