Service Learning Courses

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What is Service Learning?
SL is a pedagogy that faculty use to incorporate service into their courses. Students benefit by experiential learning and reflection, and the community benefits through the students' service. Robert Bringle and Julie Hatcher define service learning as "credit-bearing educational experience in which students (a) participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs, and (b) reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of curricular content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of personal values and civic responsibility" (Bringle and Hatcher, 1996). HWS utilized a "SLC" designation on the course catalogue for classes that share in this understanding of service-learning.

These courses will have a service-oriented component that will take your learning beyond the classroom and give you experience working within our community toward positive social change.

Examples of Recent Service Learning Courses:

EDUC 231 Teaching English Language Learners
EDUC 333 Literacy
EDUC 203 Children with disabilities
EDUC 122 Economics of Caring
EDUC 213 Urban Economics
PHIL 162 Ethics of Civic engagement
REL 213 Death and Dying
REL 271 The Holocaust
FSEM You Are Here: Geneva 101
HIST 371 Life Cycles in History
SOC 100 Intro to Sociology
SOC 290 Soc. of Community
SOC 465 Senior Seminar Research Practicum
SPN 332 Literature Infantil

Service Learning Forms:

Community-Based Research

Community Based Research (CBR) and service learning may be used in the teaching of many different subject areas. The types of community engagement used in service learning courses ranges from tutoring, child care and preparing meals to developing and administering evaluation surveys for a local agency, designing the space for the local teen center or researching how gender affects the learning of students in Geneva.

CBR projects entail a semester long commitment devoted to the exploration of a vital community issue. Students with exceptional initiative work collaboratively with a community partner and faculty sponsor. Responsibilities vary based upon the specific details within the proposal and will likely include independent research, weekly check-ins with community partner and faculty sponsor, and a concluding presentation or project. CBR projects can count towards a student's major (see course requirements) or as Geneva Collaborative Internship (GCIP 401). Please review the Application and the Faculty Adviser Agreement Form. Then, contact Katie Flowers in CCESL.

Community Engaged Scholarship Forum

The annual Community Engaged Scholarship Forum is an opportunity to highlight reciprocal and mutually beneficial community-student partnerships and projects. The student projects are advised by both faculty sponsors and community agency leaders and occur independently or as part of a class. The entire community is invited to attend and celebrate the exciting learning and engagement that is representative of the positive potential of academically supported and engaged learning collaborations.

If you'd like to nominate a community partner, student scholar, or engaged faculty member, please click here for the nomination form.

Community Partner of the Year:
This award is presented annually to the person/agency who has consistently contributed to the civic development and leadership of Hobart and William Smith students. This award recognizes the inherent value of community collaborations and acknowledges with gratitude the time, energy and interest invested in the student service and learning experience. Nominators may be students, faculty or staff.

Compass Award for Outstanding Engaged Student Scholarship:
This award is presented annually to a student who has excelled in either a community-based research project or a service learning course. The student work is academically rigorous and has a meaningful community impact. Nominators may be community partners, faculty, staff or peers.

HWS Civically Engaged Faculty Award:
The Provost’s Office and The Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning seek nominations for the annual “HWS Civically Engaged Faculty Award.” Campus Compact defines a civically engaged faculty member as one who has demonstrated “exemplary engaged scholarship, including leadership in advancing students’ civic learning, conducting community-based research, fostering reciprocal community partnerships, building institutional commitments to service learning and civic engagement, and other means of enhancing higher education’s contributions to the public good.” Nominators may be community partners, faculty, staff or students.