The APSA Distinguished Award of Civic and Community Engagement is presented annually by the American Political Science Association (APSA) to honor significant civic or community engagement activity by a political scientist which merges knowledge and practice and has an impact outside of the profession or the academy.
Rebecca A. Glazier is a political science professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She studies religion and politics, U.S. foreign policy, and political communication. She is the Director of the Little Rock Congregations Study, a longitudinal, community-based research project on religion and community engagement. She is the author of “Faith and Community: How Engagement Strengthens Members, Places of Worship, and Society” (Temple University Press, forthcoming, 2024). Additionally, Dr. Glazier is active in the scholarship of teaching and learning and is the author of “Connecting in the Online Classroom: Building Rapport between Teachers and Students” (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2021). More information about her research is available on her website.
Citation from the Award Committee:
A longitudinal project of ten years, Dr. Glazier’s Little Rock Congregations Study exemplifies how political science scholarship can improve civic life in partnership with community partners. Situated in Little Rock, Arkansas, the LRCS is a long-term community-based research effort that examines the impact of religion on politics and community life. Beginning in 2012 with five participating congregations and approximately 450 member-respondents and growing to 35 participating congregations and more than 2,200 member-respondents currently, the LRCS studies the needs and interests of research participants by collecting a diverse set of qualitative and quantitative data. Throughout, Dr. Glazier intentionally involves congregations as partners, and her research returns valuable information to them through reports, infographics, congregation spotlights, and community programming. In more recent years, the LRCS has focused on faith-based racial justice, a particularly important topic in a racially-divided city. Congregations have used the findings and programming of the LRCS to prioritize racial justice work, set goals for their congregations, and do the community engagement work that they find most meaningful.
The rigorous mixed method research design has produced high quality scholarship with results shared in several peer-reviewed academic publications. The LRCS also is reflective of a true collaboration between Dr. Glazier and a diverse group of congregations and clergy members. Indeed, the Clergy Advisory Board with whom Dr. Glazier partners provides input on research questions, outreach, and survey design; hold community events to share results and get feedback from faith leaders; and regularly produce and share reports with findings of interest to the community. These actions demonstrate good community engagement practices through research and also enable the participating congregations to take action themselves. Rebecca Glazier’s work through the Little Rock Congregations Study enhances our understanding of the importance of faith and of religious communities for both civic and community engagement, serves as an exemplar for a community-engaged research project, and is highly deserving of this recognition.
