社區大學公民社會的實踐：以北投社區大學為例

Abstract

本論文選擇北投社區大學作為個案研究場域，試圖探討社區大學在終身學習的影響下，如何透過知識與行動的解放，來重建台灣的公民社會。社區大學是公民與社區（社會）公共領域之間的中介組織，也是重要載體，主要任務為發展在地性知識體系，建構學習型社區伙伴系統，培力公民參與公共事務，進而凝聚社區意識，激發民眾參與現代民主社會的政治參與和監督者的角色。 研究發現北投社區大學終身學習模式，有效養成學習者的社團生活習性，和組織社團實踐參與公共事務能力，這種累進式的建構公民社會目標與設計，成為推動終身學習成功因素之一；連續數年的學術研討會，形成地方知識的資料庫與人脈，使得社區專案的執行具有一定的品質，和被認同的多元基礎；而社區培力則整合社區夥伴與有限的資源，共同推動北投地區的終身教育，提供居民參與社區公共事務的機會，並培植社區居民的自我意識，團結地方共識與資源，使學習者具有能力，樂於自我實現，關心政治權力的運作，這對公民社會的實踐，扮演關鍵的力量。This thesis uses Beitou Community College as a case study. It examines how community colleges, fostering as they do lifelong learning, may contribute to the rebuilding of Taiwan’s civil society, through their promotion of knowledge and activism. A community college is an important nexus for connecting citizens with the public sphere. The main tasks of a community college are to promote knowledge at the community level, to construct a local partnership system of learning, to empower citizens for participation in public affairs, to promote and consolidate a sense of local community, and to encourage people to participate in the politics of a modern democracy and fulfil their role of oversight therein.

The research findings demonstrate that Beitou Community College's lifelong education model has very effectively cultivated in its students an inclination to participate in civic associations and their ability to organize into community groups for participation in public affairs. The way in which lifelong learning is able to gradually build towards the desired targets of civil society is one of the reasons that lifelong learning is deemed such a success. A series of academic conferences in the past few years at Beitou Community College has created a data base of local knowledge and a network of personal contacts. These practices at Beitou Community College have garnered it the reputation of a good, high quality model, recognised for its diverse foundations and for its interconnection between the community college and civil society. The community college empowers and integrates the community's partners to combine with the limited resources available, and thereby promotes lifelong education in Beitou. It provides local people with the opportunity for participation in local public affairs, fosters local identity, brings together local knowledge and resources, empowers its students, encourages their self-realization, and promotes attention to the exercise of political power. All of which are crucial for the success of civil society.