Course Syllabus
FULL UP TO DATE SYLLABUS DOCUMENT AVAILABLE HERE
Instructor Information
Name: Tahirah Walker, Ph.D. (She/Her) Dr. T
Contact Information: twalker@pointpark.edu
Instructor Response Time: I will typically respond to emails within 24-48-hours, excluding weekends. Grading and feedback for assignments will be provided within a week after the due date.
Course Description
This 8-week intensive course is designed to prepare doctoral students for their comprehensive examinations. Students will read, analyze, and engage with foundational texts that frame community engagement theory and practice. Through a combination of written reflections, collaborative synthesis, and multimedia support, students will deepen their understanding of the core tensions, commitments, and challenges embedded in community-engaged scholarship.
In this course students will also have an opportunity to survey different aspects of social theory from its classical roots to contemporary branches. Students will be encouraged to view theories as ideas that 1) are able to explain and predict social phenomenon and 2) may be integrated and expanded upon to explain, understand, and predict social phenomenon. Upon the successful completion of this course, students will be able to identify and discuss the thoughts and ideas of major theorists who inform our understanding of community. Students will be able to articulate and evaluate the importance of classical and contemporary theories for the understanding, research, and explanation of contemporary social issues. Specific focus will be placed on coherently describing, discussing, critiquing and applying social theories to contemporary social issues.
Course Objectives
This course is designed to advance your knowledge and access to theory as well as prepare you for comprehensive examination. I am assessing your ability to:
- Analyze key texts across community engagement, pedagogy, race, intersectionality, and global conditions.
- Demonstrate an understanding of major theoretical perspectives and concepts that shape contemporary understanding of community.
- Summarize the underlying strengths and weaknesses of both classical and contemporary theories.
- Explain how to formulate theoretical arguments by applying theoretical perspectives to contemporary society.
- Analyze important contemporary social issues using theoretical perspectives and concepts.
- Connect scholarly literature to their personal, academic, and professional trajectories.
- Collaborate with peers to synthesize learning into a co-authored position paper.
- Articulate a well-supported framework for approaching their comprehensive exams.
Course Design
This is an 8-week, online course with weekly synchronous meetings. You may be used to these meetings being optional in other courses. Due to the nature of our objectives in this course, you will need to commit to a minimum of one hour of engagement in our weekly Zoom calls. If you are unable to do this, please let me know so that I may provide you with an alternative course to fulfill this proseminar.
This course operates on a firm schedule and no late assignments will be accepted. This is a departure from my usual approach, but it is necessary here due to the compressed nature of the course and the importance of staying on track.
I will provide feedback within 5 days of receiving student work. In addition, I will hold weekly course meetings based on a poll of student availability. Please note that it is not an institutional expectation for faculty to tailor course schedules and feedback timelines around student availability. I am choosing to offer this because of previous experiences in our learning community that have made some lasting impressions.
Last term, a series of harmful exchanges about this topic damaged the learning environment and impacted my instructional reputation. As a Black woman in higher education, navigating such moments requires immense discernment and care. I am offering this flexibility not as an obligation, but as a strategic and restorative choice—one that models a reality many of you may face in your careers or observe in leadership roles. I share this transparently so that we can all engage more thoughtfully in shaping inclusive, respectful academic spaces.
Beyond the one hour required portion, there will also be a recorded asynchronous one. Each week will also include an optional interactive 45-minute lecture led by me with an opportunity for pairs of you to join me as a teacher. This will not be a requirement, but it is a good study tactic and keeps things from getting boring. I will also provide H5P-based content designed to help you identify and analyze the key arguments of the assigned readings.
Expectations and Required Course Materials
- Attend weekly meetings for a minimum of one hour.
- Be prepared to engage and complete all readings at skim/scan level.
- Be prepared to do a close reading of at least two texts.
- Be respectful and embrace our variation on the Oxford learning model centering which discussion-based learning, personalization, and rigorous engagement with texts to achieve objectives rather than a banking system of turning in work simply for grades or words of validation.
Required Course Materials include all of the texts on your comprehensive exam reading list. You also need access to a platform that indexes and lists podcasts for listeners to stream or download (e.g., Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts). You will engage with 12 of the texts.
Required Format for Written Assignments
Course Technology
All students enrolling in online courses are expected to have reliable internet access and are responsible for purchasing and maintaining their own computer hardware and software.
Microsoft Office 365
Students have free access to Microsoft Office 365. Login with your Point Park email username and password. With this package you have access to the online web applications, and you can download the full versions on up to 5 devices. For information on Office 365, please contact the IT Help Desk at helpdesk@pointpark.edu or (412) 392-3494
Canvas
Point Park uses Canvas as its Learning Management System, or LMS. All syllabi, course materials, assignments, and grade tracking will all be housed within Canvas.
Log in to Canvas with your Point Park email username and password. For problems related to login issues, please contact the IT Helpdesk at (412) 392-3494 or helpdesk@pointpark.edu.
Computer Recommendations
To help ensure any desktop or laptop you purchase is compatible with Point Park University’s systems, the suggested specifications are listed below.
Microsoft Windows Computers:
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 or higher
Processor: Intel Core i3
RAM: 16GB
Video Memory: 256MB or higher
Hard Disk Space: 100 GB or higher
Network: Wi-Fi Capabilities and/or Wired Ethernet Adapter (100/1000MB)
Video Conferencing Capabilities: Webcam and a microphone/headset
Apple Macintosh Computers:
Macintosh specifications should match the above information as closely as possible and should be either an Intel-based or M7 model, running OS X 13.0 or higher.
Chromebooks and Tablets:
Please note that if you elect to use a Google Chromebook or an Android/IOS tablet, that you may not be able to install or access some textbook publisher plugins, as well as other third-party applications required for your course. Students are responsible for checking their device’s hardware/software compatibility at the start of the term.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
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