Service to people in poverty can be a perfect fit for sociology courses in which students study the social relationships and institutions that affect poverty. Johnson & Wales University students who enroll in Sociology II, a course on the social institutions of society, have the opportunity to sample a wide range of service-learning experiences in and around Providence, Rhode Island. Students in the class are placed in sites that address a variety of issues connected with poverty: issues such as lack of education, poor health care, and homelessness. By serving a variety of populations affected by inter-related issues, students provide themselves and one another with greater insight into course topics. Reflection is built into the site visits students make to their sites and is encouraged through further work in class.

From Service Matters 1998: Engaging Higher Education In the Renewal of America s Communities and American Democracy