Collaborative for Community Engagement

Current Community-Engaged Learning Courses

Community-engaged learning courses are those that incorporate experiential education that simultaneously and equitably promote student learning and address community needs.  This means that community-engaged learning courses work with community partners and communities beyond the campus. In those experiences and interactions, students learn in ways that enrich the course content, and seek to benefit the public good during and beyond the class.

The following list contains upcoming and current CEL courses in which students may enroll this academic year. Please note that this list is purely informational.  Students must enroll in courses through the college-wide preregistration and add/drop processes, like any other course.

If you are interested in exploring a wider course catalog of those CEL courses that have been offered in recent years and may be offered again, please see our CEL Course Catalog.

2024-2025 CEL Courses

Below, you'll find a list of courses offered this academic year in which faculty intend to incorporate community-engaged experiences, projects, or assignments. Descriptions of the CEL components of courses will be added as they are finalized. 

Block 1 ED256 Taber, Mike Rural Education

Block 1 

 CC105 Gorensek-Benitez, Annelise Critical Inquiry Seminar - Dyeing to Learn Chemistry
Block 1  AN320 Ingram, Scott Field Archaeology
Block 1 PC133 Krishnarao, Dhanesh; Witherspoon, Catherine Astronomy
Block 1  ED120 Drossman, Howard Practicum in Environmental  
Blocks 1-2 PY299 Driscoll, Lori; Fernandez-Peters, Marcela; Maloney, Ryan Neuroscience
Blocks 1-2 ED478 Valtierra, Tina Advanced Methods: Inclusive
Blocks 1-4 ED102 Raevsky, Marketa Introduction to Early Childhood Education
Blocks 1-4 EV421 Kummel, Miro Environmental Synthesis
Blocks 1-4 GS222 Miller-Stevens, Katrina-Kat Special Topics - State of the Rockies Research and Reporting
Blocks 1-4 ED376 Raevsky, Marketa Practicum in Early Childhood Education
Blocks 1-4 AS401 Leonard, Kate Special Studio Problems - Graphics Research Lab
Block 2  MU227 Chang, Lidia Topics in Music - Music and Gender in Jane Austen's England
Block 2 PS231 Coggins, Elizabeth Political Campaigning
Block 2 ED101 Brunton, Natalia Intro to K-12 Classroom Culture
Block 2 ED380 Stoller, Aaron Curriculum Theories
Block 3 BU330 Miller-Stevens, Katrina-Kat Nonprofit Management
Block 3 ED385/EV365 Arias, Juan Miguel Developing Environmental and Sustainability Education Curriculum
Block 3 BU310 Broady, Lora Louise Society, Business, and Economics
Block 3 SO328 Radke, Jordan Community Based Research
Block 3 GY320 Schanz, Sarah Landscape Processes and Evolution
Blocks 3-4 AN270 Hautzinger, Sarah Anthropocene
Blocks 3-4 AN380 Hautzinger, Sarah Community-Based Field Course - COP29 in Azerbaijan 
Block 4 EV343 Gabrielsen, Charlotte Landscape Ecology
Block 4 ED553 Taber, Mike Classroom Research Methods
Block 4 ED101 Valtierra, Tina Intro to K-12 Classroom Culture
Half Block SO411 Murphy-Geiss, Gail Community Based Praxis
Block 5 CC105 Carrizo, Liliana Topics in Music - Puente del Mondo: The Musical Crossroads of Panama
Block 5 EV260 Cavin, Drew Topics in Environmental Social Sciences - Race, Racism, and the Great Outdoors
Block 5 ED101 Regan, Page Intro to K-12 Classroom Culture
Blocks 5-6 SO411 Murphy-Geiss, Gail Community Based Praxis
Blocks 5-7 ED579 Valtierra, Tina Teacher Candidate Practicum
Blocks 5-8 EV421 Kummel, Miro Environmental Synthesis
Blocks 5-8 AS401 Leonard, Kate Special Studio Problems - Graphics Research Lab
Blocks 5-8 ED495 Arias, Juan Miguel Internship in Education
Blocks 5-8 ED376 Raevsky, Marketa Practicum in Early Childhood Education
Blocks 5-8 ED203 Raevsky, Marketa Guidance Strategies for Early Childhood Education
Block 6 EV212 Pena, Ulyana Energy: Environmental Thermodynamics and Energetics
Block 6 ED477 Valtierra, Tina Culturally Sustaining Teaching and Disciplina

