The minor called "Community Action" was first offered in the Fall of 2000. It is intended to offer interested students a way to turn their various community learning courses into a coherent, reflective whole. The minor was jointly authored by Gene Leach (History and American Studies), Andrew Walsh (Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life), Jim Trostle (Anthropology), Joe Barber (Community Service and Civic Engagement), and Dan Lloyd (Philosophy).
The minor in Community Action is designed to engage students in both academic and practical work that addresses the meanings of citizenship, democracy, and community in the United States as well as the global community. Through study combined with direct participation in community-based research and service, students will gain a more comprehensive understanding of the role of individuals and institutions in sustaining and developing democratic society.
The minor has four components. "Theory and Practice" courses explicitly discuss the theories behind community-based learning and institutional engagement. "Methods for Community Learning" teaches formal methods appropriate to community-based research. Through individually-designed concentration areas students will have the opportunity to develop their minor according to their interest. Examples of these concentrations include community development and planning, the arts, democratic theory, environmental studies, public health, and social movements. Finally, students will complete a community-based internship culminating in an integrative paper. Altogether, the minor must comprise at least six courses, to be drawn from at least three different fields.