Social Capital in Inter-Organizational Partnership Research

This chapter focuses on the use of social capital as a construct to examine and explain the formation and operation of inter-organizational partnerships. In particular it shows how social capital contributes to the sustainability of a public sector partnership. In this research context social capital is defined as the networks, trust, norms and values that enable individuals and organizations to achieve mutual goals through collaboration. This definition draws upon the author’s empirical research on partnerships and partnership working in the field of post-compulsory education and her practical experience of establishing, managing and leading international partnerships for teaching and research in teacher education. The emphasis is on the practical application of social capital to qualitative data and on identifying sources of evidence, including research literature from different disciplines in the social sciences to interpret and theorize primary data. The first section of the chapter considers the complexities of defining social capital in the context of rival theoretical and political perspectives and leads to a discussion of the dimensions of social capital that are found in effective and sustained partnerships.

Drawing in Duos: The Journeys and Intersections Collaboration Project Between Istanbul and Worcester

This paper focuses on a collaborative drawing project carried out between two undergraduate drawing courses, one in İstanbul and the other in Worcester, during the Fall 2015 semester. Duos -teams of two working remotely- took turns to work on the same drawing in correspondence for three months by means of communication and sharing the changing images on-line with one another. The project introduced a collaborative method of learning based on drawing, initiated cultural exchange and cooperation. The role of drawing in the project was critical due to the direct but gradual nature of transmitting meaning onto paper. Outcomes of this project consisted of a flexible and playful creation process for students making use of the element of chance. They sought alternate ways to finalize a drawing and experienced the benefits of artistic co-production. The project has the capacity to inspire artists, instructors and others interested in creative partnership in different disciplines and can be of value as an educational model.