6.1: Introducing the Neighborhood Profile Assignment

In “Paul Hawken: Programming a New Operating System for Civilization” by James Epstein-Reeves and Ellen Weinreb in The Guardian (September 23, 2013),  Hawken is quoted as saying:

When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on earth, and you aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore the earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse. What I see everywhere in the world are ordinary people willing to confront despair, power, and incalculable odds in order to restore some semblance of grace, justice, and beauty to this world.

Hawken, an entrepreneur and environmentalist, spoke these words in 2009 at the University of Portland graduation ceremonies (Epstein-Reeves & Weinreb, 2013). Yet, the mindset underneath it — the belief that the movement toward a more just society occurs in the dance between data and people, science and humanity — speaks to the everyday nature of true social justice. Hawken’s seminal work, The Ecology of Commerce (1993), argues that corporations contribute to social justice “when the institutions surrounding commerce are redesigned . . . where everyday arts of work and life accumulate into a better world as a matter of course, not a matter of conscious altruism” (Epstein-Reeves & Weinreb, 2013).

On a smaller scale, such ideas speak to the spirit of The Neighborhood Profile Assignment: our everyday lives and world matter. Thus, the more we understand our worlds and are able to articulate what we understand, the more able we are to contribute to the better world . . . starting with where we live.

The Neighborhood Profile Assignment combines two mini-research projects — one focused on data; the other, people — into a balanced presentation of your neighborhood. Your instructor may also require an essay.

Relation to English 96 student learning outcomes

Your work towards successfully completing the mini-research projects as well as the overall presentation will demonstrate that you have met the following English 96 learning outcomes (Outcomes come verbatim from English 96 student learning outcomes.):

1. Reading
   1. Apply a variety of reading strategies to successfully decode texts, including:
      1. Activating background knowledge;
      2. Distinguishing fact from opinion; and
      3. Making and modifying predictions and inferences on the basis of evidence.
2. Critical Thinking
   1. Engage in practices of critical thinking while reading and writing, including:
      1. Interpreting a text and supporting the interpretation with evidence; and
      2. Analyzing and evaluating a text in connection with other areas of knowledge, including text to text, text to self, and text to world.
3. Writing Through Reading
   1. Respond to  . . . readings by [creating presentations] that
      1. Use textual evidence from the readings;
      2. Incorporate appropriate focus (including a thesis statement), organization and support;
      3. Demonstrate unity, coherence, and clarity;
      4. Integrate source material and utilize appropriate documentation practices; and
      5. Synthesize personal, social, and textual connections.

Sample Curriculum

This assignment is designed to be completed in three to four weeks.

Week 1: Class 1: Review The Neighborhood Profile Assignment Description, including this introduction, and review a sample of a presentation on Miller Beach, Indiana

Homework: Read “Austin, Indiana: the HIV Capital of Small Town America” by Jessica Wapner and take notes.

Week 1: Class 2: Complete reading quiz on Wapner’s essay. Then, discuss how the essay is a form of a neighborhood profile: Consider the focusing question, the data applied, the people interviewed, and the overall synthesis of information. Your instructor may assign you a Chicago community area to profile, or you may be asked to research the community area in which you live.

Homework: Complete a journal entry on your experiences in the community area or neighborhood.

Week 2: Class 1: Review the first mini-research project: the Neighborhood Basic Information Table. Discuss the two major research tools to be used: the Chicago Communities Research Guide and the Chicago Data Snapshots. Review a sample of the Neighborhood Basic Information Table completed for Miller Beach, Indiana.

Homework: Complete the Neighborhood Basic Information Table for your neighborhood.

Week 2: Class 2: Discuss the results of the class’ completion of the Neighborhood Basic Information Table. Introduce the second mini-research project, the Neighborhood Interview. Review two sample neighborhood interviews. Determine whom you intend to interview.

Homework: Complete at least one Neighborhood Interview.

Week 3: Class 1: Combine the Neighborhood Basic Information Table and the Neighborhood Interview into a draft of the Neighborhood Profile Presentation.

Week 3: Class 2: Conference with your instructor and/or present the draft of your presentation to the class for feedback.

Homework: Revise Neighborhood Profile presentation.

Week 4: Participate in presentations of Neighborhood Profiles.

Journal: Reflecting on Your Experiences in Your Neighborhood

Prior to your completion of the Neighborhood Basic Information Table, this is an opportunity to add your lived experiences to the neighborhood profile that we are creating.

In this journal, please address the following questions:

1. When did I move into this community? How long have I lived there?
2. What are some community features that others don't see?
3. What is the community/neighborhood like?
4. Is this neighborhood a community? is there a difference?
5. What are some of your favorite or best memories of living in this community? Your worst?
6. Do you like your neighborhood? Why or why not?

Neighborhood Profile Presentation Assignment Description

Instructions: Using PowerPoint, Google Slides, Canva, or another online presentation creation tool, create a visually appealing presentation of your neighborhood with photos. The presentation must contain the following slides. The information for the slides should be derived from the Neighborhood Basic Information Table and the Neighborhood Interview.

Required Slides

Slide 1: Your name, name of neighborhood/community area, zip code, photo of neighborhood

Slide 1 should introduce your neighborhood with a photo that represents your overall focus.

Slide 2: History of Neighborhood

Use bullet points in slide 2. The goal is not to be exhaustive, but to capture what you consider to be the most important historical details for your classmates and instructor to know about your neighborhood. Ideally, those details have some impact on the current state or culture of the neighborhood.

Slide 3: Key natural and/or cultural features with photos

Again, don’t be exhaustive. Choose which features you share to reveal some aspects of your neighborhood that you see as unique to your neighborhood.

Slide 4: Median or Average Income, Age, Education Level

Here, just list the relevant facts and your source. You are expected to be able to discuss with the class how these facts contribute to your overall understanding of the neighborhood.

Slide 5: Interviewee — Name and category

If the interviewee has agreed to take a photo, this would be the place to include it.

Slide 6: Insights from Interview — At least 3 key quotes

Use the quotes to discuss what you learned from the interview or what was confirmed for you in the interview.

Slide 7: Your takeaways from this research

In this slide you will combine what you learned from the Neighborhood Basic Information Table and what you learned from the interview into a short statement about your neighborhood. Try to identify at least two takeaways.

Optional Slide
Slide 8: If you had the opportunity or resources to improve your neighborhood, what would you do?

If the neighborhood profile is an opportunity to reflect on where you live, slide 8 gives you an opportunity to discuss the “Now What?” part of the reflection. Based on what you learned, how might you improve your neighborhood?