Courses with a Service-Learning Component
Here are some of the academic service-learning opportunities that will be offered during Spring 2012. Faculty members teaching these courses have included a brief description of the service-learning projects in their courses. This list will be updated as new courses are designated.
FALL 2012:
Students in Dina Gavrilos’ Advertising and Public Relations Campaigns (COJO 470) will create a communication campaign for a “real-world” client. They will work on behalf of a non-profit organization or social cause that serves the community in which they live and work. This service-learning approach will allow them to build their advertising and public relations skills while learning more about issues and most vulnerable publics in the community.
Students in Susan Callaway’s Theory and Practice of Writing for Peer Consultants (ENGL 300) will observe and affect the literacy development of refugee and immigrant students at Wellstone International High School in Minneapolis and Hmong College Prep Academy in St. Paul. The project will be fully integrated into the course and include time at the sites working with individuals and teachers in classrooms. Students will spend time on training, orientation and reflection. They will keep field notes in an online journal and write final reflection papers and letters to the school about their experiences.
Students in Susan Callaway’s Intensive Writing (ENGL 110) will observe and affect the literacy development of refugee and immigrant students at Wellstone International High School in Minneapolis and Hmong College Prep Academy in St. Paul. The project will be fully integrated into the course and include time at the sites working with individuals and teachers in classrooms. Students will spend time on training, orientation and reflection. They will keep field notes in an online journal and write final reflection papers and letters to the school about their experiences.
Students in Susan Callaway’s Theory and Practice of Writing for Graduate Peer Consultants (GENG 598) will observe and affect the literacy development of refugee and immigrant students at Wellstone International High School in Minneapolis and Hmong College Prep Academy in St. Paul. The project will be fully integrated into the course and include time at the sites working with individuals and teachers in classrooms. Students will spend time on training, orientation and reflection. They will keep field notes in an online journal and write final reflection papers and letters to the school about their experiences.
Students in Susan Myers’ Women in the Early Church (THEO 431-01) will work with local women’s organizations to compare the situations of modern women with those of ancient women about whom they read. Students will also reflect on the ways in which women—both ancient and modern—are empowered and silenced. This course is also a Women’s Studies course.
Students in Nekima Levy-Pounds and Artika Tyner's Community Justice Project (LAWS 941-01) will focus on bridge-building with community stakeholders and problem solving in communities of color. Students will gain valuable advocacy, legal research, writing, litigation and outreach skills. Students in the practice group will be agents of change to ensure that justice is obtained for underserved members of the community.
Students in Carol Bruess’ Family Communication (COJO 472) will conduct oral histories with residents at Rosewood Estate, a local assisted-living facility. Each student will write an oral history of an elder’s life. This project and partnership has been sustained for over 12 years.
Students in Communication and Citizenship (COJO 111-01) will work on a variety of academic projects with ninth grade English students at Cristo Rey High School. They will work collaboratively to explore their obligations and voices as citizens. Through the partnership, COJO 111 students will explore the nature of being mindful, ethical, and thoughtful citizen-communicators while working side-by-side Cristo Rey students; Cristo Rey students will heighten their awareness and skills as citizen-communicators as well. While advancing their understanding of effective communication, the high school students will continue to explore the notion/ideas/possibilities of "college" as they "get to know" a few college students in their UST partners.
Students in Bernard Armada’s Argumentation & Advocacy (COJO 276, section 1) course will prepare a speech in which they analyze and evaluate the cogency of a persuasive public message that deals with the topic of HIV/AIDS and identify any fallacies that diminish the message’s cogency. Students will also craft an argument via a letter to either a legislator or a newspaper dealing with any issue related to HIV/AIDS. Those who mail their letters will have their assignment grade raised for participating actively in public life.
Students in Michael Raimondi's English Critical Thinking (ENGL 121, section 37) class will focus on literary non-fiction, drama, and poetry including critical writing in connection with sixth grade students from College Preparatory Elementary (CPE) in St. Paul. UST students will work together with CPE students to document oral histories of their families' journeys to Minnesota applying academic concepts in their writing.
