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The William E. Simon Foundation-Urban Research and Action ProjectThe William E. Simon funded, Urban Research and Action Project (URAP) grant provides resources for Saint Peter's College to collaborate with social service organizations, community groups and churches in Jersey City. The goal of the grant is twofold: 1) to impact the capacity of the organizations by providing research assistance and training; 2) to improve the educational experiences of SPC students by moving beyond the traditional classroom setting and introducing them to community based research and the work that local organizations do. The URAP partnerships are currently completing their third year of funding and accomplishments. Simon/URAP activities are channeled through a select handful of undergraduate courses in departments such as sociology, urban studies, education, economics and business. Each organization is paired with a faculty member and his/her class. Early on, the faculty, students and organization representatives meet to decide on a research topic and strategy. The remainder of the semester is dedicated to carrying out the project. In some cases, projects extend over the course of two or more semesters with additional courses or individual students who remain interested in the work. To date, SPC faculty and students have conducted several research projects, held two conferences and continue to work with organization officers to learn new research skills. The activities reach beyond specifically designed courses to the extent that virtually all sociology and urban studies offerings now incorporate the principles of social research for the common good. As a result, many of our students have taken on new career and graduate school opportunities in sociology, urban studies and related fields. Please take a moment to browse our site where you will find information on the individual courses, the student projects, social services in Jersey City and resources for community based research. |
