COMMUNITY
PORTRAITS
SPRING 2006
Instructor:William Holmes
Office location: W4-144/31
Phone: 617-287-7328
E-mail: william.holmes@umb.edu; Web
Site: http://www.faculty.umb.edu/william_holmes/
Office Hours: Mon. 3:30pm-4:30pm
Tues. 5:00pm-7:00pm
Wed. 3:30-4:30pm
Competency Addressed: Community Portraits (Level II)
Goals of the Course:
1. To become
familiar with various types of information about local communities,
including Census data, agency reports and records, historical
documents, and other types of qualitative and quantitative information.
2. To become familiar
with the range of sources and places where community information can be
obtained, including:
* formal sources such as libraries, the
Census Bureau, public agencies, and the Internet:
* informal sources, such as newspapers and
key informants.
3. To develop
practical skills in obtaining, summarizing, interpreting and evaluating
community information.
4. To gain writing
skills needed to produce short research papers based on community
information sources and your own unifying ideas.
Prerequisites:
Students taking this course must have
already completed some Level I competencies, including Understanding
Arguments (new curriculum) or Math I/Quantitative Reasoning (old
curriculum)
Computer Skills:
The Community Portraits competency
involves substantial use of computers, including word-processing,
spreadsheets and use of the Internet. The computer
skills acquired and demonstrated through Community Portraits may be
used toward part of the Computer Skills portion of the Level II
Portfolio.
It is essential that students in the
Community Portraits class assess their computerskills and needs with full understanding
of the computer portions of the Community Portraits competency.
In the first session of Community Portraits there will be a
computer questionnaire to help you decide which of the following
applies to you:
a. If you do not
already have all of the skills in the Level I Computer
Portfolio, you are not ready for Community Portraits.
You should drop the Community Portraits course and register for
a Computer Instructional Workshop or Computer Tutoring/Evaluation.
b. If you have all of
the skills in the Level I Computer Portfolio, but have no experience
using spreadsheet software (Excel or others), it is essential
that you register for a Level II Computer Workshop to obtain the
necessary skills for the computer-related parts of the Community
Portraits competency.
c. If you have all the
skills in the Level I Computer Portfolio, and some basic exposure to
spreadsheet software but not enough to know how to enter formulas
and set numeric formats, then you should consider registering
for a Level II Computer Workshop, or should definitely plan on signing
up early in the semester for Computer Tutoring.
d. If you have all the
skills in the Level I Computer Portfolio, and experience with
spreadsheets software including knowing how to enter formulas and set
numeric formats, then no additional steps are necessary, but you should
be aware of the availability of computer tutoring should you need any
assistance.
Writing Skills:
If you have not yet completed the Writing
portion of the Level I Portfolio, you should enroll in a Writing
Portfolio Workshop.
The community history paper that is
required as part of Community Portraits may be used for the required
Historical Essay of the Writing Portion of the Level II Portfolio, if
it meets the Level II Portfolio standards. Students who wish to
use the paper for this purpose are responsible for assuring that
it meets the Portfolio requirements beyond those of the
Community Portraits competency.
Electronic
Devices
Electronic communication devices must
be turned off or in silent mode during class. Use of electronic
recording devices requires the permission of the instructor.
Materials:
A set of required readings will be
available for purchase from the instructor or available online.
You will need a pocket calculator for some
of the course work, starting in Session #3. You
should obtain a very simple calculator with a memory, not a
fancy mathematical or financial calculator.
Competency Demonstration:
Completion of the following set of
assignments is required for demonstration of the Community Portraits
competency. For each assignment you will be
given a detailed assignment sheet explaining exactly what is required.
The schedule of
assignments is as follows:
Assignment #
Topic
Due
in
Session #
For Competency Criterion #1:
1A. Identify
& locate the community you will be studying
2
For Competency Criterion #2:
2A. Compile
1990 Census data 3
2B. Write
narrative summary of 1990 Census compilation 4
2C. Compile
1980 Census data
5
2D. Write
narrative summary of 1980 Census compilation
6
2E. Analyze
1980 to 1990 Census changes
7
2F. Write
summary of 1980 to 1990 Census changes
8
For Competency Criterion #3:
3A. Obtain,
assess, read and interpret sources
8
on recent community history
3B. Obtain,
assess, read and interpret sources
9
on early and middle community history
3C. Prepare
outline of community history paper
10
3D. Write
draft of community history paper
11
3E. Write
final community history paper
12
For Competency Criterion #4:
4A. Complete
one additional information-gathering draft
13
exercise
chosen from list of possibilities
final 14
The due dates are given to help you manage
your time in order to be able to complete the work during the semester.
It is important to come to class even if you have not completed
an assignment that is due in that session. All
electronic communication devices must be turned off in class or set to
"silent mode." Recording of classes
requires the permission of the instructor.
Course
Schedule
1.
January 24, Introduction.
Overview of course and competency
What are communities?
Ways of describing communities
In-class exercise on community information
Questionnaire on computer skills
Computer lab introduction to locate
on-line readings for Session 2
2.
January 31, Introducing the Census.
Introduction to the Census, how it is
conducted, types of information obtained, and controversies about the
Census
Computer lab session on basic geography of
local communities
Read for Session 2:
On-line Brochures from the Census Bureau,
as follows:
Go to: www.census.gov/dmd/www/teachr2a.html,
then follow the links, download and read the following:
FactFinder for the
Nation: History and Organization
Fact Sheets
Drop-In Articles
The following items in the xerox packet:
U.S. Census Bureau, “Questions and Answers
About Census 2000"
Mary Leonard, “Justices Back Census Head
Count,” Boston Globe, January 26, 1999
“US Deplores Cost of Full 2000 Census,” Boston
Globe, June 3, 1999
Starting with Session 3, Week of September
21, you will need a pocket calculator. Make sure
that you bring your calculator to class with you every week.
