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ORLE 151 Leaders in Grassroots Organizations
Instructor: Cheryl Coan Phone: 414-423-8701 (h), No calls after 9pm please
Email: Cell: 414-305-8701 (On for sure Tu/Th from 11-11:30)
Course Description: The course will examine how grassroots organizations and their leaders make a difference in communities, societies, and the world. Using the impulse to organize and lead grassroots movements as a frame, students will look at how these leaders came to understand themselves and their calling to help their communities. Guest speakers will be invited to come to the class and discuss their experiences with community leadership and the causes they felt compelled to work for to make life better for their families and their communities. Students will also examine the concepts of vocation and discernment to begin to understand their calling. This class can be taken as part of the Leaders in Social Contexts concentration or as an ORLE elective.
Course Objectives:
1. Students will define and learn to measure basic concepts regarding social organizing and understand the connections between the concepts.
2. Assess effectiveness of specific organizations using the theory about grassroots leaders and organizations and through applying appropriate research methodology
3. Be able to generate predictions and derive conclusions about human behavior and the place of grassroots organizations in influencing social policy
4. Via a virtual service learning project, students will have an experiential opportunity to apply the theory and research in this course. Through written reflections on the service, as well as an oral presentation to the community, students will demonstrate refined writing and speaking skills.
5. Develop a critical awareness of the moral implications of research on individual and social behavior
6. Refine critical thinking, analytic abilities, and develop a habit of seeking out alternative explanations of human behavior
7. Through the various projects exhibit an understanding of how to take the principles of grassroots leadership and vocation back to your organization.
Essential Questions we will explore during this course:
1. “Is the life I’m living the same as the life that wants to live in me?” – Parker Palmer
2. How and why do leaders of grassroots organizations make a difference in the life of a community?
3. What are the elements necessary to organize a successful grassroots effort?
4. How do I become the best leader I can be in the community? (exploring servant leadership)
5. What are the most important attributes/skills I must develop? (exploring servant leadership)
6. How have I connected vocation to grassroots organizations and leadership?
7. How can vocation and service transform who I am at work? Home? In my community?
Course Texts:
Kahn, Si (1991). Organizing: A Guide for Grassroots Leaders. Washington, DC: NASW Press.
Palmer, Parker (2000). Let Your Life Speak: Listening to the Voice of Vocation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Smith, David Horton (2000). Grassroots Associations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications
* Various readings on E-Reserve listed under ORLE 151
Requirements:
1. Each student will work with either a virtual service learning experience or a service learning experience arranged by the student. If choosing a virtual service learning experience, the instructor will work with the student to choose a placement. The level of time and resource commitment will be the first and foremost consideration.
2. Students must participate in the following three activities to successfully complete this course: (1) the service learning experience; (2) the Vocation and Discernment Video Journal w/notes; and (3) the Brown Bag presentation week eight of class.
3. Attendance in class to in order to create a community of people discussing and practicing discernment and searching for vocation.
Grading Scale and Policy for Participation:
It will be helpful to understand how this class operates and what I expect regarding participation, both from you as students and myself as the instructor. What follows is an outline of what I consider to be my responsibilities as an instructor of this class and yours as a student in this class:
1. As the instructor, I seek to provide the most current information as well as the classic literature on this subject. I will bring important works to your attention through lecture and discussions.
2. As the instructor, I will provide opportunities for every voice to be heard. I will provide a safe environment for all voices in this class.
3. As the instructor, I will come to class prepared to engage you in meaningful discussions designed to expand your thinking and worldview.
4. As the instructor, I will give you timely feedback on papers, exercises and questions.
5. As the instructor, I will respect your views and your right to challenge course materials.
1. As the student, you will come fully prepared. This includes completing all assigned reading and being prepared to discuss them.
2. As the student, you will hand in all work on designated dates so you can remain a fully contributing member of this class.
3. As the student, you will take full responsibility for making up work from an absence and obtaining any materials distributed from a classmate.
