A full understanding of a concept as broad as community is a lifelong pursuit rather than something to be gained in a single semester’s course.  This course is designed to give you some tools for thinking and talking about community, allowing you room to explore the meaning and value of that concept, in various guises and from varied points of view.  The main objective of the course is to leave you with your own, informed sense of community and enough ideas, concepts, skills, and resources to enhance your future understanding of community, however you experience it.

 The course is structured around some large questions, which our class will consider by using ideas presented or generated by our course materials, including those that you will choose to bring to our class.  It is better to see the course as an open, ongoing dialog, dynamic and circular, rather than a linear series of lectures about topics in some definite order.  The strength and value of the learning experience here, then, depends ultimately on how much you bring to it.

Students’ grades will be based on class participation (30%), a term project in the form of a course presentation (30%), and a cumulative final exam (40%).  Given the importance of discussion and class interaction for this course, students are expected to participate actively in class.  This requires completing all reading and other assignments before our class is scheduled to use them and then being in class, on time.  Class attendance is expected.  We share responsibility for educating one another.  Please notify the instructor in advance as to any absences.  Excused absences are:  those required by varsity team members for events involving travel, accompanied by a note from the coach; those involving deaths in the immediate family or personal emergencies, which require a note from a Dean's office; those for serious illness, with a note from the campus health center or an attending physician.  We will also try one or two field trips (e.g., Twin Oaks, Yogaville, Rivendell).

 The course project must address one of the larger questions listed in our syllabus and will require bringing to our class additional material that you find interesting or discover yourself (details forthcoming).

Our primary course text is Robert Bellah’s Habits of the Heart, but there will be additional required readings on library reserve.  Whenever possible, readings also will be available on electronic reserve.

      A        exceptional effort, demonstrates mastery of the material

      B        commendable effort, shows adequate command of material

      C        unremarkable effort, rather weak use of material

      D        below average effort or use of materials

      F        inadequate effort or use of materials

 A bad attitude, petty or defensive comments, excuses involving computer failure.  Cell phones and pagers.  Anything that compromises academic honesty will absolutely not be tolerated, including cheating or plagiarism.

 Our course revolves around some large questions about community.  The goal is not to arrive at a definite answer but rather to explore and discuss, critically, a range of responses, each with its own merits and problems.  While we will begin consideration of each question as they are ordered here, the order is rather arbitrary and you will be encouraged to return to previous questions again and again as we encounter issues that bring new information to bear.  Likewise, we may need to jump ahead in a discussion.  How much time we initially spend on each question will depend somewhat on class interaction.

What is community?

How and Why do we create and recreate communities?  

Where does community begin?

How do we know a good community?  

To what extent is community participation a matter of choice?  

What are some important characteristics that form and inform community?  

In what ways does technology affect community?  

Do we now live in an international community?  

Is there a natural community?  

How do we encourage or conserve community?