Participatory Teaching and Research

For a public and participatory university

In an era when public universities face growing challenges – privatization, competition, quantitative logic in evaluation, subordination to the market, pressures to conform to business logic – it becomes essential to reaffirm their primary role as a public space for reflexivity, sharing and production of knowledge that culturally and politically guides society.

The ParTeR (Participatory Teaching and Research) group arises from the conviction that the fragmentation of academic activity into the so-called “three missions” – teaching, research and relationships with territories – has generated a problematic hierarchy that primarily privileges specialized scientific production, to the detriment of an integrated vision of university knowledge. We believe this separation is artificial and counterproductive.

The university is not only a place for transmitting consolidated knowledge or producing publications destined for specialist circuits, but a space for co-constructing knowledge that actively involves teachers, students and citizens.

Objectives of the ParTeR group

• Enhance and develop practices that overcome the fragmentation between teaching, research and territory.
• Promote an idea of university as a reflective community where:
  • Research becomes an opportunity for learning and teaching is configured as a shared inquiry path.
  • Students are co-protagonists of the knowledge construction process.
  • The widespread knowledge of civil society dialogues with academic knowledge.
  • Methodological reflexivity develops in relation to training needs and society’s questions.

We are convinced that, through participatory research and teaching practices, the university can reaffirm its autonomy and mission of promoting critical and complex thinking.

Methodologies and devices

The ParTeR group proposes to develop and systematize participatory research and teaching methods, including:

• Sociological-legal clinic: Active involvement of master’s students in case studies proposed by NGOs and third sector organizations.
• Social Participation Workshops: Training courses with practical activities within city associations and collectives.
• Autoethnography workshops: Methodological approaches that critically re-read students’ contexts and experiences.
• Participatory research methodologies: Co-research that enhances the multiplicity of viewpoints and direct involvement of social actors.
• Citizen Science: Involvement of different audiences in scientific research processes, with attention to ecological and social dimensions.
• Theatrical practices as research tools: Use of performing arts for participatory collective research.

Work agenda

For the next period, the ParTeR group proposes to:

1. Create a network for sharing materials, experiences and methodologies on participatory research and teaching.
2. Organize periodic meetings for comparison and co-planning between teachers, students and civil society actors.
3. Promote interdisciplinary projects that enhance the participatory dimension.