New Book: Coming to Critical Engagement: An Autoethnographic Exploration

Posted by on May 29, 2007

“Coming to Critical Engagement: An Autoethnographic Exploration” is a new book co-authored by 4 faculty members at Michigan State University and published by University Press of America. Below is information about the book and its authors. For more information, visit
http://www.univpress.com/Catalog/SingleBook.shtml?command=Search&db=^DB/CATALOG.db&eqSKUdata=0761834702

Citation:

Fear, F. A., Rosaen, C. L., Bawden, R. J., & Foster-Fishman, P. G. (2006). Coming to critical engagement: An autoethnographic exploration. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.

Abstract:

Engagement is the label increasingly embraced by higher education to describe activities associated with serving the public interest. What had been viewed previously as service to, extension of, and outreach from is now engagement with as faculty members, students, and staff collaborate with partners in community affairs. This book describes how members of a faculty learning community have come to understand engagement as both intellectual endeavor and scholarly practice at the interface between academy and citizenry. Coming to Critical Engagement argues that the academy has a moral imperative to participate deliberately and consistently in democratic and systemic discourse with the public.

About the Authors:

Frank A. Fear is Professor in the Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation, and Resource Studies at Michigan State University. Cheryl L. Rosaen is Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University. Richard J. Bawden is Distinguished Visiting Professor at Michigan State University. Pennie G. Foster-Fishman is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University.

Table of Contents Excerpt:

Part I. A Frame of Reference: Chapter 1. Finding Our Voice: Locating Our Place; Chapter 2: Stories of Critical Engagement; Chapter 3. Living Our Way into a New Way of Thinking: An Exploration of Mindful Inquiry; Chapter 4. Have We Ever Been Critically Engaged?

Part II. Digging into Engagement: Chapter 5. Learning Through Discourse; Chapter 6. From Building Connections to Developing Social Capital to Leverage Change; Chapter 7. Co-Empowerment and Working Toward Betterment; Chapter 8. Critical Engagement, Transformation, and Development

Part III. Making Sense of it All: Chapter 9. Coming to Critical Engagement: Personal Implications; Chapter 10. Coming to Critical Engagement: Intellectual Implications