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change, a notion in which engagement requires academics to conduct research with, rather than on

people, and to perceive them as participants, rather than mere informants, subjects and/or

recipients of knowledge. Beneficial change emanates from a process of social transformation

(Gauthamadas, 2005), which has to be driven by the direct interests of the community concerned.

PALAR fits perfectly into my study of the Community Conversation process because it is

people-centered, and it is non-linear, emergent and unpredictable. However, the people-centered

nature of this approach also makes beneficial change more likely to be sustained, since participants

soon see themselves as active agents in improving their own and their community’s quality of life.

In the words of the National Service Learning Clearinghouse, PALAR is described as “a

teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and

reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen

communities.” Or, to quote Vanderbilt University’s Janet S. Eyler and Dwight E. Giles, Jr., it is

“a form of experiential education where learning occurs through a cycle of action and reflection

as students. . . seek to achieve real objectives for the community and deeper understanding and

skills for themselves. In the process, students link personal and social development with academic

and cognitive development. . . experience enhances understanding; understanding leads to more

effective action.” Typically, community engagement is incorporated into a course of action or

series of on-going dialogues that refine understanding and approaches to addressing social issues

which by way of my research makes studying Community Conversations a project that has both

learning and community action goals.

This dissertation’s final phase of research focused on data drawn from Milwaukee CCs

held as a collaboration involving the Millennium Action Project and the Zeidler Center. In

contrast, at the outset in the mid-developmental exploratory phase of this project, I asked my

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