The Davis Education Foundation's "Embedded Experiential Learning Across the Curriculum" grant is intended to deepen learning for all members of Amherst’s diverse student body by embedding experiential learning opportunities throughout the curriculum. Funding is available to support existing courses and assignments and to develop new ones.
The CCE provides resources for faculty interested in incorporating community-based learning into their teaching and research.
Engaging with local middle school students visiting campus as part of Race, Education, and Belonging (EDST-200) and Writing the College Experience (ENGL-121).
Students apply key knowledge and course content to community settings, using it to explore and address complex questions and test their own ideas and understanding.
Activities such as field trips and community-based projects offer students the opportunity to practice key skills (e.g., ethnographic research, writing, observational research, and working in partnership with peers and community members).
Community-based learning and projects help students recognize the ways in which their work impacts the lives of others, and inspires them to be accountable both in and outside of the classroom.
Community presentations at Wildwood Elementary School for Indigenous Narratives: Creating Children's Stories about Native American History (AMST-328).
From courses designed around a semester-long project to field trips that introduce students to the local community, CCE staff can help imagine the possibilities, support course design, facilitate connections with partners, assist with project development, and/or provide direct support for course activities.
CCE staff guide faculty as they navigate administrative systems and serve as partners as they design and implement their courses.
Funding is available to support:
During the 2023-2024 academic year, funding is available from the CCE for community-based learning courses. Faculty members interested in requesting funding should email Zoë Jacobs Feinstein (zjacobs@amherst.edu) with a description of the class and a budget request. Department staff will work with faculty members to fully fund each course (from a range of sources across campus) and ensure that students have the resources they need to fully participate in the class.
CCE staff can also assist with logistical support for community-based courses.
The CCE offers resources designed to help students link analysis and action through:
For grant proposals that include impact or community components, CCE staff can help faculty explore possibilities and make connections with community partners.
The CCE can guide students as they move from idea to action – this includes projects students envision or begin in a course and want to continue beyond the end of the semester.
Zoë Jacobs Feinstein
Associate Director of Community-Engaged Learning
zjacobs@amherst.edu
(413) 542-2972
Center for Community Engagement
Converse Hall, Suite 202
https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/experiential-learning/cce
Students in the Amherst College "Mining the History of Holyoke" STAT210 course used text analytics and data mining to explore the rich history of Holyoke, Massachusetts.
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