Grant Proposal:
Strengthening Liberal Arts Education by Embracing Place and Particularity
Funded by the Teagle Foundation (2005-2007)
This paper describes research undertaken by Calvin College to explore the intersection of the liberal arts and the particulars of place. This research posed several key questions for exploration: How can the liberal arts tradition serve the common good in a particular place? How will liberal arts be seen as an important resource for members of a particular community? How can we use our city as text to strengthen liberal arts education for our students and to strengthen engaged scholarship/ research for our faculty? In other words, how could a particular place inform and shape the teaching that occurs in liberal arts classrooms as well as the research undertaken by faculty?
Community Research Initiatives:
- Urban Altruism
A research initiative and seminar concerned with seeking the welfare of the city. This seminar was taught in the Spring of 2006 by Dr. Jamie Smith of the Calvin Philosophy Department. - Three Focus Neighborhoods
Calvin has worked for decades in many neighborhoods within the Grand Rapids metropolitan area. More recently, the Provost ’s Office, the Service-Learning Center, the Office of Community Relations, and several academic departments at Calvin have collaborated with churches, schools, and organizations in the Burton Heights, Baxter-Madison, and Creston-Belknap communities, focusing on multiple community issues and disciplinary approaches. - Engaged Scholarship: publications by Calvin faculty
