Mapping the Landscape of Community-Engaged English Courses: A Content Analysis of Syllabi

Abstract

To advance our understanding of how community engagement is actualized in writing classes, I use qualitative content analysis to analyze how community partners and community partnerships are described on all 26 English syllabi posted on Campus Compact’s syllabus library. The findings reveal a wide range of terms that English instructors use to describe community work in their courses, a diverse array of the types of projects that are taught, and the types of community organizations that instructors partner with, as well as a noticeable disconnect between students’ community projects and the course’s learning objectives and assigned readings. This exploratory survey of syllabi in the field of community writing offers an opportunity for instructors to notice trends in their own syllabi, and this article offers recommendations for how instructors can redevelop their syllabi to center community perspectives and community work on this important contractual document.

Journal
Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric
Published
2025-08-19
DOI
10.59236/rjv24i2pp231-274
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