The Disciplining and Professionalization of Community Engagement

Abstract

Efforts are underway to professionalize the field of community engagement and to build the discipline of community engagement. This work requires the articulation of the knowledge, skills, values, and ethical standards that distinguish community engagement from related fields. It also requires cross-sector collaboration and communication as well as valuing community engagement in different contexts. This chapter provides an overview of the Master's Program in Community Engagement at Merrimack College and has been written collaboratively by the director of the program and a student in the program. The authors contend that the disciplining and professionalization of community engagement requires the establishment of academic programs and departments which develop and disseminate knowledge. With the disciplining and professionalization of community engagement, the field will be better positioned to prepare community engagement practitioners equipped with the skills and expertise necessary to engage in communities in collaborative, respectful, and responsible ways.