3.
February 7, The Census, continued.
Review of basic math and use of pocket
calculator
Discussion of 1990 Census Assignments
Computer lab workshop on obtaining local
1990 Census data and preliminary 2000 Census data on-line
Read for Session 3:
Cindy Rodriguez, “Census Cite Growing
Diversity,” Boston Globe, March 13, 2001
Cindy Rodriguez, “Populace Aging, Changing
its Ways,” Boston Globe, May 15, 2001
Cindy Rodriguez, “Immigrants Rejuvenate
Population,” Boston Globe, May 15, 2001
Cindy Rodriguez, “Along I-495, a Concrete
Ribbon of Growth,” Boston Globe, April 9, 2001
Richard Higgins, “Some Towns in Western
Mass. Say They’re Underestimated,” Boston Globe, April 8, 2001
Cindy Rodriguez, “Suburbs Drawing Boston
Blacks,” Boston Globe, April 4, 2001
Cindy Rodriguez, “Census Shows a Boston
Still Divided,” Boston Globe, April 20, 2001
Boston Redevelopment Authority, Boston’s
Population -2000, March 2001, skim Parts 1, 2 and 3
4. February 14. The Census Continued.
Working session on 1990 Census Assignments
Workshop on obtaining 1980 Census data on
microfiche at the Healey Library
5.
February 21, Other Sources of Local
Population and Demographic
Information.
Read for Session 5:
Ad Hoc South End Committee, "A Statistical
Analysis: Occupancy and Displacement History in Buildings of the South
End Now Owned by Developer Mark R. Goldweitz," 1974, pp. 1-7
Boston Redeveloment Authority, Gateway
City: Boston’s Immigrants 1988-1998, November 199999 (skim)
6.
February 28. Community History.
Overview of the history of Eastern
Massachusetts
Introduction to methods and sources of
information on community history
Read for Session 6:
A. Examples
of student papers:
Carlene
Kline, “The Fenway: Boston’s Urban Village,” December 2001
Valerie
Sullivan, “Hanover, Massachusetts,” May 2000
B. Sources
and methods of community history:
Kathleen A. Dozier, "Organizing the Past for the Future: West
Village History as a Collective Enterprise"
Geoffrey Elan, “How to Write a Dull Town
History,” New England, 1986
Cindy Cohen, “Building Multicultural and Intergenerational
Networks Through Oral History," 1983
Henry
Hampton, “Social History: Our Rudder in the Midst of Storms," Poverty
and Race, November 1992
Jeremy Brecher, History From Below: How to Uncover and Tell
the Story of Your Community, Association or Union, 1986, Chapters
1-3, pp. 1-19
7.
March 7. Community History.
Further discussion of methods and sources
of information on community history
8. March 21. Community
History Workshop.
Working
session on assessing and summarizing sources
9.
March 28. Other Sources of Local Economic
Information.
Read
for Session 9:
Joan
Cuozzo, et al., Hispanics in Chelsea: Income and Employment,
U Mass-CPCS, September 1990, Section on "Chelsea Area Labor
Market," pp. 6-20
Massachusetts.
Department of Employment and Training, Employment and Wages in
Mass. Cities and Towns 1991-2000, December 2001,
Introduction, Appendix A, Appendix B, and Sample page
Massachusetts Dept. of Revenue, Division of Local Services, City
and Town, “FY 1998 Municipal Spending,” February 2000
Massachusetts
Dept. of Revenue, Division of Local Services, City and Town,
“FY 01 Municipal Revenue Components,” May 2001
10. April
4. Housing, Real Estate, and Land-Use Information.
Read
for Session 10:
HOME Coalition, Standing in Line: A Report on Waiting Lists for
Elderly, Disabled and Family Housing in Massachusetts, July
1995
Boston Tenant Coalition, Turning New Growth into Affordable
Housing, April 2001 (skim)
Boston Department of Neighborhood Development, Real Estate
Trends, Third Quarter Report 2000
11.
April 11. Education, Social
Service and Crime Information.
Read
for Session 11:
Karen Hayes, “Night Out Celebrates United Attack on Crime,” Boston
Globe, August 2, 1998
Boston Foundation, The Wisdom of Our Choices: Boston’s Indicators
of Progress, Change and Sustainability, October 2000, Section Four:
Education, and Section Eight: Public Safety
12.
April 18. Health, Environmental, and
Transportation Information.
Read
for Session 12:
Karen
Hsu, “City’s Seniors Face Obstacles to Health Care,” Boston Globe,
December 14, 1999
Dolores
Kong, “Death Rates Linked to Poverty,” Boston Globe, May 4,
1999
Cindy
Rodriguez, “A Breathtaking Epidemic: Roxbury Area Racked by Childhood
Asthma,” Boston Globe, November 21, 1998
Karen
Hsu, “Boston Will Get $1.9m to Prevent Asthma,” Boston Globe,
February 24, 2000
Cole, Luke W., "The Truth Won't Set You Free (But It Might Make the
Evening
News):The Use of Demographic Information in Struggles for
Environmental Justice in California," Poverty
and Race, May/June 1996
Peter J. Howe, “MWRA Want Clean Pipes Before Filtered Water,” Boston
Globe,
October 12, 1998
Scott Allen, “Land Protected, but Species Aren’t,” Boston Globe,
October 20,1998
Boston Public Health Commission, The Health of Boston 2001,
excerpts
13.
& 14. April 25, May 2, May 9. Workshops
on Completing Assignments.
The
deadline for submitting all work for evaluation is Monday, May 15.