Preserving Places,Making Spaces in Baltimore

Abstract

Effective place-based learning challenges the traditional understanding of academic service. The present article demonstrates that students and scholars can engage and collaborate with communities to identify, analyze, and respond to pressing social problems. Service, in this context, is integrated with teaching and research. This article traces the development of an applied research course at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Students and professors conducted research on the neighborhoods that compose Baybrook, an industrial community in the southern corner of Baltimore City. The course demonstrates that public history methods can create dynamic social spaces in which scholars and residents work together to frame questions, conduct research, and preserve urban places.