Students in Sherry Jordon’s Women and the Christian Tradition (THEO 429, section 01) class will work with the Jeremiah Program which seeks to transform the lives of single mothers and their children by providing housing, child care, empowerment training, and life skills. Students will be asked to integrate this experience with the academic content of the course. As a bridge course, Women and the Christian Tradition brings a theological viewpoint to bear upon social issues related to gender. As a human diversity course, it addresses how power and privilege operate at the institutional/systemic level. As a women’s studies course, it includes a critical examination of social forces shaping the situation of women and a discussion of strategies for the improvement of women’s situations and status.
Students in Lisa Waldner’s Sociological Analysis (SOCI 220, section 01) will analyze data and prepare a presentation for the staff of The Family Partnership regarding community stakeholder perceptions of services provided by TFP.
Students in John Del Vecchio’s Business Law for Accounting (BLAW 301-01&02) will participate in "Field Education,” an experiential learning process that connects collegiate legal studies in business students to the operation of the American legal system in practice. As an extracurricular component to the classroom, students are required to observe and assist volunteer attorneys counsel lower income individuals who are representing themselves in legal matters, think about what they saw and write about their experience. Community partnerships include work with Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS), Volunteer Lawyers Network, Dakota County Law Library Family Law Clinic Program, and The Dignity Center.
Students in John Del Vecchio’s Marketing Law (BLAW 403 01) will participate in "Field Education,” an experiential learning process that connects collegiate legal studies in business students to the operation of the American legal system in practice. As an extracurricular component to the classroom, students are required to observe and assist volunteer attorneys counsel lower income individuals who are representing themselves in legal matters, think about what they saw and write about their experience. Community partnerships include work with Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS), Volunteer Lawyers Network, Dakota County Law Library Family Law Clinic Program, and The Dignity Center.
Students in Ernest Owen’s Project Management (MGMT 384 01) will conduct a project with a community partner for the semester to achieve a business outcome of the sponsors choosing. Through this service-learning experience, students will also learn about the basic principles of project management, timelines, customer/client satisfaction, and collaboration. Students will work with various community partners throughout the term.
Students in Ernest Owen’s Project Management (MGMT 623 225) will conduct a project with a community partner for the semester to achieve a business outcome of the sponsors choosing. Through this service-learning experience, students will also learn about the basic principles of project management, timelines, customer/client satisfaction, and collaboration. Students will work with various community partners throughout the term.
Students in Sonia Rey-Montejo’s Advanced Spanish Grammar (SPAN 300 02) will be required to get involved with the Twin Cities Latino community by working hand-in-hand with one local organization from a variety of Hispanic Community Partners during the duration of the semester. Students will engage in reflective writing, and will create a final reflection project and an oral presentation.
Students in Elise Amel’s Psychology and Work (PSYC 342 01) will design a training system for the City of St. Paul Park and Rec Department. This will entail meeting with Park and Rec Personnel, examining their records and documentation, searching for best practices from other Park and Rec Departments and using course principles to design a training program that includes job analysis, training materials and assessment plans. Prerequisites: PSYC 111 and junior standing
SUMMER 2012
Students in Tatyana Avdeyeva’s Theories of Career Development (CPSY 605) will provide career assessment and brief career counseling to juvenile delinquent males at Boys Totem Town. During the course of these field trips, they will meet with their volunteer BTT clients to conduct a career interview, interpret results of two career inventories and provide career resources and guidance. This work will be carried out in small groups. In addition, students will develop handouts containing summaries of test results and information about world of work, scholarships and educational opportunities. These handouts will be tied to the individual needs of each client; they will also be shared with BTT staff who are invited to integrate the information in their further work with the BTT clients.
