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Washington and Lee University

Page history last edited by Caroline 13 years, 11 months ago

Washington and Lee University

Lexington, Virginia

Participating Faculty & Staff:

Dr. Don Dailey, Director, Community-Based Research, daileyd@wlu.edu
Melissa Caron, Transitional Director, Community-Based Research, caronm@wlu.edu
Caroline Head, Intern, Community-Based Research, headc10@mail.wlu.edu

Courses Incorporating PolicyOptions Issue Brief Assignments:

Semester/Year — "Course Name", Department, Faculty Name

Completed Issue Briefs:

Draft Issue Briefs:

Winter 2010: Affordable Housing in Rockbridge County, Caroline Head
Winter 2010: Transportation in Rockbridge County, VA, Caroline Head
Winter 2010: Community Collaboration in Rockbridge County, Jackie Smith
Winter 2010: Personal Finance and Access to Credit in Rockbridge County, VA, Katie Harris and Kate Donnelly
Winter 2010: Adult Literacy in Lexington, VA, Rosemary Kelley
Spring 2010: Stream Restoration in Lexington, VA, Anna Stuart Burnett
Spring 2010: Lack of Representation for Low-Income Litigants in Virginia's Judicial System, Christopher Pratt

About Washington and Lee Community-Based Research

Community-based Research at Washington and Lee University is a comprehensive program of student-faculty research and community engagement focused on poverty, economic development, community development and community revitalization. Our focus is Rockbridge County, Virginia. For selected projects, the scope of CBR is the wider Blue Ridge area in Southwestern Virginia or the entire state. Most initiatives are designed to serve as a model for addressing similar problems in other communities nationwide.

Our projects are focused on issues affecting low-income residents related to education, health, housing, transportation, hunger and food security, economic development and social justice. This research is designed to mobilize the community toward responsible change in policies, lead to an action agenda for community service, and take steps toward healthy transformation. In this regard CBR at W&L not only engages students and faculty in research, but also in using research to build local capacity and support policy and practice in the field. Through grassroots community groups, community organizing, hosting community forums and facilitating policy deliberation, CBR at W&L encompasses the entire change process from local research to engagement to action. This process provides students a rich experience in the field as researchers, consultants, facilitators and leaders.

Community-based research (CBR) is a form of student research and civic engagement focused on real world problems in local communities. CBR tends to be collaborative and participatory in nature, so that students conduct research with the community as partners. It seeks to be linked to the community where data are collected and analyzed with the purpose of taking action or affecting social change. There is an ongoing reciprocal relationship between the researcher and the community. Thus, research is just the initial stage in a process that will likely involve community forums and various activities that engage the community in collaborative inquiry, opportunities for community voice, and moving forward with an action agenda.