Additional thoughts on best age to introduce service

I liked Salena's Brody's discussion a March 7 on the best age to introduce
service.
There's obviously a trade-off  when raising demanding issues with younger
students. But we have a tendency in our society to defer social involvement
indefinitely. There's always some better time to take it on. I'd argue that
even if not every first year student gets all the issues we raise, it's
still worth it to begin the process as early as possible, and the to build
on it for four years. If civic involvement among young men and women really
is in crisis, and from every indication it is, then why not create a
four-year sequence where students start getting out in the community and
wrestling with how to act as citizens beginning their first year--then build
on this experience throughout the rest of their college experience.
Paul Loeb
Author Soul of a Citizen: Living With Conviction in a Cynical Time
 www.soulofacitizen.org

-----Original Message-----
From: service-learning-owner@csf.colorado.edu
[mailto:service-learning-owner@csf.colorado.edu]On Behalf Of Salena Brody
Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2002 12:49 PM
To: service learing listserve
Subject: Summary: Best age to introduce service?

Hi everyone,

As requested, here is a summary to my question about the best age to
introduce service in universities.  Thanks for all the responses, it was
extremely helpful.

Salena

What I posted:
Hi folks,

     I was hoping I could pick your brains with this question.  At UC
Santa
     Cruz, we are in the process of opening a new college with a focus
on
     Social Justice & Community.  We are planning the sequence of
courses for
     students to take, starting with a one quarter core course on social

     justice issues required for all first year students.

     My question:  From your experience, would it be developmentally
better
     to have a service-learning course immediately following the core
course
     during their first year, OR should the students wait to do the
     service-learning course until their 2nd year at the college (when
they
     are presumably more mature)?  At this point, the service-learning
course
     would not be a requirement.

     Do you think it makes any difference at what point you introduce
the
     service-learning course?  Why?

     Thanks in advance for your wisdom, insight and experience....
     Salena Brody

**********************
Respones:
**********************
Salena,

We work with service-learning projects done by folks from
Kindergarten through College. I think that there is no reason
to not use service-learning when the kids are first year
college students because they are not as mature as they
would be in a year.

I think that the counter argument might be that the best
time for them to be involved in service is when they
are less mature as it may guide them into better choices
and help them become more mature.

I would argue that if you want them to be socially active
and involved, then they should be doing this throughout
rather than in jsut one class. Why not have one class a year that
they would take with SL as a mandatory component. (When I
teach, I treat SL just as I would any other class assignment
and it isn't optional though it is closely integrated to the
classroom teaching.) Maybe a big capstone class in their
final year?

By the way, this sounds like it could be a great experience
for the students.

-will

William Morgan
Executive Director, Midwest Political Science Association
Co-Director, Center for Participation and Citizenship
210 Woodburn Hall
Bloomington, IN 47405
Tel: 812-856-4677
Fax: 812-856-7137
http://serve.indiana.edu/
http://www.mwpsa.org/

***********
Salena,

I am a subscriber to the service learning network out of general
interest.  I am a former administrator of an AmeriCorps
program known as the California YMCA/CSU PRYDE AmeriCorps.  Your request
for information popped forward on my
screen.  In response to your questions,  I think the most important
place to put the service learning course is where it may be
accompanied by a second course that focuses on reflection about the
service learning experience.  The arrangement you discuss
is similar to the concerns connected to graduate field courses in the
helping professions.  For example, in Social Work,  there is
a field course - where students go work in a service field.  However,
there is a second class called "Practice," that accompanies
the fieldwork experience.  By having both of these classes occur as
companion courses, the student has a vehicle for thinking
directly about what is going on in his/her  service experience.   This
combination is designed to assure that the "learning" remains
a companion to the "service."

If you have already worked out such a combination, please excuse.

Best regards,

John Wedemeyer.

********************************
Hi, Salena,

I'm very interested in hearing more about UC Santa Cruz's new college.
I
like to track links to these programs on my web site:
www.civicmind.com/college.htm

Are you familiar with the program at Mills College?

Wendy

*************
Salena,
In SUNY Cortland's Writing Program (and in other departments), the bulk
of the
votes go to giving the SL course immediately.  Among other benefits,
immediate
immersion in the community helps students get past some of the emotional
/
non-academic roadblocks to academic success (the "stranger in a strange
place"
feeling).  Academically, it provides many ways of making course content
relevant, so students begin to develop academic interests.

hope this helps, Salena.

john

**********************
Hi Selena,
My 2 cents worth says there is benefit in exposing students early to the

role and application of service-learning in the program, including brief

introductory projects and/or placements.  Students will benefit from the

skills and confidence gained from service-learning.  The opportunity and

expectation for deeper, fuller service-learning engagement might best
continue immediately after the introductory course so that
service-learning
has a strong foundation.

