What if we thought about democracy not only in terms of voting practices and political parties, but through the ways we spend our daily lives and inhabit the place we live? This project explored “Everyday Democracy” through the design and pilot of a new Core X-level course titled “Portland and the Public Imagination" that aims to connect students to new ways of understanding the city of Portland and their relationship to its past, present, and future. The course design helps students explore Portland beyond the headlines and pop culture references to instead develop interdisciplinary ways of looking at a place we may have thought we knew. In the fall semester, the team researched civically engaged curriculum at UP and other institutions and cultivated connections with local community members and organizations to help design the class. In the spring, the team co-taught the 70-student course, meeting weekly to develop assignments and activities and assessing how the course created meaningful connections between students and the city.
Download the Spring 2025 Portland and the Public Imagination syllabus.
The group also archived all course materials from across the semester as an example of engaged humanities curriculum that could be utilized by a wider audience of local community members.
Molly Hiro is Professor of English and a co-founder of the Public Research Fellows program. She teaches courses in American, African American, and multi-ethnic American literature, and she has published on race, feeling, pedagogy, and the engaged humanities in books and in journals such as Novel, Arizona Quarterly, and Arts and Humanities in Higher Education.
Jen McDaneld’s research focuses on suffrage literature, U.S. women’s rights movements, and the engaged humanities, with essays published in journals like Legacy, Signs, Feminist Teacher, Pedagogy, and Arts and Humanities in Higher Education. One of the founders of the Public Research Fellows, she serves as the program’s Director and teaches the PRF courses, Engaged Humanities Fundamentals and Engaged Humanities Futures, in addition to courses in American literature and the core curriculum in the English department. She is one of the PIs on a 3-year NEH grant project to build an Engaged Humanities Hub at UP. She holds a Ph.D. in American literature from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Graduate Certificate in Feminist Studies from Duke University.
Year: Senior
Major/minor: Political Science and Global Affairs and Environmental Ethics and Policy
Hometown: Canby, OR
Why PRF: As a political science major, the PRF theme this year really resonated with me, which is initially what drew me into applying. I have never been a part of a research program, and this year it seemed to all fit in my schedule. I am so excited to work alongside Dr. McDaneld and Dr. Hiro, while also giving back to UP as it has brought me so many great opportunities over these past few years.
Year: Senior
Major/Minor: Political Science and Global Affairs with a minor in Constitutional Studies
Hometown: Eugene, OR
Why PRF: I'm interested in working on this project as part of PRF because I'd like to expand my knowledge and apply the skills I have learned in my college career. I'm excited that I get to work with faculty outside of my discipline who I otherwise might never cross paths with. I want to make an impact here at the university because it's my last year of undergrad.
University of Portland
5000 N. Willamette Blvd.,
Portland, Oregon 97203-5798
503.943.8000
