Following the environmental theme of this course, the service-learning project pairs student interests with community partners of their own choosing, all with the aim of addressing a specific environmental concern. This project is based largely on concepts from Thomas Deans' Writing and Community Action. Chapters from this text are posted on eLearning and will be discussed in class.
The Process
The grade for this project is divided among focused discussion posts and actual work that you will do for the client. As outlined in Deans' Writing and Community Action, the following steps are recommended in this process:
The grade for this project is divided among focused discussion posts and actual work that you will do for the client. As outlined in Deans' Writing and Community Action, the following steps are recommended in this process:
- explore community needs and project options
- investigate community organization and its context
- build a relationship with community partner
- understand your audience
- generate a "letter of understanding" to articulate the work you will provide and schedule you will keep for this project (Deans 353)
- present an overview of your project to the class
- complete the work
Communication underlies all elements of this process. If you have not done so already, it is crucial that you contact your community partner and begin discussion, where you both articulate your interests and listen to what they need.
The Deliverables
This project is inherently open-ended in terms of its scope, in large part because community partners have different needs and timelines. Do not let this frustrate you or prevent you from staying on task.
Required preliminary documents -- to be posted on the Google Drive in your "service learning project" folder -- include:
- list of questions for interviewing community partner (see Deans 352 for outline): 19 October
- draft one: letter of understanding 26 October
- revised/final draft: letter of understanding: 2 November
While discussion posts will be ongoing, all deliverables for this project (i.e. the actual work you'll be doing and evidence of that work) will be articulated in a one-page document that includes a blend of text and images. This document will be due on the day of the scheduled final exam for the course as detailed below:
In the last week of class, you will also prepare a brief presentation about your project to the class. Details forthcoming.
We WILL NOT meet during the exam period. Include the following information in this document:
- 11 a.m. TR class: Tuesday, 12 December, 11:59 p.m.
- 2 p.m. TR class: Tuesday, 12 December, 11:59 p.m.
In the last week of class, you will also prepare a brief presentation about your project to the class. Details forthcoming.
We WILL NOT meet during the exam period. Include the following information in this document:
- your name
- title of your project
- name/contact information of community partner
- description of the project including timeline
- photos of your progress with captions
- a "what's next" section to describe the sustainability of your project
