Re+Action’s primary goal is to connect academic research with social change organizations on and off college campuses. That is, we want to help put research projects into action.
This website/blog was inspired by a Stanford University research, writing and oral presentation seminar (PWR 2) titled “Scholar Activists Fix the World? The Rhetoric of Scholarship and Activism” that explored how academic research can and cannot assist in informing policy, social change advocacy, education and more.
By the end of the spring quarter 2011, a number of innovative projects had been produced:
• using computer science methodology to help us think more productively about immigration issues
• taking advantage of changes in corporate governance laws to give socially responsible investors/shareholders greater power in affecting corporate policy
• exploring how blogs can add value to academic science journals and to mainstream audience’s understanding of science
• demonstrating ways that “pranking” can reinvigorate the environmental campaigns created by organizations like Greenpeace.
However, they had no home beyond my computer.
With a help of a research grant, this site/blog is being created to put this kind of work to work. It will feature student essays and presentations addressing a wide variety of social change issues. Reborn as “P-Sets, Essays and Midterms: Making Time for Social Change in a Busy World,” we are also actively seeking not-for-profit organizations and policy makers and influencers interested in student-generated research and/or who have research or intern needs. We are also seeking engaged scholars invested in displaying and discussing their work, as well as students, lecturers and professors who are looking for more avenues to share and activate their research.
Stanford students on Alternative Spring Break 2011 talking with Arizona residents.
Please feel encouraged to contact me for questions, comments or more information.
