Course theme and purpose
What role does academic research play in resolving, or assisting communities to resolve, environmental and social problems? What specific challenges are involved in collaborative research between universities and communities? The objective of this course is to explore these questions, and to problematise the concept of "community-based research" in both theoretical and practical contexts. The focus will be on past and present social and environmental research in the Clayoquot Sound region of western Vancouver Island, with emphasis on problems arising in the process of community transformation from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based society.

Acknowledgements
We thank the following people for contributing to ES 400C (summer 2003): Suzanne Batten, Barbara Beasley, Jur Bekker, Stan Boychuk, Martin Bunton, Nadine Crookes, Rod Dobell, Janet Dunnett, Sylvia Harron, Sean LeRoy, Warren Magnusson, Anne Marshall, Gisele Martin, Sharmalene Mendis, Michael M'Gonigle, Josie Osborn, George Patterson, Jen Pukonen, Gerry Schreiber and Gyspy Wilson.

Note about this site
These web pages were designed by Julien Perrier as part of his ES 400C course project as a means to share our course materials with others, especially the communities in the Clayoquot region who made the course possible.