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Summer Field School in Sustainable Community Research:

Friday, April 20, 2007

A new interdisciplinary field studies program funded by the USF Graduate School will bring together USF faculty and mentors from three different departments on campus – FMHI’s Department of Child and Family Studies, the Anthropology Department and the Sociology Department for a ten week Summer Field School to be offered to eighteen USF graduate students.

Students will be selected to take part in the “Graduate Field Studies in Sustainable Community Research” program, aimed at building critical research and evaluations skills needed to become leading experts in community sustainability issues. The concept of “sustainable community research” is research aimed at assessing and ultimately improving the condition of communities.

“ Communities can build on a variety of strengths, and need to accumulate a variety of resources (including economic, political, social, and cultural capital), in order to provide positive and productive environments for their members,” said Beverly Ward, program coordinator. “As we learn more about the systemic connections between various aspects of community, more intense interdisciplinary collaboration is needed to achieve it. USF graduate students deserve our best efforts in preparing them for the challenge of understanding and solving the multi-faceted problems of current and future communities, within academia and beyond.”

Graduate students selected for the program will earn six credits by completing two courses from May 14 – July 20, 2007. They will also participate in interdisciplinary team research, with guidance from interdepartmental faculty teams, on projects including investigations of the impact of policy reform on children, families and communities, the role of the judicial system, the satisfaction of caregivers with child welfare services, the cost and effects of privatization of welfare services, and opportunities for community engagement and input into the child welfare system.

“ It is great to not only see various USF disciplines collaborating, but to also see them reaching out to the community together to strengthen existing and foster new partnerships,” said CFS Interim Chair Dr. Mario Hernandez. “A goal of mine since becoming interim chair has been the development of this program, and I am very pleased it was approved.” For additional information, contact Beverly Ward at 813-974-9773.