Community-based learning enhances typical coursework by encouraging students to apply the knowledge and tools gained in the classroom to issues affecting local communities and to topics that are of significant public interest.

For years Macalester has brought together faculty, students and community organizations to conduct research on issues such as poverty, immigration and health care. Faculty members report that courses with community-based learning components encourage students to think creatively and to discover the meaning and relevance of their work outside the classroom.

Students work with faculty members and community organizations and leaders to develop research projects, collect and analyze data, and share their results and conclusions with the organizations and their professors. Research projects are driven by the work of the organization, but they are also academically related to the class. Not only does the community benefit, but students also greatly enhance their understanding of the subject matter. 

Macalester was awarded a Learn and Serve America Grant from the Bonner Foundation. This grant supported students and faculty members partnering with a community non-profit organization in order to research various issues. The following courses contain community-based learning projects that were enhanced by this grant funding:

Grant Funded Projects

• Immunology
• Introduction to the Literary Analysis of Hispanic Texts
• Locating U.S. Latina/o Studies: An Interdisciplinary Approach
• US Latina Literature and Visual Culture
• Urban Social Geography: City Life and Landscapes
• GIS - Concepts and Applications (Advanced GIS)
• Race, Ethnicity, and Politics
• Environmental Studies Senior Seminar
• Community-Based Theatre
• Public History: Making History Matter beyond the Academy
• Introduction to Urban Studies