PRIMARY COURSE OBJECTIVES

• Introduction to literacy education and practice with a primary emphasis on cultural diversity issues in contemporary U.S. society
• More comprehensive understanding of issues discussed in linked literature course
• Development of critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, communication, and leadership skills

SERVICE OBJECTIVE:

According to the federal Reading Excellence Act of 1999, national assessments reflect “serious deficiencies in children’s ability to read, especially in high-poverty schools” such as those served by Service Learning Program internships. Even in wealthier schools, almost a quarter of fourth-graders do not attain the basic reading levels set by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, while more than two-thirds of fourth-graders in high poverty schools do not attain the basic level. (Reading Excellence Program overview, http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/REA/overview.html.) The failure to learn to read or to read well has many ramifications including diminished self-confidence and motivation to learn, poor school performance, and an increase in the probability of dropping out of high school. Thus, the service objectives of this internship are:

• to improve the basic literacy skills of third graders at Kennedy Elementary School in Phoenix
• recognize the importance of validating the children’s own culture and experiences by utilizing culturally
• relevant children’s books with positive depictions of the children’s and other ethnic groups—specifically African-Americans and Latina(o)s
• even more fundamentally, interns will serve as a positive influence in their students’ lives, providing a counterpoint to the harsh socio-economic realities many of these children face on a daily basis

CULTURAL DIVERSITY OBJECTIVE:

A central objective of this course is to provide you with community experiences and reflection opportunities that allow you to deepen your understanding of the complex social, economic, political, and psychological dimensions of relations between and among racial, ethnic, and socio-economic groups in contemporary American society. Much of this learning will take place as you carry out your internship activities and interact with community members from diverse backgrounds; weekly readings will provide a theoretical context to further your exploration of these experiences. Your understanding of cultural diversity in our society will be enhanced by thinking critically about your community interactions and what you have read, by responding weekly in an on-line discussion group to prompts designed to help you examine your previously-held assumptions, and by readingand responding to other intern’s posted perspectives.

LINKED COURSE REQUIREMENT

Interns must be enrolled in or have successfully completed the linked literature course (pre/co-requisite): ENG 459/ENG 559/AFH 459 African American Children’s Literature

REQUIRED TEXTS

• The Service Learning Program African/American Latina(o) Children’s Literature Intern Manual

• The Service Learning Program Reflection Manual

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

• Attendance is mandatory at all training sessions, weekly meetings, and teaching days
• Complete all assignments (training, mid, and end-of-semester)
• Lead small groups of children in literacy activities twice a week
• Participate in computer-mediated reflection (two entries per week)
• Write student evaluations for each of your students at mid-term and end-of-semester
• Write final reflection assignment

FINAL GRADE COMPONENTS

I. TRAINING & WEEKLY MEETINGS (10% OF FINAL GRADE)

A. Training (max. 10 points per session):

The first two weeks of this course are devoted to workshops designed to prepare you for working with your students.

• Attendance at these workshops is mandatory.
• Points are based upon: punctuality, preparation, participation, & productive contribution.
• Please consult the Calendar (in the DAILY RESOURCES section of PART I: THE BASICS in this manual) for a detailed Training Schedule.

B. Weekly Meetings (max. 10 points per session)

Meetings are held each week to reflect on that week’s activities, discuss issues, ideas, and generally lend each other support. Points are based upon: punctuality, participation, & productive contribution.

II. LESSON PLANS & TEACHING (45% OF FINAL GRADE)

Depending upon the number of students and interns, the class will be divided into several small groups of 2-5 students each. An intern will head each small group and engage the students in the day’s activities. You will work with the same small group of children all semester.

Each intern is required to prepare and implement literacy activities designed to meet the needs of the students in his/her group. There should be a written plan for each teaching day, which is to be submitted to your facilitator the week prior to its implementation. You may earn a max. 20 points for each lesson as follows:

A. Planning the lesson plan (max. 10pts)

There should be a written activity plan (see Activity Planner in DAILY RESOURCES section of this manual) for each teaching day, which is to be submitted to your facilitator the week prior to its implementation.

