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Education and Reflection — Trainings by Common Commitments

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Education and Reflection — Trainings by Common Commitments Common Commitments Training Modules Resources: Articles, Books, Organizations Civic Engagement Community Building  Diversity International Perspective   Social Justice  Spiritual Exploration

Common Commitments

About ten years after the establishment of the Bonner Program, the Bonner Foundation brought together staff and students involved in the program to articulate a common language about the goals and values of the program. Through a series of focus groups and discussion sessions at various Bonner-sponsored gatherings, six Common Commitments were identified as representing the collective beliefs about the types of values and personal commitments that those connected through the Program encounter and explore.  Each Bonner Program weaves the exploration of the Common Commitments into their work in various ways, including reflection activities, trainings, film screenings and discussions, and coursework.  

Training Modules

Resources: Articles, Books, Organizations

Civic Engagement

Centers/Organizations 

• Center for Civic Education: http://www.civiced.org/about/37 
• Generation Citizen: https://generationcitizen.org/about-us/our-story/ 

Bonner Publications

• Civic Engagement at the Center:  Building Democracy Through Integrated Cocurricular and Curricular Experiences (published by American Association of Colleges and Universities, 2008).  This book profiles the model of a civic engagement focused minor, certificate or academic program.  Fifteen participating institutions are profiled. Relevant coursework is described.  In addition, some guidelines for the process are covered.  Available at www.aacu.org / publications.  You may also be able to get a copy from the Bonner Foundation.  Email Ariane Hoy at ahoy@bonner.org.

• From Community Service to Political Action:  A Student Call for Civic Engagement(2006).  Known affectionately by the Bonner Network as “the flag book” because of its cover graphic, created by Bonner Scholars at Davidson College.  This book  was created as a resource for education and reflection, featuring forty student-authored essays organized into various chapters on related themes, such as identity, voting, poverty, social justice, and international work.  Also included in each chapter are books, films, questions for discussion, and other training resources.  You can get a copy from the Bonner Foundation.  Email Ariane Hoy at ahoy@bonner.org

Other Publications

• Civic Engagement and Student Success: Leveraging Multiple Degrees of Achievement by Christine M. Cress (2012), 15(3). https://www.aacu.org/publications-research/periodicals/civic-engagement-and-student-success-leveraging-multiple-degrees Articles
• Davis, A. & Lynn, E. (2007). The Civically Engaged Reader. Great Books Foundation.
• Erlich, T. (2007).  Educating for Democracy: Preparing Undergraduates for Responsible Political Engagement. 
• Erlich, T. (2003).  Educating Citizens: Preparing America’s Undergraduates for Lives of Moral and Civic Responsibility.
• Putnam, R. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American community. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc. 
• Tannenbaum, S. (2008). Research, Advocacy, and Political Engagement: Multidisciplinary
• Perspectives Through Service Learning, Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing (book series).

Community Building 

Centers/Organizations

• Building Movement Project: https://www.buildingmovement.org/info/about_us 
• Community Wealth: https://community-wealth.org/about 

Publications 

• McKnight, J. & Block, P. (2010). The Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods. 
• Block, P. (2008). Community: The Structure of Belonging. 
• Walljasper, J. (2007). The Great Neighborhood Book: A Do-it-Yourself Guide to Placemaking. 
• Christensen, M. (1993). Turning Points: Stories of People Who Made a Difference. 
• Kretzmann, J. & McKnight, J. (1993). Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community's Assets.

Diversity

Centers/Organizations

• PEW Research Center: https://www.pewresearch.org/about/ 
• Teaching for Change: https://www.teachingforchange.org 
• Teaching Tolerance: https://www.tolerance.org/about 
• EdChange Project: http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/index.html 
• Zinn Education Project: https://www.zinnedproject.org 

Publications 

• Gorski, P. C. & Pothini, S. G. (2018). Case Studies on Diversity and Social Justice Education. 
• Banks, J. A., Suarez-Orozco, M., & Ben-Peretz, M. (2016). Global Migration, Diversity, and Civic Education: Improving Policy and Practice. 
• Johnson, B. & Blanchard, S. (2008). Reel Diversity: A Teacher’s Sourcebook. 
• Center for Multicultural EducationDemocracy and Diversity (2005). Principles and Concepts for Educating Citizens in a Global Age - https://education.uw.edu/sites/default/files/cme/docs/pdf/_notes/DEMOCRACY%20AND%20DIVERSITY%20pdf.pdf.  
• Murray, A. & Menkart, D. (2004). Putting the Movement Back Into Civic Rights Teaching.

International Perspective  

Center/Organizations

Centers/Organizations 

• United Nations: https://www.un.org/en/
• UN Sustainable Development Goals:https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org  

Publications

• United Nations: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/.  
• Engberg, M. E. & Fox, K. (2011). Exploring the Relationship between Undergraduate Service-Learning Experiences and Global Perspective-Taking, Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 48:1, 83-103. To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.2202/1949-6605.6192.   
• Banks, J. A. (2006). Diversity and Citizenship Education: Global Perspectives (Examines unity-diversity tension in 12 nations). 
• Yates, M. & Youniss, J. (2006). Roots of Civic Identity: International Perspectives on Community Service and Activism in Youth.  
• Bigelow, B. & Peterson, B. (2002). Rethinking Globalization: Teaching for Justice in an Unjust World. 

Social Justice 

Centers/Organizations

• Brennan Center for Justice: https://www.brennancenter.org/about 
• Southern Poverty Law Center: https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate 

Publications

• Myers-Lipton, S. (2017). Change! A Student Guide to Social Action. 
• Swerdlow , L. K. (2016). Global Activism in An American School: From Empathy to Action. 
• Shragge , E. (2013). Activism and Social Change: Lessons for Community Organizing. 
• Kielburger, M. & Kielburger, C. (2002). Take Action! A Guide to Active Citizenship. 

Spiritual Exploration 

Centers/Organizations

• Interfaith Youth Core: https://www.ifyc.org
• The Forgiveness Project: https://www.theforgivenessproject.com 

Publications 

• Spirituality in Higher Education: Students’ Search for Meaning and Purpose (seven-year study examining the role that college plays in facilitating the development of students’ spiritual qualities) https://spirituality.ucla.edu.  
• Kuh, G. (2006). Spirituality, Liberal Learning, and College Student Engagement, Liberal Education Journal, 92 (1). https://www.aacu.org/publications-research/periodicals/spirituality-liberal-learning-and-college-student-engagement.  
• Welch, M. & Both, K. (2009). Spirituality and Service-Learning: Parallel Frameworks for Understanding Students’ Spiritual Development, Spirituality in Higher Education Newsletter, 5(1). https://spirituality.ucla.edu/docs/newsletters/5/Welch_Koth_Final.pdf.  
• Barrett, M. S. (2016). Fostering Undergraduate Spiritual Growth Through Service-Learning, International Journal of Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement, 4(1). https://journals.sfu.ca/iarslce/index.php/journal/article/view/188/175  
• Wallis, J. (2006). God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It.