Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric Apr 2008 Open Access

Expanding Community-Based Work While Maintaining the Edge

Cara L. Kozma

Abstract

Although conventional academic wisdom discourages young scholars from becoming involved in community-based work, the growing interest in service-learning and community literacy reflected in contemporary scholarship in composition and within the larger academy suggests that these are now viable paths to pursue throughout the trajectory of a scholarly career. Ellen Cushman maintains that by using service-learning and activist research methods to bridge the gap between university-based knowledge and community-based knowledge, “faculty members can have readily apparent accountability, and their intellectual work can have highly visible impact” (“Public Intellectual” 335). The growing visibility of community-based scholarship and practice has allowed emerging scholars to set an agenda that our scholarly work must become legitimized and that the climate of resistance to conducting community-based work early in our professional careers must change. I suggest that we work toward mainstream acceptance of the scholarly value of community-based work to support young scholars’ careers while maintaining the edginess of this type of work by addressing key critiques.

Journal
Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric
Published
2008-04-01
DOI
10.59236/rjv7i3pp89-90
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Topics
service learning literacy studies community literacy
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References (8) · 4 in this index

  1. Cushman (1999)
    The Public Intellectual, Service Learning, and Activist Research
    College English
  2. Cushman (2002)
    Sustainable Service Learning Programs
    College Composition and Communication
  3. Flower (2002)
    Intercultural Inquiry and the Transformation of Service
    College English
  4. Green (2003)
    Difficult Stories: Service-Learning, Race, Class, and Whiteness
    College Composition and Communication
  5. Herzberg (1997)
    Community Service and Critical Teaching
Show all 8 →
  1. Himley (2004)
    Facing (Up to) 'The Stranger' in Community Service Learning
    College Composition and Communication
  2. Peck et al. (1995)
    Community Literacy
    College Composition and Communication
  3. Schutz (1998)
    Service Learning and English Studies: Rethinking 'Public' Service
    College English
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