The Henry Institute's Civitas Lab partners Calvin students and faculty to study the intersections of faith and public life. Every year, 6-10 students - the Civitas Scholars - enter the Lab as paid research assistants to work with Calvin professors across campus who are exploring the public role of faith. The students also build a research community by meeting together regularly to discuss their work, share project insights and challenges, and divide labor when necessary. During the year, Calvin's Center for Social Research introduces the Civitas Scholars to various methods and applications that will serve the students not only in their near-term projects, but also in their vocational pursuits after graduation.
The 2017-18 Civitas Lab
Public Spaces in the New Urbanism: Noah Schumerth is working with Calvin College professor Mark Bjelland examining a normative urban planning movement called New Urbanism, which features mixed use buildings, sidewalks, front porches, and public squares that promote social interaction and civic engagement. The project explores questions of access, ownership, and management of the "public" spaces in existing New Urbanist development projects.
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| Noah Schumerth Junior, majoring in Geography minoring in Architecture from Appleton, WI |
Mark Bjelland Calvin College Geography and Environmental Studies |
Measuring the Long-Term Effects of Service Learning on Calvin College Alumni: Joanna Jaimes is working with Professor Jeffrey Bouman on a mixed-methods research project, including a survey on current civic and political behavior administered to 1,650 Calvin College alumni who graduated between 2002 and 2012, as well as a follow-up interview protocol administered to seven participants in an original summer 2017 survey. The survey explores whether student participation in service-learning activities while in college influences post-college civic and political expression.
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| Joanna Jaimes Senior, majoring in Social Work and Political Science from Vernon Hills, IL |
Jeffrey Bouman Calvin College Service Learning Center |
Religious and Political Polarization in America: Kelly Looman, Josh Parks and Kathryn Post are assisting Calvin History Professor Kristin DuMez with research on two separate but related projects. First is a religious history of Hillary Clinton set against the backdrop of the polarization of American Christianity from the 1960s to the present, and the second involves a study of evangelical constructions of militant masculinity from 1980 to the present.
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Joshua Parks, |
Kathryn Post, |
Kristin DuMez Calvin College History Department |
Rural Consciousness and Religion in the Rustbelt: Calvin Seniors Erica Buursma and Elena Van Stee, along with Professor Mark Mulder are drawing on fieldwork and interviews in central Wisconsin, reviewing evidence on the voting behavior of rural whites and reconsidering the inter- and intra-personal practices of religiosity amidst continued changes in American religious institutions. Their research will offer scholars and public policy leaders a reconceptualization of how religion inherently structures the political orientation of rural white voters.
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Elena Van Stee |
Erica Buursma Senior, majoring in Sociology, minors in Gender Studies, Communication and Spanish from Grand Rapids, MI |
Mark Mulder Calvin College Sociology Department |
Water and Justice: Jonathan Winkle is researching the appropriate role of government in addressing problems surrounding availability, stewardship and economic justice issues that surround distribution of water as a matter of public justice.
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| Jonathan Winkle Sophomore, majoring in Political Science from Grand Rapids, MI |
Kevin R. den Dulk Calvin College Political Science Department; Henry Institute Executive Director |
Reduction of Recidivism: Mapping Applications for Returning Citizens: Taek Soo Nam is working with Jason VanHorn to refine the user-friendly intuitive map created earlier in this project which lays out Kent County (Michigan) facilities and organizations that would be indispensable to new parolees and those returning as citizens from incarceration. The project will also explore service coverage gaps and language evaluation for populations most affected. The project recently received recognition for the work it is doing to empower returning citizens (see the article).
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Taek Soo Nam |
Jason Van Horn |
Visualizing Faith and Citizenship: Cassidy Dykstra and Claire Hinkel are assisting Calvin Sociology Professor Roman Williams in collecting photographic images from students studying off-campus which convey a momentary, unique perspective about faith and public life.
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Cassidy Dykstra |
Claire Hinkel |
Roman Williams |
What is Good Food? Kaitlyn Eekhoff is assisting with ongoing research on food and faith on an urban farm in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Three Years ago she served as Professor Roman Williams McGregor Fellow and conducted ethnographic research on the farm. During the spring of 2018, Kaitlyn is returning to the project, as the research work moves on to interviews, data analysis, and literature review.
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Kaitlyn Eekhof |
Roman Williams |
Communicating Virtuously across Division in the Church: Karolyn DeKam and David van Dokkumburg are working with Professor Stacey Wieland on a qualitative project considering how Christians who disagree about significant social issues can engage in productive dialogue. This project considers how dialogue might be enacted in contexts where participants share a deep commitment to core Christian beliefs, yet diverge in their understanding of the implications of those beliefs for a modern social issue.
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Karolyn DeKam |
David van Dokkumberg |
Stacey Wieland |