Block 7

 BU310 Broady, Lora Louise Society, Business, and Economics

Block 7

 EC102 Yang, Guanyi Principles of Macroeconomics

Block 8

 MU354 Carrizo, Liliana Gender, Body, and Sound

Block 8

 GS210 Weissman, Evan Foundations of Nonviolence

Block A

 FG214 Lewis, Heidi Hidden Spaces, Hidden Narratives: Intersectionality Studies in Berlin
Block B IT320 Minervini, Amanda Voice and the Nonhuman: Animals in literature and the Visual Arts

2023-2024 CEL Courses

 We are proud to share that ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï offered 45 community-engaged learning courses in the 2023-2024 academic year.  Below, you'll find a brief summary of how these courses incorporated experiences, projects, and assignments that promote student learning and community impact. (Note that some of these courses were offered multiple times.)

AN220 Ingram, Scott Doing Archaeology Students documented historic homesteads for the Chico Basin Ranch and other properties with material traces of past human action on a landscape, learning what archaeology is and how it is practiced in action. The community partner gained understanding of the lives of past people living on the landscape they care for, and share this history with their visitors. 
AN270 Hautzinger, Sarah J. Anthropocene Students participate in varied community experiences, learning how community arts support environmental resilience from nonprofit Concrete Couch, participating in a  “sustainability bike tour,” conducting a sustainable development goal analysis, and engaging in a Talanoa Dialogue (storytelling/conflict resolution process).  
AN326 Hautzinger, Sarah Religion and Ritual  Students learn and practice alongside diverse spiritual communities, particularly members of the Crestone Spiritual Alliance.  Students reciprocate by giving a presentation back to the CSA.
AN380 Hautzinger, Sarah J. Community-Based Field Course: COP 28 - Dubai, UAE   Students participated in the United Nations’ climate summit, in dozens of sessions working with multiple organizations, and producing publicly published blogs and a journal of essays.
AS401 Leonard, Kate Special Studio Problems: Graphics Research Lab  
BU205 Diaz Ferraro, Celeste Principles of Financial Accounting Junior Achievement (JA) piloted a curriculum with CC students, leading a simulation on personal finance.  Students shared their feedback on the simulation, which JA used to adapt the curriculum from a high school to a college audience.  
BU310 Miller-Stevens, Katrina - Kat Society, Business, and Economics The Society, Business, Economics course (BU310) worked with the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado to learn about and research social impact companies in seven states across the U.S.  Companies were identified and entered into a database that will be used by BBB4GOOD.
CC105 Gorensek-Benitez, Annelise Critical Inquiry Seminar: Dyeing to Learn Chemistry Students designed and tested a natural dye experiment based on the resources and needs of Flying Pig Farm and the Sustainable Educational Experience (SEE).  Students learned how to translate technical knowledge for a general audience by sharing the protocols and results with community partners. 
CC106 Taber, Mike Critical Inquiry Seminar:Ecology, Resistance, and Liberation Students engage with and teach in schools in rural communities. 
EC102 Yang, Guanyi Principles of Macroeconomics Students presented on local economic conditions to the nonprofit Community Works and the Economic Development Department of the City of Colorado Springs. 
EC285 Yang, Guanyi Intermediate Topics in Macroeconomics: Economics of Inequality CC students provide peer relationships and mentoring to students in Harrison high school (D2) for three weeks and Otero Elementary for one day.
EC385 Yang, Guanyi Advanced Topics in Macroeconomics: Economics of Education Policy Students worked with local schools, conducting an observational study on Special Education programs, examining various local policies and their impacts. They then shared findings with the local school district.  
ED101 Brunton, Natalia; Coomer, Nickie; Valtierra, Tina Introduction to K-12 Classroom Culture Students complete at least 30 hours of practicum experiences in local schools, addressing the needs of the school and emphasizing individualized help to K-12 students. Practicum experiences converge with course content to examine the influence of classroom culture on student learning.