Points are based upon the thoroughness, thoughtfulness, creativity, and appropriateness of the activity plans.

Plans should evidence an attempt to tailor the activities to the needs of your particular students.

B. Teaching (implementation of the lesson plan) (max. 10 pts)

III. REFLECTION (30% OF FINALGRADE)

Blackboard is utilized for the computer-mediated reflection portion of the internship. Through the online discussion group on Blackboard, interns reflect upon assigned readings and the week’s activities, practice self-critique, and offer support to fellow interns.

• Two Blackboard entries worth a total of 15 pts. are due each week, one by midnight Wednesday and by midnight on Sunday.

IV. ASSIGNMENTS (15% OF YOUR FINAL GRADE)

All assignments (except the final reflection assignment) are graded on a 10-point scale.

PORTFOLIO:

To maximize your effectiveness and performance in this internship it is strongly encouraged that you maintain an organized portfolio (Service Learning Notebook) of all course materials.

It is suggested that you utilize a large 3-ring binder for this purpose and include the following in an orderly fashion with tabs labeling each section:

• Internship Directory
• Field Trip write-up
• Student Rosters
• Assignments
• Lesson Plans (in chronological order and including all related materials)

Grading Scale:

A = 92-100% B = 82-91% C = 72-81% D = 65-71% E = below 6

SERVICE LEARNING GRADING CRITERIA

II. TEACHING (45% OF FINAL GRADE):

Each intern is required to prepare and implement literacy activities designed to meet the needs of the students in his/her group.

You may earn a max. 30 points for each lesson as follows:

• Planning (max. 15pts)
• Implementation (max. 15 pts)

At each teaching session (twice a week) the points you earn will be based upon the following:

• Attendance & Punctuality: There are no excused absences—no make-up activities are possible. Points will be deducted for tardiness—also 3 tardies is equivalent to one absence. In the event of an emergency or illness you must contact (directly, do not leave a message) your Supervising Intern.
• Appropriate Dress: Please refer to the Dress Code in this manual. This code must be observed whenever you are with your students. Violations of this code will result in a loss of points.
• Preparation: Demonstrates time spent reviewing activity plan and content and thought given to the best mode of implementation for your students
• Professional: Positive attitude and respect towards students, fellow interns, TA, and classroom teacher
• Engaging/Creative: Maintains students’ focus on lesson. Actively engages students in the book and activities. Animated delivery. Enthusiasm for the book/activities. Stimulation of productive discussion/participation. Effective utilization and integration of any audio/visual aids or supplemental materials. Effective behavior management

C. Report (max. 5pts)

• Thoughtfully and thoroughly completing the “Report” section of the Activity Planner (see DAILY RESOURCES section of this manual) after implementation of lesson. Completed activity planners are to be submitted on the following Tuesday.

III. REFLECTION (30% OF YOUR FINALGRADE):

Blackboard is utilized for the computer-mediated reflection portion of the internship. Through the online discussion group on Blackboard, interns reflect upon their internship experience within the context of assigned readings. In responding to the prompts, you should incorporate past life experience as well as your experiences in the internship.

• Two Blackboard entries worth a total of 20 pts are due each week by Sunday at midnight.
• Late entries may be submitted for a maximum of 10pts by Monday midnight. No credit will be given for any posts that are more than a day late.
• Please refer to the REFLECTION section in this manual for the required format for these entries and for instructions on how to use Blackboard.

IV. ASSIGNMENTS (15% OF YOUR FINAL GRADE):

A. Mid-Semester & Final Assignments:

• At midterm and at the end of the semester you must complete Student evaluations for all 4 groups
• (each one worth 10 points – total of 40) and a Best Reflection assignment (worth 10 points).
• Your Final consists of a Paper and Portfolio.
• Check the manual for assignment criteria and due dates.
• All assignments must be typed in a legible font (such as Arial, Times New Roman, etc.)
  • 1. Student Evaluations (turn in two copies)
  • 2. Best Reflection
  • 3. Final Paper (turn in two copies; due only at end of semester)

