beNY

Barnard Engages New York: Collaborative Partnerships to Promote Sustainable Change (or beNY for short) is an initiative at Barnard College that combines curriculum with public engagement, funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The grant seeks to foster long-term collaborations between Barnard faculty members and community-based organizations, most of which are located in the New York City area, and all focus on at least one of the following thematic areas: 

1. Immigration and immigrant rights
2. Poverty and associated issues of health, food insecurity, and criminal justice
3. The human rights of laborers

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Faculty members partner with community-based non-profit advocacy organizations to develop thought-provoking courses that engage students in the mission and work of the organization, while also creating a space for scholarly inquiry and reflection. Partnerships are established with two overarching goals in mind: 1) to contribute meaningfully to the organizations’ work and mission, and 2) to give  our students the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in their liberal arts education to significant contemporary challenges. By working simultaneously with advocates for equity and justice and Barnard professors, students develop real-life skills and perspectives at the same time that they critically examine the history, contexts, and scholarly theories relevant to the hands-on work. 

The initiative is led by two Barnard faculty, Dr. Nara Milanich and Dr. Premilla Nadasen, and supported administratively by a program manager, Sarah Greene. Because of the complexity of the courses, beNY faculty convene regularly for mutual support. Further support is provided by Barnard’s Center for Engaged Pedagogy, Office of Community Engagement & Inclusion (within the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion), and the Athena Center for Leadership, which offer support for individual courses and workshops for faculty and students.

The following courses were offered during the 2020-2021 Academic Year:

Environmental Science

• EESC BC3300, Workshop in Sustainable Development
  Faculty: Logan Brenner, Elizabeth Cook, Martin Stute
  In collaboration with WE ACT for Environmental Justice

History

• HIST BC3505, Pandemic Tales: Curated Conversations with Migrant Workers
  Faculty: Premilla Nadasen
  In collaboration with Damayan Migrant Workers Association
• HIST BC3670, Seeking Asylum: History, Politics, and the Pursuit of Justice at the US-Mexico
  Faculty: Nara Milanich
  In collaboration with the Women's Refugee Commission
• HIST BC3770, African Communities in New York, 1900 to Present 
  Faculty: Abosede George
  In collaboration with African Communities Together (ACT)

Sociology

• SOCI UN3721, Social Justice: Connecting Academics to Action 
  Faculty: Deborah Becher, Teresa Sharpe
  In collaboration with Make The Road NY

Urban Studies

• URBS UN3545, Junior Seminar in Urban Studies
  Faculty: Mary Rocco
  In collaboration with the Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative (BCDI)

For more information, email beNY@barnard.edu.