Service Learning: College of Arts and Sciences

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• Service Learning College of Arts and Sciences
• Villanova University

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Why Service Learning?

• ..because the university needs abundant
  resources for is subsistence and growth, it has a
  tendency to situate itself in the world of power
  economic, political, or ecclesiastical powerBut
  the most important thing is that this incarnation
  amid power tends to distance the university form
  social reality as lived by the poorest and most
  marginalized. Incarnation in a world of power
  leads to a disincarnation from the social world
  of the majority and, in a Christina sense, from
  the social world most demanded by faith and most
  apt for living out of Christian inspiration.
  Ellacuria, Ignacio, John Sobrino. Companions of
  Jesus. New York Orbis 1990, p154

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• we as an intellectual community must analyze
  causes, use imagination and creativity together
  to discover remedies communicate to our
  constituencies a consciousness that inspires the
  freedom of self-determination educate
  professional with a conscience, who will be the
  immediate instruments of such transformation
• and continually hone an educational institution
  that is excellent and ethically oriented.
  Ellacuria, Ignacio and John Sobrino. Companions
  of Jesus. New York Orbis 1990, p149.

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• Service-learning placements also give theology
  students an entrée into multiple cultural worlds
  so that they can become conscious of their own
  cultural biases. It also helps students to avoid
  the lurking danger of complete relativism, the
  postmodern mistrust of all meta-narrative and any
  normativity and the surrender to utiliatarian
  individualism.

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Paul Fitzgerald SJ, Doing Theology in the
City. Cross Currents vol.51, No.1 spring 2001,
p.4

• The cry of the poor for justice and for bread,
  as challenging as it may be (especially if is
  obliges a person to renounce advantage comfort
  and power voluntarily, gains credibility when It
  is heard directly from the poor, and form poor
  people whose humanity has become manifest through
  sustained conversation.

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Service Learning is..

• Pedagogical style which engages students in the
  community. Students participate in service
  activity, research or a combination to meet the
  needs of a poor community as they are defined by
  that community. Students will integrate that
  service into their coursework with direction from
  the faculty member teaching the course. This
  type of learning requires reflection on their
  experience in an organized manner through
  discussion and journals. Students will serve,
  reflect and give the community the benefits of
  their study.

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Service Learning is

• Experiential Education (Dewey-Learning occurs
  through cycle of action and reflection)
• Improve depth of a particular field of knowledge
• Improves self directed life long learning

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• Service Learning is Faith and Mission in Action
• Making connections to the Mission of the
  University as it seeks to promote justice in the
  world.
• Caring for the Common Good
• Promotes Spiritual Growth
• Finding common humanity in diversity through
  personal connections
• Preferential Option for the Poor
• Living Catholic Social Teaching
• Developing values

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Service Learning Develops Citizenship

• ? Requires reflection on issues that concern the
  community
• ? Promotes a commitment to improve conditions in
  the world
• ? Seeks to increase Community/Political
  engagement
• ? Desires Reciprocity
• ? Develops Leadership

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And Promotes Ethical and Moral Development

• Judging the quality of a college education by
  asking if students see the connection between
  what they learn and how they live, looking for
  the deeper significance, for the moral dilemmas
  of and the ethical responses. The college
  succeeds if its graduates are inspired by a
  larger vision, using the knowledge that have
  acquired to form values and advance the common
  good. (Boyer, page 296)

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What are the benefits of Service Learning

• Student like service Learning. Students value
  the connection of their passion to their
  learning when the personal and the intellectual
  are connected. Where is the Service in Service
  Learning. Eyler and Giles
• Increased interaction with faculty (Astin Sax
  1998)
• Greater relevance of coursework to career
  clarification (Keen, Keen, 1998)
• Stronger commitment to social responsibility
  (AstinSax, Gray,1999)
• Improved ability to think critically about
  complex problems (Batchelder and Root 1994)
• Increased racial understanding (Vogelgesang and
  Astin)
• Increased satisfaction with learning experience
  (Gray et al 1998)
• Spiritual Growth

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Role of the Office of Service Learning

• Provide context for service Making faculty
  aware of placement possibilities.
• Build community partnerships
• Coordinate transportation, reflection sessions
  outside the classroom, keeping track of student
  hours of service
• Teaching Pure Service Learning Course
• Provide service learning pedagogy workshops for
  faculty
• Working with Office of Internships for service
  learning opportunities
• Working with Office of International Studies to
  Include service learning opportunities for
  students who wish to study abroad.
• Working with disciplines, majors and minors to
  find programs that fit the needs of the students
  and their intended careers.

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What the office can do for faculty?

• We hope to offer a three day workshop for faculty
  
• Pedagogy of service learning
• Course construction
• Meeting community partners and assessing needs
• Resources and guidelines for reflection
• Guidelines for Assessment

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Faculty Advisory Council

• There is advisory council which will guide and
  direct the program as it seeks to become and
  integral part of the College of Arts and Sciences
  and Villanova University.