4. As the student, you will acknowledge all comments as valuable and make every effort to listen and to fully understand others.
5. As the student, you will make every effort to contribute honestly and openly to class discussion.
6. Observe netiquette rules when responding to others comments on Blackboard.
7. Failure to comply with this agreement may result in a lowered participation grade.
Grading Scale:
100-94 = A
93-89 = AB
88-84 = B
83-80 = BC
79-75 = C
74-69 = CD
64... = F
The Creation and Foundation for this Course
This course has been developed with a grant I received from Marquette University’s Manresa Project. MU’s Manresa Project information can be found at http://www.marquette.edu/home/Manresa. Included within this syllabus are partial explanations from that website to help you understand what this course is built on:
Manresa (pronounced "man-REES-uh") is the city in Spain that was the site of a transformational experience in the life of St. Ignatius, the founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). There, Ignatius chose to abandon his rich lifestyle, and developed a fervor and eagerness to serve God. It was at Manresa that Ignatius found his calling.
The Manresa Project focuses on "vocation," a word that comes from the Latin word "vocare" or "to call." The Manresa Project assists Marquette's community in exploring what it means to serve God. For some, that service will take the specific form of religious life, priesthood, ordained ministry or lay ministry in the church. Others will serve God as parents or single people in a variety of professions.
As Christians, whatever life paths we take will be marked in special ways if we bring our values and our faith into our decision-making. Think of it this way: If you are a manager, are you a different kind of manager because of your Christian beliefs? If you are a teacher or nurse or doctor or lawyer, does your Christian perspective inform and shape what you do and how you treat others?
A good way to begin finding your way is by asking yourself these questions:
· Who am I?
· How do I want to live my life?
· What gifts and talents do I have?
· What are the needs of the world and how can I use my gifts and talents to meet them?
· How do faith and belief in God intersect with my life, my choices, my plans, my decisions, my behavior?
Your answers will lead you through something called discernment. This is a process of the heart through which you define your personal response to God's call. You sense your vocation.
In order to work toward these goals, you will be asked to participate in a virtual service learning experience. Virtual Service Learning can be done from the comfort of your own home at any time of the day. All you need is the Internet and a computer. Projects vary greatly from online mentoring to helping with project planning, developing PR materials, helping with fundraising, writing grants, the list is really endless. We will work diligently as a group to discuss what type of service can be done realistically, but I do not foresee any more than 1-2 hours a week dedicated to your service assignment. I have taken the service time into consideration when designing the workload for this course.
Tentative Schedule for Grassroots Leadership
Week / Theme / Essential Question(s) / Readings / Work1
9/13 / Vocation / · “Is the life I’m living the same as the life that wants to live in me?” – Parker Palmer / Let Your Life Speak: Listening to the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer (pp.vii-72) / · Begin notes for in class work on Vocation and Discernment Video Journal
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9/20 / Discernment / · “Is the life I’m living the same as the life that wants to live in me?” – Parker Palmer / Let Your Life Speak: Listening to the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer (pp. 73-109) / · Report on Service Choice
· Group discussion on vocation and discernment
· Written response to Palmer’s book
3
9/27 / Grassroots Theory and Leadership / · How and why do leaders of grassroots organizations make a difference in the life of a community? / Grassroots Associations, (pp. ix-60; 149-166) and
Organizing… (pp. 5-48) / · Bring in today’s notes for Vocation & Discernment Journal
· In class work on Vocation and Discernment Video Journal
4
10/4 / Grassroots Members and Constituencies / · How and why do grassroots organizations make a difference in the life of a community? /
Grassroots Associations
(pp. 71-90;127-148)and
Organizing…(pp.70-112) / · Report on Service Project;
· In class work on Vocation and Discernment Video Journal;
· Bring in today’s notes for Vocation & Discernment Journal
Week / Theme / Essential Question(s) / Readings / Work
5
10/11 / Grassroots Organizing / · What are the elements necessary to organize a successful grassroots effort? /
Grassroots Associations
(pp.195-216; 243-261)Organizing…(student selected chapters for in-class reports) / · Student presentations on Strategy, Research, Tactics, Training, Communication, Money, Technology
6
10/18 / Servant Leadership / · How do I become the best leader I can be in the community?