Students in Kathleen Schaefers’ Theories of Career Development (CPSY 605-02) will provide career assessment and brief career counseling to participants in the Jeremiah Program, a residential, multifaceted program targeting single mothers who are college students. They will meet with volunteer residents from the Jeremiah Program for a total of three times. UST students will conduct career interviews, interpret results of two career inventories, and provide clients with career resources and guidance. This work will be carried out in small groups. In addition, students will develop handouts containing summaries of test results and information about world of work, scholarships and educational opportunities. These handouts will be tied to the individual needs of each client. Students may also incorporate additional learning experiences, such as helping with a job transition project called Jeremiah Works! and/or a career and life skills training program.
Students in Kimberly Vrudny’s Christian Belief: Ancient and Contemporary (THEO 200) will explore systematic theology, a discipline that tries to understand the origins of Christian doctrines, their contemporary expression, and manners in which the different doctrines are interrelated. The course will consider perspectives of theologians who are calling for expansions of the doctrinal definitions based on a plurality of understandings and experiences informed especially by diverse ethic backgrounds and economic situations. Students will delve more deeply into questions of the nature of sin and forgiveness through their work at Open Arms of Minnesota, where they will participate in three different aspects of the organization’s mission by growing, preparing and delivering food to people with life-limiting illnesses.
Students in John Del Vecchio’s The Legal Environment of Business (BLAW 301-02) will participate in "Field Education,"an experiential learning process that connects collegiate legal studies in business students to the operation of the American legal system in practice. As an extracurricular component to the classroom, students are required to observe and assist volunteer attorneys counsel lower income individuals who are representing themselves in legal matters, think about what they saw and write about their experience.
SPRING 2012:
Students in Susan Myers’ Women in the Early Church (THEO 431-01) will work with a local women’s organization to compare the situations of modern women with those of ancient women about whom they read. Students will also reflect on the ways in which women—both ancient and modern—are empowered and silenced. This course is also a Women’s Studies course.
Students in Lauren Braswell’s Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy (PSY 428) will complete an orientation at Regions Hospital and then have ten two-hour visits with their selected inpatient psychiatric units at the hospital. Activities will include visiting with and playing cards and board games with the patients, sitting in on unit wellness and occupational therapy groups, and speaking with unit staff; the mix of these activities will vary with the time selected for participation.
Students in Tim Scully’s TV Field Production (COJO 360-01) will explore the aesthetic and technical components associated with the production of video projects outside of the television studio. They will examine current theory and practice of field production and will engage in the conceptualization, execution and analysis of field-produced video.
Students in John Del Vecchio’s Legal Environment/Business (BLAW 301-02) will participate in “Field Education,” an experiential learning process that connects collegiate legal studies in business to the operation of the American legal system in practice. As an extracurricular component to the classroom, students will observe and assist volunteer attorneys as they counsel lower-income individuals who are representing themselves in legal matters. They will reflect on and write about their experiences.
Students in Communication and Citizenship (COJO 111-01) will work on a variety of academic projects with ninth grade English students at Cristo Rey High School. They will work collaboratively to explore their obligations and voices as citizens through a two-month long project. Through this partnership, they will explore the nature of being mindful, ethical, and thoughtful citizen-communicators while working side-by-side Cristo Rey students. Cristo Rey students will heighten their awareness and skills as citizen-communicators as well. While advancing their understanding of persuasive communication, they will continue to explore the notion/ideas/possibilities of "college" as they "get to know" a few college students in their UST partners.
Students in Nekima Levy-Pound’s Community Justice Project (LAWS 941, LAWS 944) will focus on bridge-building with community stakeholders and problem-solving in distressed communities. Students will gain valuable advocacy, legal research and writing, litigation and outreach skills. Students in the practice group will be agents of change to ensure that justice is obtained for underserved members of the community.
Students in Michael Raimondi’s The Summer Game: Baseball Literature (ENG 203-08) will work with inner-city sixth-grade students to explore and examine great baseball writing, including topics in baseball and social issues, baseball and language, baseball in fiction and poetry, and baseball in drama. They will read works by men and women who love the game and write about it passionately.
Students in Jennifer McGuire’s Environmental Problem Solving (ESCI 310-01) will explore methods for solving the environmental problems that face society. These problems are, by nature, interdisciplinary and rarely addressed in a substantive fashion in traditional science courses and textbooks. Every semester tackles a different, current societal concern from a rigorous scientific perspective but also from the perspective of those in business, journalism, and law/public policy. Students will learn to educate themselves about the selected program using scientific tools, including quantitative models that enable them to evaluate possible solutions. Then they will work with various community partners to develop the ability to effectively communicate scientific findings to a group of education non-scientists in various practical settings. This course will give them the skills to advance the common good by addressing tough environmental problems.
Students in Sonia Rey-Montejo’s Advanced Spanish Grammar (SPAN 300-02) will work hand-in-hand with the Latino community of the Twin Cities. Each student will choose a local organization from a variety of Hispanic community partners, including the St. Paul Spanish Conversation Group and Mentoring Peace Through Art. As they interact with their community partners, students will engage in reflective writing and ultimately create final projects that include oral presentations.
Students in Susan Callaway’s Theory and Practice of Writing (ENGL 300-01) will observe and affect the literacy development of refugee and immigrant students at Wellstone International High School in Minneapolis or at Hmong College Prep Academy in St. Paul. The project will be fully integrated into the course and include time at the sites working with individuals and teachers in classrooms. In class students will spend time on training, orientation and reflection. They will keep field notes in an online journal and write a final reflection paper and a letter to the school about their experiences.
Students in Bernard Brady's Christian Morality Honors (THEO 215, section 41) class will engage in the community through Open Arms of Minnesota, a local organization that provides meals for people living with HIV/AIDS, ALS, MS, and breast cancer in the Twin Cities.
Students in Karin Roof’s Marketing Medical Technology (MKTG 714) will provide "consulting on research" services for a non-profit entity in the healthcare arena by developing a business plan and development approach for introducing beneficial new technologies into non-profit care entities. Students will evaluate one of two new medical technologies with respect to their utility for one of two different community partners. They will assess the technology’s value to patient, provider, and payor stakeholders, develop the "business plan" analysis for implementing the technology, and develop the "marketing plan" to achieve full adoption for the technology with the community partner over the course of the 14-week semester.
Past Courses with a Service-Learning Component:
Students in Kimberly Vrudny’s Christian Belief: Ancient and Contemporary (THEO 200-01) will ask questions of an ultimate nature and study diverse responses from within the Christian tradition. Human suffering is among the issues they will examine. In order to ground their conversations in a common experience, students will prepare meals for and deliver meals to clients of Open Arms of Minnesota, an organization that provides meals for families impacted by HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, ALS, MS and other chronic or life-limiting conditions in the Twin Cities. Students will read about systems that make people vulnerable to illness as they try to understand compassion-based approaches to Christian life in the modern day.
Students in Susan Myers’ Women in the Early Church (THEO 431-01) will work with a local women’s organization to compare the situations of modern women with those of ancient women about whom they read. Students will also reflect on the ways in which women—both ancient and modern—are empowered and silenced. This course is also a Women’s Studies course.
Students in Colin Martin’s Biology of HIV/AIDS (BIOL 295-01) will learn about the history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, how the virus infects humans and causes its symptoms, and what research and prevention efforts are being done to combat a disease that currently infects more than 30 million people worldwide. Students will also look beyond the statistics and science to learn what it is like to live with HIV/AIDS by working with the non-profit organization Open Arms of Minnesota, which delivers food to people living with AIDS. This activity will help students understand the importance of nutrition and diet in managing HIV infections and what barriers to healthy living people with AIDS may face.
Students in Gerald Schlabach’s The Church in Latin America (THEO 455-01),a study abroad program in Guatemala, will work with San Lucas Toliman parish on various activities, such as providing childcare, constructing lights, picking coffee, and preparing saplings for reforestation projects. The service-learning component will complement their study and analysis of the various forms of Christianity in Latin American history.
