Thursday, March 6, 2008

Scholarship of Engagement

You may be wondering what the scholarship of engagement is, and I am here to tell you. Under duress.

No, it is not the study of marriage traditions across cultures.

It is, however, the practice of taking learning out of the classroom and into the community, and in the process creating a reciprocal and mutually beneficial relationship.

Perhaps it should be termed “Engaged Scholarship,” that’s all I’m saying.

Do you know that some people devote their entire lives to studying this practice?

Even more, upwards of 50 people devoted 5 hours to this subject just yesterday in a converted manse off Lake Drive just a stone’s throw from Whitefish (folks) Bay.

“Why,” you may ask? (Go ahead, I’ll wait)

Well, I do not rightly know. As far as this author is concerned, the Scholarship of Engagement (better known as: Engaged Scholarship) is already taking place in schools across the country – and very much so in the Greater M area.

Service learning, faculty research studies, real time case studies – all are versions of this type of learning, and yet 50 unfortunate academics spent five hours of their busy lives dissecting and discussing how they can create scholarship of engagement at a university that already widely uses this practice.

This author was not amused to have to take part.

No comments: