Sara Parker
Initial Publication Date: September 10, 2012
25555 Hesperian Blvd.
Hayward, CA 94545
sparker@chabotcollege.edu
Phone:510.723.7683
Background Information
Sara Parker is the Chair of the Political Science and International Studies Department at Chabot Community College in Hayward, California. She also serves as the Faculty Advisor to Student Government. Sara received her Ph.D. from the University of Delaware in Political Science and International Relations. Upon arriving at Chabot, her research focus and energy shifted to the topic of civic engagement and curricular and pedagogical development. Along with her partner in the Administration of Justice Department, she founded a Law and Democracy Program, the first of its kind at a California Community College. Sara is also a founding member of the Chabot Center for Civic and Community Engagement and teaches in the "Change It Now!" program. Sara recently authored a workbook for use in college level American Government courses titled, "Mock Congress: Simulating the House of Representatives." This summer she began work on a research project to examine young adults' attitudes towards American politics. Over the next two years she and a colleague will interview over 75 community college students to learn more about their political beliefs, experiences, and level of engagement.
Related Pedagogical Projects
Parker enjoys being part of groups and projects aimed at improving pedagogical practices. She led a campus wide Faculty Inquiry Group in Spring 2012 to evaluate college efforts and issue recommendations to improve the teaching of Civic Responsibility across the curriculum. She participated in the statewide development of the California Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) degree for Political Science, a recent legislative initiative to streamline the transfer process for Community College students. In summer 2011 she participated in an NEH funded Landmarks of American Democracy workshop. Sara regularly attends disciplinary conferences; she presented most recently at the International Studies Association on active learning techniques for introductory International Relations courses.
