“Advanced Rhetoric” course: Writing workshops for inmates
Dr. Bill Palmer, a professor of English at Alma College, incorporated service-learning into an Advanced Rhetoric course by providing writing workshops for inmates at a local prison. The course, offered during Alma s one-month spring term, started with an orientation at the prison, where students had the chance to first encounter inmates and decide if they would take part in the service-learning project. Students worked in pairs conducting writing workshops with 4-5 inmates each. At the end of the course, the prison sponsored an essay contest in which inmates got to put their writing skills to the test. From…
Service-learning placements in a course on developmental disabilities
At Middlesex Community College, Dr. Donna Duffy teaches a class on developmental disabilities which places students in a host of service-learning placements. Students in the class take part in activities like shadowing a vision teacher at a nearby association for the blind, reading the daily news on a radio station for the blind, and assisting physically disabled children with therapeutic horseback riding. From Service Matters 1998: Engaging Higher Education In the Renewal of America s Communities and American Democracy Contact: Dr. Donna Duffy at duffyd@middlesex.cc.ma.us
The Urban Teacher Education Program
The Urban Teacher Education Program, where MCTC students enrolled in an AA degree program with a focus on urban education are given exposure in real classrooms at the elementary, middle and secondary school levels. These service-learning experiences occur in many urban schools across the Twin Cities area. Website
Cultural Anthropology course: Witnessing culture
The syllabus for Robert Franco s introductory course in Cultural Anthropology explains a set of outcomes that students are expected to achieve: for instance, understanding how anthropologists approach cultural analysis; observing differences and similarities between and within cultures, and developing a concept of culture that is applicable to local populations. Every one of these outcomes, the syllabus then explains, is best achieved through service-learning. Taking a truly anthropological perspective on service-learning, the syllabus goes on to say that you and I are equal partners in this, emphasizing that service-learning is best done through mutual understanding. Students provide at least twenty…
Performance and Social Change and Community-based theater
A version of Performance and Social Change and Community-based theater is taught to a class of 15 graduate and undergraduate students who spend 20-30 hours working with (somewhat vaguely defined) community-based theater groups. These include a program using theater to teach literacy in elementary schools, a theater company for highschool kids on the north side of Minneapolis, a few interactive theater companies, and a Latina women’s group celebrating La Posada. A lot of time is spent in the classroom asking questions about cultural colonization, social agency, and the responsibility of the artist/community to engage in mutual exchange. Also questioned is…
CIVICUS, a thematic living-learning program
CIVICUS is a thematic living-learning program which began in fall 1999 through collaboration among the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, the Department of Resident Life, and the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS). CIVICUS is based upon the concepts of leadership, citizenship, scholarship, community service and the development of a diverse community. CIVICUS Associates, the students in the program, have the unique opportunity to build a “”civil society”” in their residence hall through the study and application of these ideas. The process of creating this residential community involves all CIVICUS members and is influenced by common readings, special programs, guest…
“Human Behavior and Social Settings” course: training youth in conflict resolution
Social Work majors were trained in conflict resolution as a part of the Human Behavior and Social Settings course. The service-learning component involved these majors in conflict management for youth enrolled in the local Boys & Girls Club; Big Brothers and Big Sisters; Dudley High School; and the several youth outreach programs sponsored by Bennett College (i.e. NASA Scholars for Excellence in Mathematics, Science, Engineering and Technology , and TeensLead, the leadership program for area teens). Over 375 Greensboro, N.C. elementary, middle, and high school youth ages 8-18 have been trained in conflict resolution through this service project. The participants…
Sociology II course: Serving multiple populations
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…
Presidential address and hosting a High School Leadership Conference
On October 14, 1999, President Yanikoski delivered a major address to students, faculty, staff, alumni and trustees in commemoration of his five-year anniversary as president of Saint Xavier University. In this address, entitled “”Countering a Culture of Impermanence: Reflections on Five Years as University President,”” President Yanikoski promised to “”carry curriculum and co-curriculum into the community in ways that give students and professors meaningful opportunities to integrate theory with practice”” and to “”find more occasions to use the campus . . . as a site for discourse with the larger community of scholars, practitioners, and neighbors regarding ethical and civic…
Pedagogy and curriculum integrating community-based learning
The Evergreen State College s history demonstrates a substantial commitment to community service in academic programs and in the personal lives of faculty and staff. The five foci of Evergreen s pedagogy and curriculum (interdisciplinary study, personal engagement in learning, linking theory and practice, collaborative work, and teaching across significant differences) are integral to community-based learning. In May 1998, a Task Force studying community-based learning at Evergreen found that: In a typical year over 800 students earn credit through internships. 46% of faculty respondents said they include community-based projects in their curriculum. 68% of faculty respondents include other forms of…
