The work of all participants in KCAC--students, schoolteachers, and university scholars--follows several core principles drawn from American Studies and Literacy/Composition Studies.

• Writing is a crucial tool for creating communities.
• Collaboration is essential to keeping and creating community.
• Students of all ages and teachers in all disciplines can engage in active, community-based research in their classrooms.
• Authentic research is inquiry. Such research/inquiry could include analysis of:
  • photography
  • interviews and/or oral histories
  • archival records
  • site visits
• Local communities continually redefine themselves in relation to national and sometimes international communities.
• Many shared actions contribute to the formation of community cultures. These actions include:
  • organizing social activities:
    • holding festivals
    • sharing stories
    • reading and performing literary pieces
    • developing public policy
  • producing material culture
    • designing buildings
    • planning parks
    • organizing public exhibits
    • constructing neighborhoods
    • creating print publications
      
• Proactive citizens recover, critique, and create community texts that reflect the dynamic values of local and larger communities.

Home | Curricular Program | Thematic Content
Classroom Resources | Community Projects | Who We Are

© 2000-2001 KCAC
No materials on this website should be copied or distributed
(except for classroom use) without written permissions from KCAC.
Questions? Comments? Contact KSU webmaster Jim Cope.