Place, Purpose, and Role in Rural Community Development Outreach: Lessons from the West Virginia Community Design Team
Year: 2011
Type: article
Abstract: This essay examines how the social construction of community may influence faculty perceptions, roles, and actions in rural community development outreach. Special attention is given to the social construction of rural communities and how disci-plinary perspective and popular culture influence these percep-tions of community. The essay considers how social construc-tions are manifested in community development outreach by reflecting on the relevant literature, and the author’s own expe-riences with a long-term university-sponsored outreach pro-gram. The essay also considers how these issues related to social construction can be addressed through principle and practice as illustrated through the experiences of the West Virginia Community Design Team. Five suggestions regarding faculty roles in rural community development outreach are presented.
Author: Christopher Plein
Institution: West Virginia University
Language: English
Subfield: Development
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2145727987