Student Leadership Institute
The Office of Student Involvement fosters learning and success by providing opportunities for engagement through a wide variety of campus activities and organizations, holistic and intentional advising of student leaders, and the development of purposeful and mutually beneficial partnerships across the university and the City of Chicago to maximize access to resources for a rich DePaul campus experience. Website
Self and Community Course
A required year-long course for all students, the curriculum has been designed by faculty to help students explore their personal character, spiritual and philosophical issues, and family life in a rapidly changing and complex society. Website
Personal Development Portfolio
Students taking PDP 150, the first-year program at Bridgewater, are required to compile a “”Personal Development Portfolio””, which requires students to set personal goals in each of eight personal dimensions: academics, citizenship, cultural awareness, aesthetics, ethical development, leadership, social relationships, and wellness. Students are required to participate in community service projects and participate in activities and programs to fulfull the requirements of each of the eight dimensions. Contact: W. Steve Watson at swatson@bridgewater.edu Website
Personal Honor on Public Display
In order to promote the Bridgewater College Honor Code values of personal honor, integrity, and respect for the word of another, Bridgewater College engages in the unique practice of displaying framed statements about personal honor in all classrooms. The Honor System is controlled and administered by the Honor Council, which is a part of the student government. E-mail: William E. Abshire, Ph.D. at wabshire@bridgewater.edu
Virginia Women’s Institute for Leadership
Mary Baldwin College created the Virginia Women’s Institute for Leadership to promote leadership development by integrating academic and co-curricular activities. VWIL is the only college program for women that combines leadership education, military training, physical training, and character development in a comprehensive curriculum. Components of the program include community service projects, leadership challenges, military leadership training and experience in implementing and administering the program. Website
Public Policy: The Homeless
The University of San Francisco’s public policy course on the homeless integrates service, participation in the political process and community needs and concerns. Guided by Professor of Politics, Roberta Ann Johnson, and SIster Marie Ignatius Clune of campus ministry, students serve the San Francisco homeless population for a minimum of four hours per week for eleven weeks in addition to the accompanying 3-unit course. The course also included readings and guest lectures by a government agency representative, shelter coordinators and advocates for the homeless. Students kept journals to evaluate their efforts and to relate their volunteer experiences. According to Professor…
Senior Integrative Seminar in Women’s Studies
The Senior Integrative Seminar in Women’s Studies is an interdisciplinary course which draws from scholarship in history, English, philosophy, political science, psychology, and religion. The course is designed to serve as a “”capstone”” experience for women’s studies majors and graduating seniors interested in women’s issues. Through service-learning, students are encouraged to draw connections between the personal and the political and to recognize that ultimately, the status of women depends on the collaboration and creativity of women working together across the boundaries of race, class, and sexual orientation. The service-learning component of the course concentrates on promoting education and providing assistance…
Theology: Service and Christianity
Community service is strongly rooted in virtually all religious traditions. At St. Francis College, students learn to see the connection between service and Christianity in a variety of ways. Service-learning courses and research are peppered throughout the religious studies department. In Religion as Community Activism, students study and research the connection between values and action as they serve disabled children and adults at a nearby center. In Human Sexuality and Christian Marriage, students study issues of culture, ethnicity, and gender while serving at the local women s shelter or Take Back the Night program. All of this begins with a…
The Great River Greening Project: urban land restoration projects
The Great River Greening Project, a non-profit community-based organization, where biology students will participate in urban land restoration projects. This project is paired with the “”Race to Save the Planet”” learning community, an integration of the Environmental Science, Ethics, and Environment, Politics and Society courses into one interdisciplinary course. The Great River Greening Project
The Program for Ethics, Science, and the Environment
The program for Ethics, Science, and the Environment assists students to understand and resolve value conflicts raised by scientific inquiry, biotechnology, and natural resource use. Programs include an applied ethics certificate offered to undergraduate students, workshops on ethics for local high school students and civic organizations, a biweekly student-faculty discussion forum, and a newsletter with articles writen by professors and religious leaders which express varying views on critical moral issues. Website
Related Content
Videos & Presentations
Virtual Symposium: Anti-Racist Community
Syllabi Archive
Submit a Syllabus for the Archive
External Websites
Renewing Democracy Teaching Collection
Books
Community Colleges for Democracy: Aligni
Knowledge Hubs
Community-Engaged Learning and Teaching
Knowledge Hubs
Electoral Engagement in Community Colleg
Civic Action Plans
University of Mary Washington Civic Acti
Books
Creating Space for Democracy: A Primer o
Books
The Craft of Community-Engaged Teaching
Books & Publications
National Issues Forums Issue Guide: A Ho