Students in Business 200: Learning Through Service (BUS200) engages students in the partnerships that are necessary between business and community to ensure the long-term health and vitality of both. Students provide 40 hours of non-paid service in a non-profit organization, which is consistent with the mission of the university. During their service students engage in reflective writing; exploration of non-profits as businesses, both to benefit development of the students’ professional skills and to allow students to consider the non-profit setting for their career paths; three learning seminars; and the creation of a final reflection project. Documentation is required to verify students’ arrangement for their service and the completion of their required hours. Students are encouraged to begin BUS200 during the second semester of their sophomore or first semester of their junior years.
Students in Communication & Citizenship (COJO 111, section 01) will work on a variety of collaborative academic projects with students at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School centered in Cristo Rey’s ninth grade English curriculum. We will work collaboratively to explore our obligations and voices as citizens through construction of persuasive essays and letters to community leaders. Students in COJO 111 will be exploring, through this partnership, the nature of being a mindful, ethical, and thoughtful citizen-communicator while working side-by-side Cristo Rey students; Cristo Rey students will heighten their awareness and skills as citizen-communicators as well -- while advancing their understanding of persuasive communication -- they will also continue to explore the notion/ideas/possibilities of "college" as they "get to know" a few college students in their UST partners.
Students in Bernard Armada's Argumentation & Advocacy (COJO 276, section 01) will develop both your oral and written advocacy skills by participating in debates and writing argumentative letters that apply logic and evidence to rational decision-making. This course is designed to help you become better creators and consumers of arguments in everyday life. It is designed to sharpen your critical thinking skills as it teaches you to examine written, spoken, and mass-mediated messages with greater care than ordinary. 1) HIV/AIDS Message Analysis Speech: One of the main objectives of this class is to develop a more critical stance toward the arguments we encounter in daily life. To this end, you will prepare a 5-minute speech in which you analyze and evaluate the cogency of a persuasive public message that deals with the issue of HIV/AIDS (e.g. a TV or radio public service announcement, newspaper editorial, scene from a fictional film, scene from a documentary, website, etc.). 2) HIV/AIDS Advocacy Letter Assignment: For your final graded assignment, you will craft an argument in the form of a letter addressed either to: (a) a Minnesota State Legislator or; (b) a local Minnesota newspaper (Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, a publication from your hometown, etc.). The letter will deal with the issue of HIV/AIDS, but you are free to choose any topic within this broad worldwide problem. Also, although you are not required to actually mail your letter, anyone who does so will have his/her assignment grade raised by one-half letter for actively participating in public life.
Students in Dina Gavrilos’ Advertising and Public Relations Campaigns (COJO 470, section 01) course will work on developing an advertising/public relations campaign plan for a community organization that will serve as the "client." The students will meet with the client throughout the semester to formulate the plan and then present the final campaign strategies to the client at the end of the semester.
Students in Carol Bruess’ Family Communication (COJO 472, section 01) course will meet and conduct interviews - oral histories - with elderly residents at a local assisted-living facility, Rosewood Estate of Highland Park, writing a family/personal history of an individual and/or couple's life. This project and partnership has been sustained for over 12 years.
Students in Susan Callaway’s Intensive Writing (ENGL 110, section P1) class will observe and affect the literacy development of refugees and immigrants in a local elementary, middle school, or high school. This project will be fully integrated into the course and include time at the site throughout the semester and in class for: training, orientation, and reflection; field notes kept in an online journal; a final reflection paper; and a letter to the school about your experiences. This course is paired with SOC 100, which will also inform how we discuss and write about this project.
Students in Michael Raimondi's Critical Thinking: Literature and Writing (ENGL 121, section 28) class will focus on literary non-fiction, drama, and poetry including critical writing in connection with sixth grade students from College Preparatory Elementary (CPE) in St. Paul. CPE is a charter school that serves predominantly Hmong and Karen students from families with limited incomes. UST students will work together with CPE students to document oral histories of their families' journeys to Minnesota applying academic concepts in their writing.
Consultants-in-training in Susan Callaway’s Theory and Practice of Writing (ENGL 300, section 02) class will observe and support the literacy development of refugees and immigrants at Wellstone International High School in Minneapolis. This project will be fully integrated into the course and include time at the site throughout the semester and in class for: training, orientation, and reflection; field notes kept in an online journal; a final reflection paper; and a letter to the school about your experiences. This course is designed for students who have been hired the previous spring semester to work in the Center for Writing, our campus-wide writing center.
