Larry M. Gant
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program Director, Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work and Professor of Art and Design, Penny W Stamps School of Art and Design
Larry M. Gant’s current work focuses on neighborhood-level change efforts in the Detroit and surrounding metropolitan areas. The co-operative work incorporates strategies and tactics inspired by collaborations with research colleagues sharing historical, social and political lessons learned from medieval postwar and postindustrial cities including Berlin, Glasgow, Amsterdam, Krakow, and Warsaw. Particular practice interests include the continued reinvention and recreation of legacy spaces within these cities, lessons learned from the EU's experience of mass migrations between 2015 to date, community resident survival and growth in resisting and transforming structured gentrification initiatives, and implications of continuing debate regarding current and future representations of conflict memorials, and their legacies and histories for Detroit’s historical landscape.
Gant’s neighborhood-based prevention and promotion related work and research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and numerous private foundations.
Research Interests/Focus
Program evaluation, social action, community-based health programs, mezzo practice and social planning; public health social work, international social work, arts-based community development, health disparities emerging from syndemic-structural interactions, e.g. HIV/AIDS, poverty, violence-related PTSD, and impoverished care access.
Continuing Education
Contact Information
| Phone | Room | Address | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (734) 763-5990 | lmgant@umich.edu | 4735 SSWB | University of Michigan School of Social Work 1080 S. University Ann Arbor, MI 48109 |
Education
| Year | Degree | School | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | PhD | Social Work and Social Psychology | University of Michigan, Ann Arbor |
| 1985 | MA | Psychology | University of Michigan, Ann Arbor |
| 1981 | MSW | Social Work | University of Michigan, Ann Arbor |
| 1979 | AB | Psychology | University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN |
| Project | Faculty | Abstract |
|---|---|---|
| Lessons from the Front Lines: Piloting an Online Platform for Strengthening Community Organization Courses in the School of Social Work Via a Michigan Organizers Video Archive | Richards-Schuster, Katie (PI) Barry Checkoway, Giovanna Gonzalez Benson, Shanna Katz Kattari, Lorainne Guiterez, Beth Reed, Larry Gant (Co-Is) |
View Abstract »
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Lessons from the Front Lines: Piloting an Online Platform for Strengthening Community Organization Courses in the School of Social Work Via a Michigan Organizers Video ArchiveMarch 2018 - April 2020 The proposed project aims to create an online platform through which community organizers’ experiences and stories can be captured, taped, and archived in a curated video format and used across multiple classrooms in and outside of the School of Social Work. As an innovative and sustainable teaching model, the project would enhance student learning by integrating Michigan’s community organizers into classrooms using a dynamic digital platform. Lessons from the Front Lines: Community Organizing Archives will feature 15 to 20 organizers in 20-minute videos, sharing their own experiences and their practice, key skills and strategies, lessons from the field, and other information in an interview style setting. These videos will be coupled with short biographies, photos, information about communities/issues, suggested readings, and links to additional resources. For more robust access, the information will be searchable by “type” of practice, and will also have keywords connected to organizers’ profiles. We anticipate partnering with Academic Innovations to create the most user friendly and dynamic online experience while also leveraging the A/V, communications, and technology resources already available to us at the School of Social Work. The videos will be used within multiples community organization social work courses at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels, to supplement and enhance current course content. We intend to reach approximately 100 undergraduates and over 200 graduate students annually. This project supports the School’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goals to bring diverse voices and experiences into the classroom in new and meaningful ways. |