Diversity Associate Proposal
Carol A. Friesen, PhD, RD
Associate Professor
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
cfriesen@bsu.edu
Description of Project – The Impact of Poverty on Quality of Life
The mission of Family and Consumer Sciences is to “Improve the quality of life for
individuals, families, and communities.” In the required course FCS 103 Introduction to
Family and Consumer Sciences, I introduce our majors to the profession’s common “body
of knowledge” which includes, among other topics, understanding basic human needs
and diversity. We required 20 hours of service learning in this class in an attempt to help
our students step outside their comfort zone and become familiar with the stresses and
challenges faced by so many in our own community and across our country, challenges
which often prevent them from achieving the quality of life to which they aspire.
Recently, it has become clear to me that our students do not understand or appreciate the
impact of poverty on individuals, families, and the organizations that comprise a
community. Thus, I propose the development, implementation, and evaluation of a unit
to expose our students (n=70+ per semester) to the potential impact of poverty on the
quality of life of individuals, families, and their communities.
To achieve this objective, I will develop a series of lectures, readings, reflection questions,
and assignments that focus on the impact of poverty on individuals, families, and
community organizations. I will emphasize how community organizations, schools, and
professionals (e.g., Family and Consumer Scientists) can work together to help alleviate
many stressors and reduce the potential impact of poverty on individuals, families, and
the community. We will discuss at length the disparate relationship between poverty,
race, and educational level. I will integrate these concepts throughout the course,
particularly in our service learning discussions and reflection papers.
Potential Products
Last semester my students developed a ‘Mind Map’ and paper to describe the impact of
unemployment on a mythical community. The students’ responses were incredible. I
anticipate revising this assignment to examine the impact of poverty on individuals and
their community. I envision using this assignment as a basis of an article in a peerreviewed journal that describes using the Mind-Map method to help students think about
the ramification of an issue (e.g., poverty) far beyond the surface-level impact.
Dissemination Plan
In addition to a peer-reviewed article, if effective, I would share this assignment with all
other FCS 103 faculty. I also envision presenting the results at the Indiana and the
American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences annual meetings.
How Benefit Personally, Department, Area
This project aligns closely with the mission and goals of our department. Professionally, I
will be able to apply the knowledge I will acquire in my Community Nutrition course.
However, if selected, I believe the biggest benefit for me will be the collegiality and
information I will learn from my peers in the Diversity Learning Community when we all
come together to share our ideas to promote diversity across the curriculum and across
the Ball State Campus. I thank you for this opportunity.