Session 6 Abstracts

The role of collective efficacy as a mediator in the link between civic engagement and safety: Explorations across historically marginalized Chicago neighborhoods

Amy Governale, Assistant Professor of Psychology, North Park University
Gabriella Brinkmann, Student, North Park University

Engaging with community programs (such as volunteering or attending local council meetings) has been proposed as a strategy to address problems such as gang or youth violence (Bhatt & Tweed, 2018; Ohmer, 2016). Civic activity may reduce community violence through the mechanism of collective efficacy, which fosters social cohesion and promotes norms related to deviance and control. To test this hypothesis, this study examined the direct and indirect effects of collective efficacy on civic engagement and community safety among 80 neighborhood residents from underserved Chicago communities. Results suggest social cohesion is strongly associated with a greater sense of safety, while civic engagement was related to lower perceptions of disorder, but only in low-violence neighborhoods. Discussion will explore measures of civic engagement and social control as mechanisms to reduce community violence.

Teaching the (no-so-dark) Art of Branded Entertainment

Tom Eslinger, Assistant Professor, Business & Entrepreneurship

The new Branded Entertainment course at Columbia College Chicago course focuses on student's gaining the critical thinking and creative skills - and discovering the behind-the-scenes secrets - to developing campaign platforms that incorporate all aspects of entertainment. Designed as an elective course, it caters to students from diverse backgrounds, including fashion, social media, PR, music production, and advertising courses from across the College. The course is led by Tom Eslinger, a veteran in the industry who has worked as a Global Digital Creative Director at Saatchi & Saatchi and later as a Global Creative Director at Burson Marsteller. The curriculum draws inspiration from Tom's projects, incorporating them as case studies to shape student assignments: the students’ work uses the same frameworks used to develop the actual client work in the scope of the various case studies.