Course Development Grants
Grants for faculty wishing to develop or enhance courses that directly support the Intercollege Minor in Civic and Community Engagement are supported and administered through the Laboratory for Public Scholarship and Democracy. Faculty at all Penn State campuses that either currently offer the Minor or where the Minor is under active development are eligible for the award.
The 2008 grants were awarded for course-based Constitution Day 2008 projects, which embed constitutional issues and understanding into the curriculum.
Previous Grant Recipients
Previous grant recipients are listed below to illustrate the wide variety of funded proposals.
2008 Grant Recipients
Kirstin Ruth Bratt, Assistant Professor of Curriculum & Instruction at Penn State Altoona, for “Defending the First Amendment Rights of Children: Banned Book Defense Essays (LLED 402).”
Laura Guertin, Associate Professor of Earth Sciences at Penn State Brandywine, for “Bringing the Theme of Democracy and Constitution Day into an Environmental Sustainability First Year Seminar (PSU 010).”
Richard J. Harnish, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Penn State New Kensington, for “The Five Freedoms in the First Amendment and Regional Deliberations to Spur Social and Economic Redevelopment (PSYCH 212 & PSYCH 424).”
Stephanie Cayot Serriere, Assistant Professor of Social Studies/Language, Culture & Society in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction, at Penn State University Park, for “A Constitution Day 2008 Community Forum: Using the Structured Academic Controversy Model to discuss Downloading Creative Material from the Internet (SSED430W) .”
Robert Speel, Associate Professor of Political Science at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, for “A Constitution Day 2008 Forum addressing Constitutional Issues and the 2008 Presidential Campaign.”
2007 Grant Recipients
Kathleen Brown, Assistant Professor of Communications, Penn State Greater Allegheny. “Smart Technologies for Smart Aging”
Thomas Colledge, Assistant Professor of Engineering, College of Engineering. “Certificate Program in Community Service Engineering: Development of EDSGN 452”
Ann Dodd, Assistant Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Associate Professor of Agricultural and Extension Education, College of Agricultural Sciences, and Jessica Bagdonis, Doctoral Student in Agricultural and Extension Education. “Scholarship Informed by the Community: Aligning Community Needs and Student Research Projects”
Lonnie Graham, Assistant Professor of Photography, College of Arts and Architecture. “Art 397A: Art and Social Activism: Radio Communication System for the Inhabitants of Collingwood Bay Papua New Guinea”
Marla Jaksch, Lorraine Dowler, and Toby Jenkins, (University Park), and Lee de Reus (Altoona), Women’s Studies, Geography, Africa & African American Studies, Human Development & Family Studies. “WMNST 497A: Feminism, Art, & Global Activism: Service Learning in Tanzania Summer 2007”
Laura Guertin, Assistant Professor of Earth Science, Penn State Delaware County. “Utilizing Emerging Technologies to Showcase Significant Democratic Events and People from the Past 40 Years”
Jennifer Mittelstadt, Assistant Professor of History and Women’s Studies, College of the Liberal Arts, and Natalie Jolly, Doctoral Candidate in Rural Sociology and Women’s Studies. ”The Public Scholarship in Women’s Studies Web-Based Handbook”
Kristina Ricketts, Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Extension Education, College of Agricultural Sciences. “Enhancing Leadership Instruction through Distance Education—AEE 460: Foundations of Leadership Development”
Lakshman Yapa, Professor of Geography, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, and Matthew Kelley, Doctoral Candidate in Geography. “A Virtual Home for the Philadelphia Field Project”
Mary Lou Zimmerman Munn, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, College of the Liberal Arts. “Democracy and Crisis in Ancient Athens: Redesigning CAMS 25, Greek Civilization for Interactive Learning and Democratic Capacity Building”
2006 Grant Recipients
Peter Aeschbacher, Assistant Professor in Architecture and Landscape Architecture at University Park. "The School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture’s 2006 Summer Program in Panama"
Dorothy Blair, Assistant Professor in Nutritional Sciences at University Park. "NUTR/STS 497G: Community Food Security"
Carol Colbeck, Associate Professor in the Center for the Study of Higher Education at University Park. "A study of faculty motivation to engage in Public Scholarship"
Laura Guertin, Assistant Professor in Earth Science at Penn State Delaware County, and Elinor Madigan, Assistant Professor in IST at Penn State Scuylkill. "The development of Science and Technology Modules for use by instructors of YFE 211, Foundations of Civic and Community Engagement"
Frank Higdon, Senior Lecturer in Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at University Park. "Enhancement RSOC 417: Conflict and Community Decision-making—Affordable Housing in Centre County"
Marla Jaksch and Lorraine Dowler, faculty in the Women’s Studies Program at University Park. "WMNST 497A: Feminism, Art, and Global Activism: Service Learning in East Africa"
Dana Mitra, Assistant Professor in Education Policy Studies at University Park. "Enhancement of EDTH 420: Education and Public Policy"
Robert Speel, Associate Professor of Political Science at Penn State Erie. "Enhancement of POLSC 127: Politics and Government in Washington DC"
Nicole Webster, Assistant Professor in Agricultural and Extension Education at University Park. "A study of outcomes for students engaged in the international service-learning and research project in Belize (RSOC 497A)"
Brent Yarnall, Professor, and Howard Greenberg, Senior Research Associate, both in Earth and Mineral Sciences at University Park. "Development of GEOG 493A: Service Learning: The Centre County Community Energy Project"