Sociology 442 - Fall 2005

Short Paper #4

"Civic Engagement"

For the last 10 weeks, you have been attending and observing meetings of one or more local civic associations or citizens groups, interviewing leaders and participants in those groups, and in general, making an effort to understand the nature of civic engagement in the community in which you live.  Draw closely on your experiences, observations, and notes to address the trends, dynamics, conclusions, and remedies suggested by Robert Putnam, in his book, Putnam's Bowling Alone:  The Collapse and Revival of American Community (2000), and vice versa:   

A. In narrative form, answer the following questions (and others like them, as you wish): 

• Is the America Putnam portrays in Bowling Alone reflected in your community? 
• Who is and is not involved in the organizations you have been observing?  (Describe the demographics of participants)
• How does this compare to what Putnam finds for America as a whole? 
• To what extent is the group or organization you have been observing run by a relatively small number of professional staff? 
• To what extent do citizen-volunteers participate in the organization?  How is that participation organized and encouraged by the organization's staff/ leadership? 
• What types of activities and projects do the citizen-volunteers engage in in the group or organization you've been observing? 
• What do the trends and dynamics in the group or organization you have been observing tell us about "bowling alone" in southeastern Washington? 

B.  What barriers might there be to increased citizen involvement in the group or organization you have been observing?  To what extent would the measures that Putnam proposes for increasing civic engagement in America be useful for the group or organization you have been observing?  What suggestions would you have for increasing and improving community participation in that group or organization?  

C. Conclude with a discussion of the usefulness (or not) of Putnam's work for understanding better the dynamics in the groups or organizations you've been observing, and the nature of civic engagement in your community, more generally. 

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