PROJECT COMMUNITY
Begun by the Division of Student Affairs and the Department of Sociology in
1973, Project Community is one of the longest-running academically-accredited
service-learning courses in the nation. The mission of Project Community is
to involve students in community service and social action, both to improve
the lives of those in the community as well as to enhance student learning and
development.
Students may choose one of two Project Community courses, both of which include
a community service component, a weekly reflection seminar, and assigned readings
and writings. Most students elect Sociology 389: Practicum in Sociology, and
choose to serve in educational institutions, health agencies, criminal justice
facilities, or programs assisting those with housing issues or experiencing
homelessness. Within those settings, students can choose to work with specific
populations such as women, the elderly, or the developmentally disabled. Students
may also elect Education 317: Participation/Observation in a Classroom, and
tutor children in schools. The course tenets are as follows:
- Praxis in which action is informed by an ongoing cycle and equal valuing
of theory, reflection and experience
- Co-learning in which the role boundaries dividing teachers and learners
are blurred
- Peer learning in which students serve in learning leadership roles
- Community in which an intentional effort is made to develop a community
of learners n the classroom
- Personal learning in which connected and intuitive ways of learning are
valued alongside analytical, objective ways of knowing
For further information on Project Community visit http://www.umich.edu/~mserve/pc/. |
