The purpose of this assignment is: To assess sense of community in a setting, an

The purpose of this assignment is: To assess sense of community in a setting, and to illustrate the four
elements of sense of community in that setting.
And that is what I will eventually be grading, that you sufficiently convinced me that you understand what
makes up sense of community. You’ll start your paper with a little introduction to your chosen
community, and you’ll conclude your paper with a few words about the challenges they face and what
their future looks like. Those are the bookends. The whole middle part of your paper is on sense of
community. That’s the heart of the assignment, and where most of your grade is earned. We are using the
McMillan-Chavis model of sense of community. The McMillan-Chavis model of sense of community is
covered in Week 5 lecture. Your paper will be graded according to the rubric as found in these guidelines.
Here is the short version of how to get an A on this paper:
Learn what sense of community is first – see McMillan-Chavis model in the Week 5 lecture, full-
text journal article, and assigned readings.
Pick a community – your own favorite, or someone else’s favorite.
Assess its present-day sense of community – go through the four elements and their sub-elements.
Format properly – APA Style, you can use the complete sample paper as a model.
Write enough substance – no quotes, no fluff.
Read the rubric – to make sure you cover everything.
Submit your paper on time.
How to choose a community
Think of a community who has shared experiences, a history together, something that symbolized
membership, a sense of meeting one another’s needs, boundaries that define who is a member and
who is not, people who have influence over the group, etc.
You do not need any permission or approval, although if you’re not sure about your choice, or if you want
my help deciding from among some options, just let me know. I’d be glad to think it through with you.
The only people that cannot be considered “a community” for our purposes are: your family, and your
friends in general. Those people comprise your social network, which is different. You cannot write
about a community from your past – you have to get to know their sense of community now in the
present moment.
“These are my people!” What community is that for you? Write about them.
To answer a common question, what if you don’t feel you can write about a community you belong to?
Well then you should write about someone else’s community. You’ll need to use that person to help
assess sense of community in their community. Big hint: If you’re going to write about someone else’s
community then think of a friend or family member who’s really proud to be a part of some specific
community. Then write about them.
Even though you might have to be asking people to tell you about things, do not include a Q&A in your
final paper. This is not an interview paper. You might include a few brief quotes, but mostly do not.
Gather the data however you want, about whatever community you choose. Your goal is to assess sense
of community in the present moment. You can do this by reading about a community online – just
be in the present, not the past.
Your paper must have three sections:
 Introduction (1-2 pages) – Describe the community as if you were a greeter giving a tour to new
guests who came by right now today to learn about this community. Say where it is, how long it’s
been around, how big or small it is, what you like or dislike about them, and how they are
operating in the ongoing pandemic era. Here you might include a photo or screenshot too. Do not
copy and paste from their website or Wikipedia. Briefly introduce this community in your own
words.
 Sense of Community (4-7 pages) – This is the important part of the paper, working through the
McMillan-Chavis model of Sense of Community. This should be a minimum of four full pages,
critically assessing the four elements of sense of community. Each element needs to be one full
double-spaced page at minimum. Do not give any space to defining the terms, just apply them. I
am your target audience, and I already know what these words mean. You cannot complete this
most important part of the paper is less space than four full, double-spaced pages. And wordiness
that does not add substance is something that I ignore when grading, so don’t bother adding in any
fluff. If you’re short in this section, add more content with substance or your paper will be
incomplete, and your grade will reflect that. Do not go beyond seven pages maximum for this
section.
 Most pressing issues (1 page) – What are the one or two greatest challenges faced by this
community today? How are they going about meeting those challenges? What does the future look
like for this community? This should read like a conclusion not a repeat of things you’ve already
covered.
Remember: See the Grading Rubric for details on exactly where
points are earned and lost. It is on the last page of this giant
syllabus file.
Q1. Can I write about any community?
A. Pretty much yes, and you don’t need any approval. The only groups not considered communities for
our purposes are your family, and your friends in general. Those are social networks, and that’s different.