Regards,

John Guffey
Center for Service-Learning
University of New Mexico-Gallup
200 College Drive
Gallup, New Mexico  87301
505-863-7525
505-863-7717 (FAX)

***************
Salena,

Hi!  My name is Chris and I am the Community Coordinator for the
Michigan
Community Scholars Program, a living/learning program at U of M that
focuses on community service and social jsutice (as well as community).
I
am also a doctoral student at U Mass Amherst in Social Justice
Education.

Our students, primarily first year students, do service in their first
semester.  We have a membership course, the Student and the University
and
we have upperclass students lead various service projects.  I coordinate

them and help with the discussions.

I have found that service in the first year is great.  It is a challenge

because first years generally think BIG projects are the best and one
has
to go out into the community, rather than knit mittens for homeless
people, to do good service.

We have incredibly rich conversations about 1) what is service (is it
stuffing envelopes for a non profit although that is not glamorous), 2)
since the service project is two hours, should they interrupt a
community,
3) what is useful service and what are the ramifications of entering a
community if one isn't going to stay....the list goes one.

I think service is a great way for students to grasp critical concepts
in
social justice, such as institutiopnal oppression.  Those students who
have not done service have a more difficult wraping their brain around
that concept.

Hope this helps!  Chris

***********
Salena,

I strongly recommend that you don't have a separate service-learning
course but rather integrate the service-learning component into one
of the academic courses.  That's a purer form of service-learning
that is more academically rich.  At Berkeley, the s-l course you've
described would never make it through our committee on courses.

Best wishes with your work. Let me know how things turn out.

Andy


Hi Salena,

In what discipline/department is the course being offered? Who is
teaching the course (professor, graduate student, undergraduate
student)?  Are the readings rooted in the discipline?  What "drives"
the readings and primary discussions in the course:  the service
activities or the discipline-based academic curricular component?
These are the questions our committee on courses asks regarding
service-learning courses.

The rule of thumb is:  if you took away the service component, would
the course be able to stand on its own as a substantive, academically
rich, discipline-based course?

 From what I understand, you are seeking to make the service-learning
course an extension of the core course.  I can certainly understand
why you want to do that.  We've tried that on our campus, too.  But,
we have found that over the years, stand alone service-learning
courses  don't last very long and are not institutionalized for lots
of reasons I won't get into.

Well, I hope this is helpful.  I'd love to hear more about how you
decide to proceed and how everything turns out.  Good luck.

Andy

>Thanks, Andy.  We are definitely have an interest in what other UCs are
doing
>in particular.  I should explain better about what we're planning.  The
core
>course would be required for all students and would be about social
justice
>and community.  The service-learning course would still be
"academically
>rich" (readings, discussions, reflection) but would be an elective for
>students to take--presumably those who enjoyed the core course and want
to
>get involved in the community.  Students would take this course over 2
>quarters and do weekly service during this time.
>
>Do you still have reservations/comments about this set-up?---I was
especially
>concered that you mentioned that our tentative arrangment would not be
>approved at UCB.
>
>Thanks again for your insight--it really helps us in this planning
process.
>Salena
>




*****************************************
Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 12:10:15 -0500
From: Kelley Argie <kargie@mcp.edu>
To: "'sbrody@cats.ucsc.edu'" <sbrody@cats.ucsc.edu>
Subject: s-l

Salena,
   Hello my name is Kelley Argie and I coordinate the service-learning
(until July!)  and community service at the Massacusetts College of
Pharmacy
and Health Sciences.  I also have my undergraduate degree in Social
Justice.
I just read your email and my recommendation is that you have the
service-learning course the same year as the first year social justice
course.  From my experience the two are complimentary and really make a
bigger impact than done seperatly.  Of course, it would still be
beneficial
in the following years but I feel you would get the best results at all
levels and for all involved if you were to have the two expereinces int
he
same year.  I'm curious as to what others have told you.  I'm also very
interested in your program there!  It sounds like an excellent program
and
very unique.  Social justice and S-L are obvioulsy two things I am very
passsionate about and it is great to hear of what your school is doing.
Keep me updated!  Kelley

"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I
can
do something" E.E.Hale



**************************************
Date: Mon, 04 Mar 2002 12:31:43 -0500
From: Rob Rosenthal <rrosenthal@mail.wesleyan.edu>
To: Salena Brody <sbrody@cats.ucsc.edu>
Subject: Re: Best age to introduce service?

Salena: My first question would be: why can't there by more than one
such
course?  It's like saying that students in the natural sciences should
only
take one lab in their whole career.

*******
Salena, Hi.  I think the sooner the better.  Yes, of course, they'd be
more 'mature,' the second year, but they could put it all
together faster once they start going out into the field.  Sharyn