· What are the most important attributes/skills I must develop? / Robert Greenleaf, The Power of Servant Leadership
· Servant: Retrospect and Prospect
· The Requirements of Responsibility
· Openness to Knowledge
· The Practice of Openness
· Entheos and Growth
· Purpose and Laughter / · Report on Service Project;
· In class work on Vocation and Discernment Video Journal;
· Bring in today’s notes for Vocation & Discernment Journal
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10/25 / Connections / · How have I connected vocation to grassroots organizations and leadership? / Robert Coles, The Call of Service: A Witness to Idealism
· Consequences
Laurent Parks Daloz, et al, Common Fire…
· Commitment
· Epilogue
· Brown bag in Cudahy Hall sharing final projects and (if you would like) excerpts from your Vocation and Discernment Video / · In class work on Vocation and Discernment Video Journal;
· Bring in today’s notes for Vocation & Discernment Journal
8
11/1 / Reflection and making reflection a life-long habit / · What have I learned?
· How can vocation and service transform who I am at work? Home? In my community? / · Answering the essential questions in class / · Report on Service Project
· Vocation and Discernment Video Journal and notes due
Reference List for E-reserve Readings
Coles, Robert (1993). The Call of Service: A Witness to Idealism. Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin.
“Consequences”
Frick, Don M. & Spears, Larry C. (1996). On Becoming a Servant Leader. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
“The Requirements of Responsibility”
“Openness to Knowledge”
“The Practice of Openness”
“Entheos and Growth”
“Purpose and Laughter”
Greenleaf, Robert K. (1998). The Power of Servant Leadership. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
“Servant: Retrospect and Prospect”
“Education and Maturity”
Parks Daloz, Laurent; Keen, Cheryl; Keen, James; Daloz Parks, Sharon (1996). Common Fire: Leading Lives of Commitment in a Complex World. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
“Commitment: The Power of the Double Negative”
“Epilogue: Compass Points: The Power of Location and Direction”
NOTE: These citations are in APA format. If you use MLA, make sure to reformat for MLA.
Assignments
Reflection Paper on Parker Palmer’s Book (10 points) Due: Week 2
Goals:
1. To begin the discussion for the semester’s work on vocation
2. To be able to refine critical thinking, analytic abilities, and seek out alternative explanations for human behavior
3. Recognize the concepts used to discuss social behavior, especially vocation
4. Develop self reflection about individual and social decision-making
Introduction: As a means to process your understanding of vocation and discernment, you will write a 3-5 page reflection paper that discusses your thinking after reading the Palmer’s book. Attempt to answer the questions that began this syllabus:
· Who am I?
· How do I want to live my life?
· What gifts and talents do I have?
· What are the needs of the world and how can I use my gifts and talents to meet them?
· How do faith and belief in God intersect with my life, my choices, my plans, my decisions, my behavior? (Note: I realize that not everyone in this program is of the Christian faith. As well, some folks may not adhere to any organized religion at all. If either of these is the case, please address this last question from your own belief system.)
Directions: While we ask you to do reflection papers often in classes, there are many times that we, as instructors, simply assume that students understand what we mean by reflection. In Youth Service: A Guidebook for Developing and Operating Effective Programs, Dan Conrad and Diane Hedin indicate:
Reflection is a skill, more accurately a cluster of skills, involving observation, asking questions and putting facts, ideas, and experiences together to add new meaning to them all.
So for this first formal assignment, I am asking you to do some deep, critical reflection about Parker Palmer’s book , keep the questions in the Introduction section in mind, and address these basic questions from an exercise in reflection titled “What?/So What?/Now What?” (Reed & Koliba, accessed 8/6/03)