CVIN 345: Community Development

In the face of the continued fraying of the social fabric through the dismantling of traditional institutions that promote cohesion and promote civic virtue, how should we approach the development of communities and community leaders?  We will explore the theories and methods of community development and examine and interrogate the notion of community itself.  We will consider the history of community development as a contested response to situated social problems such as persistent poverty and growing economic inequality.  We will consider community development through an asset-based model that focuses on agency and the existent capacity of communities rather than on deficiency and dysfunction.