How are Student Identities Impacted by Critical and Community-Based Teaching?

This study aimed to examine student perceptions of a social justice-oriented community-engaged architecture design course. Research focused on alumni of a senior-level elective architecture design studio course and followed a phenomenological interview methodology. Responses were analyzed to understand how critical and community engagement pedagogies facilitate student engagement with an understanding of their own identities and systems of oppression, how students perceive the role of the architect, and whether this engagement and/or understanding translate to participants' current experiences in architecture. In the course, students partnered with local community groups selected because they address a critical and underserved community need. Students and partners collaboratively identified, designed solutions to serve the partner’s mission. The research identified three significant themes. Students perceived the course as academic counterspace, and choose it because they sought to enact their personal values and disrupt the dominant narrative of architectural education. Students learned to relinquish the expert mindset as they recognized the importance of using collaborative methods, valuing community partners, and valuing classmates. And students felt valued for their own identities and skills and recognized that meaningful community engagement requires a reciprocal relationship.