In post-secondary curricula, the introduction of research paradigms that emphasize community inclusion and social action is increasingly valued by scholars. However, there is only a modest amount of scholarship regarding how the delivery of such material should be structured, or the challenges and/or successes with various course models. In this article the authors synthesize the existing literature on developing and implementing courses on alternative research paradigms, and use it to analyze the development and implementation of an innovative undergraduate course taught on community based research in the spring of 2007. Taught in the setting of a local homeless shelter, course learners included undergraduate students of social work and nursing, staff members from the homeless serving agency, individuals from the homeless community, and the course instructors themselves. The authors present the challenges and successes of this particular course model in reference to the suggestions gleaned from academic scholarship, and make recommendations to those involved in teaching models of action research.