PA5426: Community-Engaged Research and Policy with Marginalized Groups

Marginalized populations tend to be viewed as objects of social policy, passive victims, or a cause of social problems. Processes of marginalization we will explore in this class include: structural racism, colonization, economic exclusion and exploitation, gender bias, and more. Policy and research are typically driven by mainstream/dominant society members with little direct knowledge about the real lives of people on the margins. This can lead to misguided actions, misunderstandings, paternalism, unintended negative consequences, and further marginalization and/or stigmatization. In this course, we will learn about community-engaged research methodologies such as participatory action research (PAR) and community-based participatory research (CPBR). We will use case studies to explore the challenges, rewards, and ethical implications of these community-engaged approaches to research and policy-making. Possible topics include, but are not limited to, sex trafficking, housing, and youth work. Instructors and students in the course will work together on a real-world research and policy challenge so that students contribute to ongoing work in the field in real-time.

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