Community Engagement 101 is a proposed introductory curriculum for faculty and TA/Teaching Fellow graduate students across The New School (TNS) who incorporate external engagement or partnership as a part of their syllabus. For more information, visit our Collaboratory In-Depth Profile here.
Many faculty spoke about the need to establish a clear understanding of the nature of the partnership, including the expectations and responsibilities of all parties, prior to the beginning of the course. An MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) is a helpful tool to aid faculty and communities in moving through this process prior to the beginning of a course.
Here are some helpful resources:
Memorandum of Understanding for Mutually Beneficial Research, produced by the Engagement Lab at Emerson College
The Critical Participatory Action Research (PAR) Institutes, by the Public Science Project
Developing a Memorandum of Understanding, by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation
Here is a sample MoU:
Addressing Environmental Health Risks through Community Action Research and Local Knowledge