Students in Erika Scheurer’s Theory and Practice of Writing (ENGL 300, section 01) class will have the opportunity to support students at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in their development as readers and writers. In their writing for the course, students will integrate the composition theory they are learning with their experience tutoring at the school.
Students in Christina Meyer-Jax’s Nutrition for Health and Fitness (HLTH 345, sections 01, 03) class will apply what we are studying through a service-learning project in the areas of child nutrition, sustainable food systems, or food insecurity issues with a not-for-profit organization or local school.
Students in Nekima Levy-Pound’s Law Clinic - Community Justice Project (LAWS 941, LAWS 944 Advanced Law Clinic) will develop advocacy, legal research and writing, litigation, and outreach skills while working with community stakeholders to promote justice in local distressed communities.
Students in Heidi Giebel’s Introductory Ethics (PHIL 214, sections 04, 05, 07) classes will spend a total of ten hours on at least three different days learning about one of several ethical issues such as homelessness, HIV/AIDS, or conservation through work with a local non-profit organization (there will be a choice among several community partners). We will also schedule a two-hour group project related to world hunger with Feed My Starving Children.
Students in John Tauer’s Cross-Cultural Psychology (PSYC 151, section 01) class will work with Service Adventure Leadership Team - Volunteers of America High School (SALT/VOA) students in Minneapolis on a project designed to help them with college preparation. Most of the students at SALT/VOA do not come from backgrounds where attending college is the norm.
Students in Meg Wilkes Karraker’s Introduction to Sociology (SOCI 100, section 06) class will partner with Gethsemane Episcopal Church in downtown Minneapolis. Opportunities include staffing Gethsemane's Shelf of Hope (a food shelf), interviewing clients, working with a one stop medical program, or working with Downtown Congregations to End Homelessness. Students with client-service, management, or social justice interests and skills are most welcome in this section! The final product will be a line on a resume and a 1500-2000 word white paper: what you have learned and where do we go from here.
Students in Peter Parilla’s Introduction to Sociology (SOCI 100, section P1) class will observe and analyze cultural traits and characteristics of refugees and immigrants while assisting teachers
in a local elementary, middle school, or high school. This project will be fully integrated into the course and include time at the site throughout the semester and in class for: training, orientation, and reflection. Students will maintain an analytical journal and eventually write a paper in which they demonstrate the ability to offer a sociological analysis of what they have observed. This course is paired with ENGL 110, which will also inform how we discuss and write about this project.
Students in Lisa Waldner’s Sociological Analysis (SOCI 220, section 01) class will work with evaluation data to test hypotheses about stakeholder perceptions using statistical data provided by the Family Partnership.
Students in Sonia Rey-Montejo’s Advanced Spanish Grammar (SPAN 300, section 03) class will work on a group collaborative artistic project with Chicano muralist Jimmy Longoria and will be given the opportunity to further their community learning experience by working hand-in-hand with a variety of Hispanic Community Partners. Students will engage in reflective writing, and will create a final reflection project.
Students in Jane Tar’s Spanish Oral Expression and Culture (SPAN 305, section 01) class will further develop their conversational ability in Spanish through the study and discussion of cultural topics relating to the Spanish-speaking world. As part of the course, students will participate in a language/cultural exchange with high school students of Hispanic heritage in the Twin Cities.
Students in Bernard Brady's Catholic Social Tradition (THEO 325, section 01) class will engage in the community through Open Arms of Minnesota, a local organization that provides meals for people living with HIV/AIDS, ALS, MS, and breast cancer in the Twin Cities.
Students in Paola Ehrmantraut's Spanish English Translation (SPAN 490, section 01) class will translate from English to Spanish pro bono for Open Arms of Minnesota. This organization delivers meals to people who suffer from HIV/AIDS and other life threatening diseases.