Also, a community from your past is off limits unless you are able to write about them as of today.
Frequently Asked Questions – Read These!
Q2. Can I write about a community from my past?
A. It must be a present community that you assess with present day attention. If you want to write about
a community from your past, you must get to know them in the present and write about them now/today.
Q3. What do I do if I am not part of any community?
A. If you think this is the case, write about someone else’s community. You must complete assignments
about communities. You are literally completing a course called Community Psychology. It is what it is.
It’s easier to write about your own community, which is why I allow and encourage that, but you can
certainly write about someone else’s community, sure.
Q4. Do I have to like the community?
A. No. In fact, plenty of communities have a very strong sense of community and yet can be destructive.
For example, a cult has a very high sense of community. You’re not necessarily writing to say how
wonderful your chosen community is, although most students do find it easier to write about their own
favorite community, which ends up being a picture of what makes them great.
Q5. Are you sharing this paper with anyone?
A. No. I’m often asked this, because people sometimes want to share details that might not be public. I
won’t save or share your paper with anyone. After the course has ended, I will not even have a copy of it.
Sample papers are ones for which I’ve received expressed written permission to share with you.
Q6. Is there an example for formatting the paper?
A. Yes! Follow APA 7 Style guides or please just copy the sample paper formatting. Try your best to use
APA format, but your grade is only negatively impacted if you don’t follow these basic formatting
guidelines as repeated throughout the course:
1.
2.
3.
4.
All word processing programs allow you to change these settings, so you should do that.
Q7. What about references?
A. You won’t likely have any references. You do not need to reference my McMillan-Chavis outline,
lecture notes, the journal article, or the textbook, because you should not be defining things or quoting
them. If you do need to reference a source for some reason, obviously cite it. Academic dishonesty is just
as much a bad idea on this paper as any other. If you are referencing several things though, you are
probably not doing this paper right. Talk to me. Most of this paper is your observations and thoughts
which illustrate the four elements of sense of community. Suppose I described a music band as loud. I
don’t need to reference studies about decibels and sound, right? I could say that the band was loud in my
experience, because I got a headache. See? Observations connecting experience to terms, no references.
12pt Times New Roman black font
straight double-spacing with no extra spaces between paragraphs
1″ margins on all four sides, and
simple page numbers top right corner.
Q8. What about defining terms?
A. Don’t do it. I am your target audience and I already know what these words mean. You are writing a
paper about sense of community in a certain group, to someone who knows what sense of community is,
to demonstrate that you now know it too. Including definitions or explanations of terms will lower your
grade.
Q9. So should the paper have subheadings?
A. Yes. APA 7 Style subheadings should be used. Be sure to make one subheading for each of the four
elements of sense of community: Membership, Influence, Integration and Fulfillment of Needs, and
Shared Emotional Connection. Give approximately the same amount of attention to each of the four
elements, and at least one full page for each of the four elements. See the sample paper if you want to start
with the correct formatting to begin with.
Q13. What if my paper is too short?
A. You’re not writing enough to earn the most points yet. The minimum length requirements for your
work are there for good reason. If you have to prioritize your time last minute, finish the Sense of
Community section.
Q13. What if my paper is too long?
A. Edit. This is a skill you need to refine, and your undergraduate years are a great time to start. This
paper has ranges to give you some freedom, but there are hard minimums which indicate the minimum
depth to which you should engage with the content. There are also hard maximums to let you know when
you are no longer adding value. Your total paper (not counting cover page) should be no less than six full
pages and no more than ten full pages. And the sense of community reflection needs to be at least four full
pages, but no more than seven. That range is wide enough to allow those who prefer to write more the
freedom to do it, while still putting limits and expecting some editorial work to happen.
As always, be in touch with me if you have any questions, comments, feedback, ideas or
concerns. The only kind of help I cannot offer is the very-last-minute kind of help.
If you cannot make it to a scheduled chat time, message me
and we will set up another time for us to chat.
Those four+ section 2 pages are where most of the grade comes from. And
remember not to be wordy or define terms.