susan rans

Independant Consultant

SUSAN RANS defines herself as an "unreconstructed generalist". Although her graduate work is in Religion and Literature, she writes and teaches about having faith in cities and faith in the diverse and gifted people who inhabit them. This faith has led her from political activism in the campaigns of the late Mayor Harold Washington and work on the staff of former US Senator Paul Simon to writing and consulting work for The Ounce of Prevention Fund, the American Association of Community Colleges, and the Center for Neighborhood Technology.

Her first and greatest love will always be teaching about the city, however. She is currently on the faculty of the Masters of Arts in Community Development Program (MACD) at North Park University. From 1985 to 1999, she was part of the faculty of the Urban Studies Program of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, a program that brings undergraduates from around the world to the city for a semester of immersion and experience. She has also worked with student members of Catholic Schools Opposing Racism (COR), introducing them to city neighborhoods and the ways in which their neighbors combat racism and stereotypes.

She is passionate about the possibility of sustainable urban communities, places where nothing and no one is wasted, and writes regularly on sustainability issues. She is also affiliated with the Asset Based Community Development Institute, and is the author of the ABCD workbooks Asset Strategies for Faith Communities and Hidden Treasures: Building Community Connections.

Classes
MACD 5310 Principles and Practice of Community Development