LibGuides: GSC 300.1008: Second Year Seminar: Civic Engagement in Urban Communities

Definition of Community Engagement & Resources

Definitions of Community Engagement

Definition of Community Engagement: …the process of working collaboratively with and through groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interest, or similar situations to address issues affecting the well-being of those people It is a powerful vehicle for bringing about environmental and behavioral changes that will improve the health of the community and its members. It often involves partnerships and coalitions that help mobilize resources and influence systems, change relationships among partners, and serve as catalysts for changing policies, programs, and practices (CDC, 1997, p 9 – published in CDC, Principles of Community Engagement Second Edition, 2011, p. 3)

Community Engagement Definition

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching provides the most widely acknowledged definition of engagement defined as:

Community engagement describes the collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.

Community Engagement Case Studies

Sample Keywords, Combining Keywords

One of the best places to start searching is on the UNLV Libraries Quick Search box:

Scholarly Article Examples focusing on Community Engagement, Volunteerism, Leadership, etc. (You can access these articles with your Ace Account)

Finding Scholarly & Popular Articles

UNLV Libraries QuickSearch
Using QuickSearch, you can refine your search to only scholarly/peer reviewed publications.

Academic Search Premier
Searchable articles from academic and professional journals and magazines covering every academic discipline.
Update frequency: Updated daily
This excellent one-stop resource lets you search citations and summaries by keyword and then instantly retrieve the full text of articles from journals online. The Get Text button helps you locate any article without linked full text in alternate online sources or in UNLV's print journal collection.
Criminal Justice Abstracts
Good for: Researching criminology and related disciplines.
Contains: Journal articles.
Dates covered: 1960-current date.
Criminology and Criminal Justice
Good for: Researching criminal justice, juvenile delinquency, family & domestic violence, and more.
Contains: Journal articles.
Dates covered: 1950-current date.
Communication & Mass Media Complete
Good for: Finding scholarship in communication and mass media studies, including journalism and popular culture.
Contains: Journal articles.
Dates covered: 1900-current date
Update frequency: weekly
Communication & Mass Media Complete contains journal articles in the fields of communication and mass media studies. It merges CommSearch (formerly produced by the NCA, National Communication Association) and the Mass Media Articles Index (formerly produced by Pennsylvania State University). Communication & Mass Media Complete provides current issues and backfiles of in the fields of communication and mass media.
SocINDEX with Full Text
1895-
Indexes the literature of sociology and related disciplines.
Includes full text for selected journals, monographs, and conference papers and contains full text for over 325 journals dating back to 1895. Encompasses all subdisciplines of sociology, including abortion, anthropology, criminology, criminal justice, marriage & family, politics, religion, rural sociology, social psychology, social structure, social work, sociological theory, sociology of education, substance abuse, urban studies, and many others.

Search for Government Information!

Google
After you type in your Google search, limit to government sources by typing site:gov after your keywords. You'll then be focusing on a variety of government sources (federal, state, local).
USA.gov
As the U.S. government's official web portal, USA.gov makes it easy for the public to get U.S. government information and services on the web.
USA.gov Data & Statistics
Find data and statistics by topic
UNLV Government Information
Find info & resources by topic

Newspapers & Other Background Sources

US Newsstream
1980s-
Searchable current and recent articles from newspapers, including Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
Full text of articles from major national newspapers: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Christian Science Monitor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, USA Today. Also included are the New York Times Book Review, the New York Times Magazine, and the Las Vegas Review Journal.
Newspaper Source Plus
Regional newspapers and broadcast television transcripts.
Newspaper Source provides full text coverage for 40 national and international newspapers including USA Today, The Christian Science Monitor, The Times (London), and The Toronto Star. Selected full text is offered from more than 330 regional newspapers including The Buffalo News, Orange County Register, Philadelphia Inquirer, San Francisco Chronicle, and St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Full text transcripts are available from CBS News, CNN, CNN International, FOX News, National Public Radio, and more.
CQ Researcher
Good for: Controversial topics in social issues, environment, health, education, science, and technology.
Contains: Reports with information about all sides of an issue, including comments from experts in the field, charts and graphs, a pro-con feature, a chronology, a bibliography for additional research, and a list of contacts.
Dates covered: 1923-present.

Think Tanks/Research Organizations

American Enterprise Institute
Think tank engaged in public policy research promoting freedom, opportunity and enterprise
Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program.
See for example, their full-text report: The State of Metropolitan America.
Congress on New Urbanism
Provides some full-text reports on urban development.
Lewis Mumford Center (University at Albany).
An urban policy center. See, for example, the full-text annual Mumford lectures.
Cato Institute
Promoting an American public policy based on individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peaceful international relations
Heritage Foundation
Heritage Foundation is a conservative research think tank based in Washington D.C. Read studies and papers on free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, etc.
National League of Cities
The National League of Cities (NLC) is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities.
Pew Research Center
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world.
RAND Corporation
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis.
Urban Affairs Association (UAA)
Lists numerous links under "Resources"
Urban Institute
Is concerned with economic & social issues. Provides full-text reports.
KnowledgePlex
A comprehensive news, tools and information resource for the affordable housing and community development field.
U.S. Green Building Council
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is transforming the way we design, build, maintain and operate our buildings, homes and communities.
Milken Institute
A nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank, the Milken Institute believes in the power of capital markets to solve urgent social and economic challenges and improve lives.

Global/Multicultural Resources

Globalization 101
A project from the SUNY Levin Institute, Globalization101.org is intended to promote a greater understanding of globalization. The site includes expert videos, news analyses, and a look at globalization issues in depth.
International Development Research Center (IRDC)
IDRC is a Canadian corporation established by an act of parliament in 1970 to provide research and support for developing countries. Conduct research using the Resources tab on the homepage.
United Naitons
The United Nations maintains a considerable amount of online documentation and information.
World Health Organization
WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system.
European Union
Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund
Country Profiles-BBC News
NationMaster--Compare Countries
CIA-World Factbook
OECD
The mission of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.
World Bank
The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world.

Public Opinion Resources

Americans & the World
Provides a source of in-depth information on US and world public opinion on international issues.
Pew Research Center for People & the Press
Provides independent public opinion survey research about American attitudes toward politics and policy.
PollingReport.com
"An independent, nonpartisan resource
on trends in American public opinion."
Govspot.com Polls & Opinions
Provides resources to a wide variety of public opinion websites.

Anatomy of a Scholarly Article

Anatomy of a Research Article

Comparing Scholarly vs. Popular Sources

Bibliography Tools

RefWorks
Bibliography manager saves your citations and formats them into APA, MLA, or other styles.
This web-based bibliography manager lets you save citations to journal articles, books, web sites and more into your personal online database. You'll be able to quickly link to online articles, organize and share your references, and automatically create formatted bibliographies in all the major citation formats, including APA, MLA, and Chicago styles. Off-campus users, see the Using RefWorks at UNLV page for special instructions.

Subject Guide

Susie Skarl, Urban Affairs Librarian

Email Me

Contact:

UNLV Libraries
Lied Library
4505 S. Maryland Parkway
Box 457014
Las Vegas, NV 89154-7014
susie.skarl@unlv.edu

702-895-2141

Subjects: Communication Studies, Couple & Family Therapy, Criminal Justice, Crisis & Emergency Management, Government Information, Journalism & Media Studies, Public Administration, Social Work, Urban Studies

GSC 300.1008: Second Year Seminar: Civic Engagement in Urban Communities