Academics in Action! - by Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein & Bernadette Doykos & Nina C Martin & Allison McGuire (Paperback)

About the Book

This edited volume, Academics in Action! describes a multi-disciplinary model informed by the educational philosophy of John Dewey wherein students and faculty work with communities, learn from them, and combing findings from theory and research to develop solutions to solve community problems. The volume offers innovative examples of community-engaged research, teaching, and service.

Book Synopsis

The academy is often described as an ivory tower, isolated from the community surrounding it. Presenting the theory, vision, and implementation of a socially engaged program for the Department of Human and Organizational Development (HOD) in Peabody's College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University, Academics in Action! describes a more integrated model wherein students and faculty work with communities, learn from them, and bring to bear findings from theory and research to generate solutions to community problems.

Offering examples of community-engaged theory, scholarship, teaching, and action, Academics in Action! describes the nuanced structures that foster and support their development within a research university. Theory and action span multiple ecological levels from individuals and small groups to organizations and social structures. The communities of engagement range from local neighborhoods and schools to arenas of national policy and international development.

Reflecting the unique perspectives of research faculty, practitioners, and graduate students, Academics in Action! documents a specific philosophy of education that fosters and supports engagement; the potentially transformative nature of academic work for students, faculty, and the broader society; and some of the implications and challenges of action-oriented efforts in light of dynamics such as income inequality, racism, and global capitalism. This edited volume chronicles teaching, research, and community action that influences both inside and outside the classroom as well as presents dimensions of a participatory model that set such efforts into action.

Review Quotes

"Academics in Action shows how the cooperation of academics and community-based organizations can provide teaching and learning that can substantially transform the world toward greater justice."-----Jeannine Hill Fletcher, author of Motherhood as Metaphor: Engendering Interreligious Dialogue

Academics in Action! serves as a useful contribution and timely reminder of how universities might develop research agendas which have at their heart a commitment to challenging inequalities through community engaged participation and practice.-- "Educational Review"

"Academics in Action: A Model for Community-Engaged Research, Teaching, and Service, is a distinctive volume that could potentially inspire colleges and universities to adopt a multidisciplinary collaborative approach to service learning! Since institutions of higher learning are positioned to demonstrate their importance as agents of change, they can show us the significance of compassionate and knowledgeable leadership as it relates to the greater global good. This exceptional book also embraces qualitative and quantitative research. Combining these forms of study strengthens validity and positivistic interpretations of results and findings, leaving readers with noteworthy conclusions and strong implications for future practice at their institutions."-----Patricia Ruggiano Schmidt, Le Moyne College Professor Emerita

About the Author

Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein (Author)
Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein is a recent PhD graduate in Community Research and Action (CRA) in Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University.

Bernadette Doykos (Author)
Bernadette Doykos is a Doctoral Candidate in CRA in HOD at Peabody College of Vanderbilt.

Nina C. Martin (Author)
Nina C. Martin is a Lecturer in Psychology and Human Development and HOD in Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University.

Alison McGuire (Author)
Allison Patten McGuire is a Lecturer in HOD in Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University.