Community Action & Social Change Minor
Diversity of Coursework
-
Theories and Practices for CASC (SW 305)
-
CASC Integrative Capstone Experience (SW 401)
-
Trump's America (SW 551)
-
Introduction to Socially Engaged Design (ENGR 490)
-
Introduction to Women's Studies (WOMENSTD 240)
-
Project Community (SOC 225)
-
Nonprofit Organizations (ORGSTUDY 420)
The Community Action and Social Change (CASC) minor has provided the opportunity for me to dig into theories of social work, explore the context of various social injustices, practice diversity learning and engagement skills, and collaborate with community members via service-learning.
Through my course work, I discovered my valuation of integrating community engagement to address a social issue at micro-, mezzo-, and macro-levels to develop both sustainable, long-term solutions as well as current support to community members.
In particular, the Socially Engaged Design model is founded on the utilization of the expertise and skills from community members with lived experiences in combination with the technological resources of engineers. Taken together, I aspire to further access to continued education through connecting communities with the knowledge needed to use their innate abilities.
Project Community
Washtenaw County Jail, Women's Art Workshops
I enrolled in Project Community's Criminal Justice section, specifically the group that would lead art workshops in the women’s area of the Washtenaw County Jail. I had never entered into a jail before, and my mood immediately plummeted as I was enveloped in the gray concrete building with harsh lighting and even harsher rules. In the three months or so that I spent in the jail, and even more time reading, discussing, and comparing how societies perceive criminal activity and react to it, I was pushed emotionally and academically to reconceptualize my world. I had always seen life as black and white, good and bad, with no in-betweens. Goals were clear, and one just had to put in the effort to get there, and yet, I had stumbled upon a course that told me this was not true. This was the course that inspired me to enroll in the CASC minor, apply for the Organizational Studies program, and recognize the need for multidisciplinary skills in social change.
CASC Projects
My Social Change Philosophy
Institutions that Led to Rise in Trumpism