Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Innovation Projects - Community
Students and residents at work at the urban farm. Photo by Lisa Barker. Time of harvest. Photo by Lisa Barker. Vegetable harvest. Photo by Lisa Barker. Yellow tomato harvest. Photo by Lisa Barker. Red pepper harvest. Photo by Lisa Barker. Students, residents, and faculty at the urban farm. Photo by Lisa Barker.
Our faculty and courses provide exciting possibilities for urban and community studies. For example, RIT’s Community Outreach Partnership Center (directed by Professor Ann Howard) has established a firm partnership with the North East Neighborhood Alliance (NENA), a non-profit organization committed to resident-driven neighborhood revitalization. This partnership initiative responds to city resident visions and encourages student involvement. Under faculty guidance, students learn about urban communities while applying classroom skills and knowledge to revitalization projects.
Several courses taught by anthropology professor Christine Kray integrate NENA projects through the Community Outreach Partnership Center. Students acquire various research skills, such as collecting oral histories of prominent neighborhood leaders and gathering customer service feedback for the community farm. In another course, which examines differential impacts of economic globalization, students strategized about building local economic assets and conducted research to help the community farm expand into a multi-purpose community center.
The photos featured here, taken by Lisa Barker, show residents, students, and faculty at the urban community farm.