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Student Roles

• Making Meaning of the Experience Students will
  be trained to facilitate reflection.
• Students will become part of community
  partnership
• Students will promote service learning classes

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Elements of Service Learning Course construction

• Service must be an expressed goal
• Describe how the service experience will be
  measured
• Description of placement
• Describes how students will demonstrate the
  knowledge learned in the placement
• Service must be linked to course content
• Description of reflective process
• Expectations of public dissemination of work
• Heffernan, Kerrissa,Ed.D
• Fundamental of Service-Learning Course
  Construction Campus Compact, 2001, p9

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Assessment

• Faculty
• Student
• Community Agency
• College

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Sample Course Proposals

• Course Title Peace initiatives and conflict
  resolution
• Course in Peace and Justice on Peace initiative
  and conflict resolution
• Service Internship Students in above course
  would be offered an optional service learning
  experience in Corrymeela, NI or training from the
  Good Shepherd mediation program in Philadelphia.
• Service to local Community These students would
  be required to give 3-4 work shops upon return
  for members of the local community. I.e.
  workshop for peaceful conflict resolution for
  inner city youth, prisoners returning to society
  (Norristown Hospitality Center) and on campus.

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Service Learning Course

• Goals Service Learning as pedagogy, exploring
  the fundamental concepts as well as the effects
  of praxis and reciprocity on the community. This
  course will Explore the notion of civic and
  social responsibility.
• Project Each student in the class would be
  paired with an Olney High School Student to work
  on a project with the same theme that would be
  beneficial to the community. Our students would
  teach research and writing skills, take Olney
  students on a tour of the library and research
  together. (Michelle Grimely, Olney Service
  Learning)
• Reciprocity Students would present projects at
  High School and here at Villanova.

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Other Projects Under Consideration

• English Literature Shared book program
• Spanish Acclamo Organization supporting farm
  workers and immigrants
• Criminal Justice Adult Literacyfemale juvenile
  in court system. (this program may be paired with
  a similar service learning project in London
  through EUSA)
• Partnership with Science and Theatre Magic
  Program through Math/engineering education with
  gifted program in Olney public schools
• Partnerships with study abroad programs in
  London, Galway and Northern Ireland. Increase
  Service Learning study abroad.
• Service Learning Internships Catholic Relief
  Services, PIH
• Student teaching on Native American Reservation.

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More reflections

• The greatest irony is that I had to experience
  their deprivation and suffering to hear those
  more subtle sounds of suffering in our own
  society and lives The greatest beauty is that
  only through the mutual discovery and relief of
  suffering, and by the grace of their
  transcendent, liberating, and redemptive love,
  can we reach the potential to which humans are
  called. J. Trufant BSN 01

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• I was overcome with questions. Whose fault is
  this? What is my role in this situation? Have I
  contributed to the problem? What is my
  responsibility to change this? Can I change
  this? I began to form my own opinions. The
  poverty, crime, and treatment of the Mexicans are
  inhumane. Nobody should have to live like that
  and endure that life. It left me with the
  question, when and what privileges are we, am I,
  willing and ready to sacrifice so that million of
  others can have a decent life. Ryan Vealy, 05

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• I am changed forever. I look at all people
  differently now. Sometimes for better, sometimes
  for worse. I see more clearly than ever the
  widespread apathy and powerlessness that people
  feel when I comes to social change. It infuriates
  me, filling my heat with a pain so deep I cannot
  bear it. It is this pain, which is with me
  always, which moves me to act. I did not allow
  myself to be empowered to experience what real
  change can happen when people interact with love
  and good will in their hearts. I did not want to
  know how difficult life is for people in South
  African townships, I didnt want to know how many
  of our Villanova University garments are made by
  women and children in horrible conditions, and I
  certainly did not want to know how widespread
  racial discriminating is, from Cape town to
  Philadelphia. The point is, however, that I am a
  bettered person for it, I am a changed person. I
  know that I can fight to change these problems.
  Actions must come, but it must arise in a knowing
  mind, a loving heat and a caring spirit. Only
  then can we be sure we work for everyone. Neil
  Barratt VU, BA 02

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• Corruption, capitalism and labor exploitation has
  created this unequal distribution of love and
  resources. I hope to change this one day. I want
  to become the president of Venezuela, and one day
  I will give back to my people what they gave me
  sense of belonging in this loving world. B.
  Singer VU 04

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College of Arts and SciencesOffice of Service
Learning

• Villanova University
• February 2006
• Noreen Cameron
• Mary Aiello

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Student reflections form Service

• ..this improved my leadership and communication
  skills...gave me a whole new perspective on life,
  taught me that money is not all that matters, and
  I should live life to the fullest. I am going to
  open minded, accepting of people, putting huge
  sums of money back to give back to society and
  love.

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Needs

• Community Partners
• Transportation
• Grants and fellowship money for students and
  faculty.
• Faculty incentives for teaching service learning
• Web Site
• Faculty advisory board