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A Quarterly Publication of
The American Sociological Association
ABSTRACTS--Volume 26, Number 4, October 1998
ARTICLES
- Effect of a Comprehensive Service-Learning Program on College Students' Civic Responsibility .....Scott Myers-Lipton
- Bringing Home Diversity: A Service-Learning Approach to Teaching Race and Ethnic Relations .....Sam Marullo
- Service Learning as Pedagogy and Civic Education: Comparing Outcomes for Three Models.....Rachel Parker-Gwin and J. Beth Mabry
- Internships and the Sociological Perspective: Applying Principles of Experiential Learning.....Peter Parilla and Garry W. Hesser
NOTES
- Bringing the Community into the Classroom: Applying the Experiences of Social Work Education to Service-Learning Courses in Sociology .....Jane Isaacs Lowe and Michael Reisch
- Understanding Social Inequality Through Service Learning .....Kevin D. Everett
- Addressing Social Problems, Focusing on Solutions: The Community Exploration Project .....Georganne Rundblad
- The Value of a Pre-Internship Observation Experience .....Rosalyn Benjamin Darling
- Teaching Social Theory Through Students' Participant Observation .....Ira Silver and Gina Perez
Effect of a Comprehensive Service-Learning Program on College Students' Civic Responsibility This paper assesses the effect of a comprehensive service-learning program on students’ level of civic responsibility. A nonequivalent control group experiment was conducted with students from a large, Western university. The results of the multivariate analysis generally supported the hypothesis that students who are involved in a comprehensive service-learning program will show larger increases in civic responsibility when compared to: (1) students involved in community service but who are not formally integrating it with their academic course work, and (2) students who are not involved in any community service.
(Scott Myers-Lipton)
Return to top of page.
Bringing Home Diversity: A Service-Learning Approach In this article, I test claims about students’ development and sociological learning by comparing two classes of students enrolled in a Race and Ethnic Relations course—one section that took the course as a service-learning course and another that took it as a lecture-discussion course with some required experiential exercises. Change in students’ development over the course of the semester is examined in the areas of citizenship, empowerment, diversity awareness, leadership, moral development, and rejection of individualistic explanations of social problems. Based on results from changes in survey responses, service-learning pedagogy appears to have an advantage over experiential learning with respect to students’ development in these six areas. Students enrolled in the service-learning section of Race and Ethnic Relations engaged in service-learning projects by either: (1) working as an intern at an appropriate site; (2) working on a group project—either working with a Latino agency to survey the community’s health care needs, or compiling a curriculum for an educational initiative in a housing project, or testing local financial institutions to determine whether they were discriminating against Hispanics with respect to their fees for money-wiring services; or (3) working on a large, ongoing violence-prevention project.
to Teaching Race and Ethnic Relations
(Sam Marullo)
Service Learning as Pedagogy and Civic Education: Two primary goals of service learning for students are positive civic and academic outcomes. Most research has focused on service learning’s effectiveness as civic education. In this study, we examine both civic and academic outcomes for 260 students participating in three models of service-learning courses. After one semester, student outcomes were mixed. We consider two pedagogical issues: requiring student participation in service learning and the role of reflection activities in positive outcomes. Faculty members should consider carefully whether to require participation in service learning. Students’ academic outcomes may be enhanced by regular critical reflection and extensive integration of service activities with course material throughout the semester. As with any teaching strategy, service learning’s value depends on its implementation.
Comparing Outcomes for Three Models
(Rachel Parker-Gwin and J. Beth Mabry)
Internships and the Sociological Perspective: Most sociology departments provide students with the opportunity to participate in an internship. Yet faculty members often remain skeptical about the academic rigor of such experience-based learning. This paper argues that internships help students achieve the educational goals of most sociology programs. Internships provide students with an extended opportunity to apply the sociological perspective to a “real world” setting. They also enable students to improve their analytical skills and their ability to make use of “the sociological imagination” (Mills 1959). Like any instructional method, professors must carefully plan and structure internships to ensure that they are effective. Whenever possible, internships should require: (1) careful site selection, (2) a detailed learning agreement or contract, (3) attendance in a concurrent seminar, and (4) a set of cumulative assignments or a portfolio for evaluation.
Applying Principles of Experiential Learning
(Peter Parilla and Garry W. Hesser)
Bringing the Community into the Classroom: Applying the Experiences of Social Work Education to Service-Learning Courses in Sociology Increasing numbers of colleges and universities have developed undergraduate service learning courses and internships. For nearly a century, service learning that integrates the classroom and community based practice has been an integral part of social work education. Utilizing an experiential service-learning framework drawn from social work education, this paper will present a graduate course in social work that links theory and practice. It will then illustrate how this model course can be adapted to undergraduate sociology courses that incorporate both didactic teaching and service learning components.
(Jane Isaacs Lowe and Michael Reisch
Understanding Social Inequality Through Service Learning Abstract forthcoming.
(Kevin D. Everett)
Addressing Social Problems, Focusing on Solutions: The Community Exploration Project Instructors that teach “Social Problems” deal with course material that often leaves students depressed, pessimistic, discouraged, and apathetic about their ability to effect change in society. Therefore, the challenge for professors teaching Social Problems is to counter some of the disheartening realities that texts portray with examples of constructive ways local communities grapple with such problems. Increasing students' awareness of grassroots, community-based organizations focused on alleviating such social problems will empower students to take active roles in these groups now and later on in their lives.
(Georganne Rundblad)
The Value of a Pre-Internship Observation Experience The value of long-term experiential activities such as internships is well-documented. This article describes a short-term observation assignment at a community human service agency, which appears to have many of the benefits of longer-term experiences. In addition, such an experience can be beneficial to students in selecting an internship site.
(Rosalyn Benjamin Darling)
Teaching Social Theory Through Students' Participant Observation Abstract forthcoming.
(Ira Silver and Gina Perez)
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