Oakes 153, “Community Mapping,” is a hands-on, upper-division social research course that introduces students to the overall principles and processes of participatory research–specifically, community mapping techniques for gathering, sharing, and analyzing lived conditions. Students use qualitative research methods–depending on the project, observation, individual interview, or focus groups–to gather and analyze relevant community information. 5 units. Satisfies PR-S. Enrollment: Upper-division Oakes or Community Studies students, or by permission code.
As a PR-S course, this course requires significant community engagement. Depending on the project focus, research may require off-campus work. This course may be used to satisfy an upper-division elective in Community Studies and Sociology.
As a Participatory Action Research course, we work with different partners, but the framework that we offer to our partners has stable principles and methods. Using an “Asset-Based Community Development” (ABCD) approach (Mathie & Cunningham 2003), Oakes 153 asks,
“What assets (resources, practices, or sources of energy) make it possible for the community to thrive and move toward our common goals; and what kinds of barriers interfere with the community’s vitality and well-being?”
Following a “Research Justice” (Waheed 2015) paradigm, this course always endeavors to identify community issues where the production and distribution of knowledge should be shifted to create more potential for social change and justice.
Read more about the history of Oakes Community Mapping projects here.
Currently, we are partnered with the We Belong Collaborative for Community-Engaged Research and Immigrant Justice. (Read more about We Belong here)
Contact Leslie Lopez lesliel@ucsc.edu to find out how to enroll.