ED120 Arias, Juan Miguel Practicum in Environmental Education Students complete at least 60 hours of indoor and outdoor practicum experiences in cooperation with Catamount Center staff and local school personnel. Responsibilities include assisting with outdoor teaching at the Catamount Mountain Campus, and visiting and learning from other experienced environmental educators at their sites. 
ED250 Arias, Juan Miguel; Cavin, Drew Topics in Education: Outdoor Education and Leadership Small groups of students worked with Outdoor Education & Recreation organizations (PPORA, UpaDowna, Generation Wild) to address contemporary, place-based questions and issues. The goal was for students understand organizational needs and engage in a capacity-building project to prepare them for the next steps in their work.
ED310 Taber, Mike Integrative STEM Education: Promoting Inclusion, Equity, and Social Transformation Students spend approximately 25-30 hours in local school classrooms or in related educational settings. In these settings, students observe and volunteer to support teachers while they are there, to include the possibility of teaching lessons to K-12 students.
ED380 Stoller, Aaron Curriculum Theories Students took what they learned and applied it to supporting the development of a real curriculum - “Diversity University II,” a multi-day workshop offered through local nonprofit Educating Children of Color (ECOC).
ED466 Coomer, Nickie Data Driven Instruction for Diverse Learners in the 21st Century Students spend approximately 20 hours per week in local schools during the summer, then 10 hours per week with cooperating teachers during the academic year.
ED477 Valtierra, Tina Culturally Sustaining Teaching and Disciplinary Literary Methods Students engage in 20 practicum hours in a local classroom placement applying course content. This includes getting to know student biographies, and designing and teaching a lesson plan that uses culturally sustaining practices.
ED478 Valtierra, Tina Advanced Methods: Inclusive Pedagogies in Literacy, Curriculum and Instruction Students engage in 70 practicum hours in a local classroom placement applying course content.  This includes weekly lesson planning, learning about and responding to diverse student needs.
ED495 Arias, Juan-Miguel Internship in Education This internship is an opportunity for education students to deeply explore a subfield of education by working full time at a site for a block. Students will translate theory to practice by applying their knowledge and skills in a professional setting where they will deepen their examination of educational policies and/or practices under the guidance of a site supervisor.
ED553 Taber, Mike Action Research Methods for MAT Candidates Students spend approximately 20 hours per week in local schools during the summer, then 10 hours per week with cooperating teachers during the academic year.
EV321 Perramond, Eric Environmental Management Students learn about environmental management through engaging with public lands, conservation, and environmental agencies at the local, regional, and national scale.
EV343 Gabrielsen, Charlotte Landscape Ecology Students cultivate a facility with landscape ecology theory and skills, and are  empowered to apply these skills to address real-life conservation and management challenges identified by stakeholders.  This class is currently partnered with Palmer Land Conservancy. 
EV365 Drossman, Howard Developing Environmental and Sustainability Education Curriculum Part of the TREE semester, this course teaches methods of environmental and outdoor education. In a practicum experience, students teach high school and 5th grade students for about 80 hours, and  write their own curriculum for 10 hours of high school and 20 hours of the 5th grade curriculum.
EV421.1 McKendry, Corina Environmental Synthesis Student engage in 20 hours of community service per semester, putting their environmental knowledge into action and learning from community groups that are doing environmental work on the ground. Along the way, students reflect on their volunteer work and the way the organization approaches environmental change.
EV421.2 McKendry, Corina Environmental Synthesis Student engage in 20 hours of community service per semester, putting their environmental knowledge into action and learning from community groups that are doing environmental work on the ground. Along the way, students reflect on their volunteer work and the way the organization approaches environmental change.
FG236 Kumar, Rushaan LGBTQ Social Movements in the U.S. Students contribute to the Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ Oral History Project, with groups of students interviewing LGBTQ+ residents and community members in the Springs.
