Applications typically take place in October-November for the spring semester and March-April for the fall semester. Trinity and Capital students will receive an email with details each semester.

Capital students are strongly encouraged to contact Prof. Jeff Partridge at jpartridge@capitalcc.edu for any questions about the Lab.

Students must be available to enroll in two Action Lab courses beginning of Spring or Fall Semester:

• The LAAL 200 Action Research Methods in Hartford (meets on Monday afternoons, from 1:30-4:10 pm)
• A LAAL 201 Hartford Research Project team that meets either Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays from 1:30-4:10 pm, or Tuesdays or Wednesdays from 6:30-9:00 pm.

Both will be taught at our downtown campus, and successful students will earn 2 Trinity credits, which is the equivalent of 6 CCC credits. Cross-referenced Action Lab courses count toward Trinity majors in Ed Studies, Human Rights, Public Policy & Law, and Urban Studies. Action Research Methods (LAAL 200) can can fulfill the Numerical & Symbolic Reasoning requirement. Contact us if you have questions about the application process.

Projects To Choose From:

• Housing Equity Project with Connecticut Fair Housing Center and CT Tenants’ Union: In the last year, tenants in Hartford and across the state have formed building-based and city-wide tenant unions (which has been reported on by local media). This project will work with community partners to build a fuller history of past housing movements, legislative outcomes, and tenant unions in order to connect this history with the struggle for fair housing today.  Among other types of research, this project hopes to conduct interviews with tenant union participants in both the past and the present.

 

• Media Diversity Project with the Connecticut Mirror: The Connecticut Mirror is a well-known source for nonpartisan news about public policy and government in the state. However, its journalists would like to more fully understand which information is most relevant to communities of color, and how that information can be best communicated.  This project will investigate ways to amplify the voices, contributions, and concerns of Hartford’s diverse neighborhoods through interviews and other research techniques.

 

• Recreation Access Project with the Hartford Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission: For the past 10 years, there has been a severe reduction of lifeguards in Hartford, which has created unexpected closures of public pools.  Parents are challenged with making summer plans for their children, and urban youth have reduced access to swimming lessons and aquatic exercise.  Additionally, the city of Hartford has many heat zones and can experience temperatures up to 19 degrees hotter than nearby areas, a disparity becoming more and more prevalent due to climate change. This project will work with the community partner to research new ways to build up city lifeguard programs, which will have a tangible effect on the quality of life for those living in Hartford.