Designing for Learning in Communities
This course provides an in-depth look at the interrelationships between community, learning, identity, and context. We will examine the historical, political, social, cultural, and geographical influences that shape opportunities for learning in a broad range of communities, including neighborhoods, nonprofits, schools, business organizations, and families. We will trouble the notion of “community” and engage in an in-depth analysis of how individuals learn “in” communities but also how communities can develop learning systems and learning cultures. We will be studying and analyzing place, space, language, ethnicity, race, and culture across diverse settings from an asset rather than a subtractive or deficit approach. The major goal of this course will be to learn how such influences affect and support learning opportunities in communities, across the lifespan, and across diverse social spaces.