GS118 Radke, Jordan Topics in Community Engagement: Introduction to Community Engagement Practicum- Bonner Fellows In this practicum experience, first year Bonner Fellows explore community opportunities through "mini-internships" to discern what issues they are passionate about and how they might engage in local changemaking in that issue. By the end of the semester, Bonner Fellows identify a local nonprofit partner they will intern with the following fall (and, potentially, through graduation). 
GS222 Rios, Nancy Special Topics: CC Mobile Arts Community Activism Students actively participate in operations of CC Mobile Arts (CCMA), while interrogating and reflecting on its theoretical foundations and commitment to use art in expanding community and social change. Adjunct students support the development of the project and create a culminating community event.  
GY320 Schanz, Sarah Landscape Processes and Evolution Class worked with Fountain Creek Watershed District and Matrix Design Group to understand their needs, then used field work and GIS analysis to update erosion patterns along Fountain Creek from Fountain to Pueblo. We collated the data and interpretations in publically-shared StoryMaps and gave presentations to the Watershed District's Citizen Advisory Group, focusing on the stability of previous restoration projects through the 2023 floods and potential future project sites. 
GY400 Fricke, Henry Collaborative Research Seminar  Students attended the national meeting of the American Geophysical Union, noting best practices and research findings to address  questions of the Fountain Creek Watershed. The goal of the exchange was to bridge the world of academic research with applied work in those areas.
JA201 Onishi, Hiromi Intermediate Japanese I CC students engaged elementary children in lessons on introductory words and elements of Japanese culture.
MA117 Sancier-Barbosa, Flavia Elementary Probability and Statistics This course engaged students in applied research analysis with real-world data and questions of interest to the City of Colorado Springs (Parks, Rec, & Cultural Services).  In doing so, students learned statistical methods. 
MU227  Carrizo, Liliana Topics in Southwest Studies: Musical Tapestries of the American Southwest This is a field trip course rooted in community-based, musical-ethnographic study – one that aims to immerse students in the musical-cultural fabric of New Mexico through hands-on ethnographic inquiry and learning. During time in the field, students participate in workshops led by local New Mexican artisans. Upon return, students  complete creative projects that reflect on their ethnographic experiences, then gift these projects back to the artists and musicians they encountered.
MU228 Aharony, Iddo Topics in Music: Engaged Music Lab Co-taught with musical duo The Reminders, students collaboratively created musical projects in teams of students with people served by different community partners, as well as a performance with CC Mobile Arts at America the Beautiful park. 
PS230 Popovic, Srda; Djinovic, Slobodan Waging Nonviolent Conflict Students investigate social movement theory, then envision, organize and strategically guide a nonviolent social movement by workshopping the mission, tactics, and/or vision of local nonprofits and campaigns. This course is co-taught by experienced pro-democracy activists. 
PY299 Driscoll, Lori Neuroscience During this course, students prepare and teach lessons on the brain to local elementary school students using real animal and human brains kept by the department. Outreach continues through the Neuroscience club, occasionally reaching middle and high school students as well.
SO328 Rojo, Florencia Community Based Research Students apply sociological research methods to contribute to an ongoing research partnership with Food to Power (FTP), a community-based food justice nonprofit. The research  aligns with FTP's overarching goal of comprehending the local food system to foster collaborative improvements.
SO411 Murphy-Geiss, Gail Community Based Praxis Taught as an independent study each year during half block, with the option to continue as a spring adjunct (depending on the complexity of the project). Teams of students engage in community-based research to put sociology into practice for a community, organization, or movement.
Questions about community-engaged learning courses? Email jradke@coloradocollege.edu.
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