Student Handbook - Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences ...

MSASS is in a unique position to adopt the concept of community-based practice as anorganizing principle for its curriculum. Interviews with faculty indicate they are alreadyinvolved in a significant body of research, teaching, and community service interventions relatedto the concept of community-based practice (Johnson, 1998a).The concept of community-based practice is based on 10 principles. Community-based practice…1. embraces an inclusive definition of community;2. values community as a process;3. views the individual in the context of a pattern of relationships that includes family,groups, organizations, and communities;4. integrates community and individual practice;5. builds interventions on the strengths and assets of individuals, families, groups,organizations, and communities;6. emphasizes participation, teamwork, collaboration, and partnerships at all levels;7. recognizes that comprehensive interventions are shaped by all interactions and exchangeswithin the social ecology;8. involves interdisciplinary and milt-disciplinary approaches;9. facilitates empowerment through a reciprocal, educational process of lifelong learning;and10. encourages innovation and improvement of services.Principle 1. Embraces an inclusive definition of communityThe concept of community-based practice is based on an inclusive definition of communities.According to Garvin and Tropman (1992), a community exists when a group of people form asocial unit based on common location, interest, identification, culture, and/or activities. Althoughthe concept of community is charged with ambiguity and interpreted different in varioussituations (Chatterjee & Koleski, 1970), types of communities can be classified into three majorgroups (Fellin, 1995). These include communities distinguished by common locality or place, bynon-place characteristics, and by the sense of an individual’s “personal community” (see Tablebelow).Types of Communities, Definitions, Variations, and InteractionsType ofCommunityGeographicCommunities ofPlace (Garvin &Tropman, 1992)Communities ofIdentification andInterest (Longres,1990)Definition Variations Interactions1. A functional spatial unitmeeting sustenance needs2. A unit of patterned socialaction3. A symbolic unit ofcollective identity (Hunter,1975Communities of identificationare based on a commonidentity, belief, emotion orfeeling of attachment toethnicity, race, religion,lifestyle, ideology, sexualorientation, social class,Communities vary in termsof size, density, andheterogeneity. Variationsare referred to asneighborhoods, villages,towns, metropolitan areas,etc.Communities ofidentification are consideredcommunities of interestwhen they are also engagedin some level oforganizational activity(professional associations,People reside in multiplecommunities of place – thatis, locally-based communitiesoverlap with one another,e.g., neighborhoods withintowns, etc.Geographic communitiesoften coincide withidentification/ interestcommunities – that is, peopleof a common background ofrace, religion, national originor social class may live inhttp://msass.case.edu/downloads/academic/Student_Handbook.pdf Page 27