Scholarly Engagement Opportunities
The Collaboratory for Health Justice facilitates various opportunities for community partners to engage with students. Read below to find an opportunity suited to your commitment availabilities.
For Students
Courses
There are a number of course at UIC that teach about community engagement and/or involve community partnership as part of the course. Below is a list of courses– please email us if you recommend a course be added to this list.
Epidemics of Injustice
This annual course, free and open to the public, prepares public health leaders and community members with the tools to bring about social change and address structural determinants of health. Each year has a new theme, co-planned by students in Radical Public Health. Access spring 2021 course session recordings here.
IPHS 494: Social Entrepreneurship 101
This special topics course (CRN 36594) is being offered for the fall 2021 semester as a 4-credit, online synchronous course. Social entrepreneurship’s quick growth as a community based opportunity for expanded impact in our Chicago neighborhoods has led to increasing recognition from our community leaders of non-profits engaged in economic empowerment. The School of Public Health welcomes this educational opportunity to strategically provide an additional tool for equipping non-profits with the knowledge to build and sustain effective social enterprises. Social enterprises can ultimately improve traditional requests for funding and expanded training of engaged practitioners, creating sustainable growth and impact for years to come.
Student Objectives:
- Understand the unique drivers of today’s successful socially-responsible enterprises (North Lawndale Employment Network, CARA’s Clean Slate initiative, the Chicago Recovery Communities Coalition)
- Respond to community led challenges by diving into the specifics of solving real-time problems for participating non-profits, and work with them on issues including social impact design and structure, operating models for increased revenue, the attraction of donors and investors to a project’s challenge, the personal leadership required to execute operations, build on existing organization marketing and communications, and measure performance and impact of evidence-based data collection.
- Become Social Entrepreneurs, earning the unique opportunity to further support and facilitate local leaders who have become partners in Chicago.
About the Instructor: Anna K. Lloyd is an experienced executive of organization management, leadership and the study of ethical behavior within teams, engaged in the next generation design of institutions. She currently teaches leadership practice in organization management and social entrepreneurship to MBA students in the College of Business.
CHSC 584: Community Organizing for Health
This 3-credit hour course focuses on facilitating community organizing processes in public health practice including theories, field work tools, feminist and international perspectives. Traditionally, the course is co-taught by Dr. Jeni Hebert-Beirne and a community scholar that has engaged in a research partnership with an investigator at UIC.
The Applied Practice Experience(8-12 weeks or academic term)
Applied Practice Experience is a short (8-12 weeks) and long term (academic year) commitments. We work with our partners to refine projects for students to participate in that will meet the requirements of the Applied Practice Experience. Opportunities will be listed here and updated periodically.
There are currently no APE openings.
Volunteer with the Collaboratory
The Collaboratory is always eager to have student volunteers assist with our work. Students will be introduced to projects that match their available hours. Potential projects may include: compiling resources, producing an edition of the partner newsletter, and writing and editing Collaboratory resources.
Email sphcollaboratory@uic.edu with a resume and brief description of availability, if interested in volunteering.
SPH Microinternships (4-6 weeks)
Micro-internships are typically short-term experiences (4-6 weeks) designed to enhance a specific skillset to help students feel better prepared for their future careers. Generally highly-specific and project-based, micro-internships help students build their resume, broaden networks, and develop skills outside the classroom.
Hours per week vary depending on the project and deliverable identified. Projects might include grant writing, program evaluation, community education, research, etc. These shorter-term opportunities allow students to gain community-based experience that enhances and compliments the skills developed through their coursework.
Interested students should contact Michele R Taylor at mrtaylor@uic.edu for opportunities and/or guidance on identifying a micro-internship.
For Partners and Host Sites
Hosting an APE Student
If you are an organization interested in being a site for an MPH Applied Practice Experience or student internship, read more about becoming a preceptor.
If you need assistance determining if your project or site is appropriate for a student placement, contact the the Collaboratory for Health Justice at sphcollaboratory@uic.edu.
More opportunities
To submit an opportunity for student engagement, please email us at sphcollaboratory@uic.edu