Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Community and Social Change Master's Program at University of Miami

[Announcement from SCRA-L]

Dear Colleagues and Potential Applicants,

Housed in the School of Education and Human Development, the Community and Social Change (C&SC) M.S.Ed. Program at the University of Miami is accepting applications for Fall 2017. Submission deadlines for incoming students is May 1st.
Our mission is to prepare globally aware leaders, researchers, and agents of change who create, inspire, and engage community organizations. To foster well-being in diverse communities, we train community-engaged action-practitioners to apply theory and research in community based settings. A new generation of critical thinkers is rising and this program aims to be the hub for innovative and applied leadership at the University of Miami. 

Some call Southern Florida a tropical paradise of its own, but, there is a lot of work to be done and countless ways to get involved. While there are over 2,250 philanthropic organizations in the county, the 2010 census found that Miami-Dade has one of the lowest rates of civic engagement and participation in community meetings. The C&SC program is unique in the way we address this statistic, combining in-depth theory with community action—encouraging both thinkers and actors. Foundational theories of community psychology impact classroom discussions, drawing from ecological perspectives and community participatory action research.  It is an exciting time to be at UM; our new President Julio Frenk hopes “to build the hemispheric university” to serve as a bridge between cultures and continents.

Essential to the hemispheric university, C&SC faculty conduct community engaged research both locally and nationally, in and with, community agencies, schools, coalitions, as well as other internationally recognized organizations. Students have the opportunity to work with some of these partners both in out of class with faculty, applying what is learned in the program to the field. For instance, the Engagement, Power, and Social Action Research Team (EPSA) under the direction of Dr. Scot Evans works on a wide range of issues of power, community engagement, and collective action. The research team is made up of doctoral, masters, and undergraduate students and engages collaborative action research with community-based partners to uncover injustice and build community capacity for social change. 

Alumni of the C&SC Program are equally ambitious and forever a UM Cane. Students who graduate from the program go on to lead the non-profit sector, advocating for sustainable and transformational change. Taking positions with a variety of organizations ranging from the Global Health Corps, The Miami Foundation to Georgia Legal Services Program, our alumni pursue a diverse set of careers with great tenacity. The curriculum of the C&SC program prepares students for organizational capacity building, community research, and evaluation, to embody the change the world so desperately needs.

More of our faculty and students’ work can be found on our web site, along with further information about life at the University of Miami. If you have questions about this program please feel free to contact me at a.oberoi@miami.edu. You can also visit the program Facebook page where a short video from the Fall ’16 Cohort will soon be posted.
Best regards,

Ashmeet

Ashmeet K. Oberoi, Ph.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor| Educational and Psychological Studies
Director| Community and Social Change Masters Program
School of Education and Human Development University of Miami
5202 University Drive | MB 312-S| Coral Gables, FL  33146

a.oberoi@miami.edu| phone:  305-284-5956

No comments:

Post a Comment