This class is a survey of pre-Columbian civilization and the impact of the Encounter with Europe, modern-socio-historical, cultural and political events which shape present-day Latin America. This semester the course will focus on cultural resistance to colonization and other forms of social injustice in Latin America. Participants will study a diversity of textual forms generated to resist oppression (poetry, songs, murals, films, tapestries). Topics for class discussion are the ownership of culture by the marginalized, cultural products as tools for empowerment; the way diverse socio-political contexts trigger different cultural responses, and political participation and involvement in human rights organizations in the U.S.A. as factors that impact both context and cultural products.
Service learning is an important component of this particular class, and it will take place at the Lennox Senior center. Students will share with people of the tercera edad, their knowledge of testimonial texts from Latin America. Students and participants will discuss political circumstances that generated those texts and they will help empower the residents to write their own testimonios. Loyola Marymount leaners will also discuss the origin and political context surrounding the making of Chilean arpilleras (cloth tapestries that tell a story of resistance to the dictatorship), and they will work with participants as they manufacture their own arpilleras.

Service Learning Outcomes

1) To be able to place within their socio-political, historical, and geographical contexts a variety of cultural products generated in Latin America as responses to political repression and economic oppression.
2) To be able to identify cultural products both in the Chican@/Latin@ community of Los Angeles and in Latin America.
3) To improve their analytical, and critical skills in order to understand the role those products play as instruments for resistance and community empowerment.
4) To improve Spanish language listening comprehension skills.
5) To improve Spanish language speaking (production) skills.
6) To improve Spanish language writing and reading skills.

Instructor’s Teaching Philosophy

Professor Partnoy adheres to the teaching premises outlined by Paulo Freire in his book Pedagogia del oprimido, which states that the educator and the disciple constantly switch roles in the learning process. In that sense, the classroom is not a place where the teacher tells the student the correct answers to all questions, and the student in turn repeats those answers back to the teacher when prompted to do so. While some of the original ideas and methods devised by Freire had to be adapted to our reality as a U.S. university, this class seeks to develop critical consciousness and social responsibility.

Required Books:
Daly Heyck, D.L. and Gonzalez Pagani, M.V. Tradicion y cambio. Lecturas sobre la cultura latinoamericana contemporanea.
Other readings:
Galeano, Masetti, Guevara (hand outs)
Documentaries:
Mi In: Dia Sereno
Threads of Hope
Las palabras que sobran
Senorita Extraviada
Las Madres: The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo

Class Participation: Students will be evaluated on their preparedness and input during group and class discussion. The instructor will provide a set of questions to guide them in their reading and discussion of the texts. It is to the benefit of the student to bring the homework in writing in a timely manner. This will ensure more effective class participation.

Homework: Written homework is obligatory and due as assigned. This may include activities taken from the textbooks and/or worksheets. If the assignment is not a worksheet, it must be written on lined paper using double spacing, and have your name, date and the assignment written in the top right-hand corner. Late assignments are accepted but do not count toward the grade.

Midterm: It will be conducted in class and it will consist of one essay question, text identifications, and word/concepts definitions.

Service Learning/Internship Project: Community service (20 hours) 5 times during the semester students will be at the community center during class time. In those opportunities, the group will depart for the service location during convo hour. While working, class participants will do field research on the use of cultural expressions (songs, paintings, poems, testimonios) to resist oppression to be empowered as a community. In addition to the 10 hours that the class spends at the Lennox Senior Center, the student should work ten extra hours either at the location, individually with a participant, or at other locations, on a project to empower the elderly, and that helps further the work of the Lennox Senior Center.

Empower Project/Proyecto de accion social will be a project to empower the community. It must have a written component. Good examples are works that can be used for outreach, fund rising, and empowerment of a particular senior citizen participating.

Journal/Diario: The student will keep a journal in Spanish recording their experiences. Specific guidelines for the journal and the empowerment project will be provided by the instructor.

Oral presentation: The presentation of the results of the student service learning/internship projects will last 10 minutes, it should be delivered in formal Spanish, but not read from a paper or a power point projection.

Reflection paper/Ensayo reflexivo: To be written as a final exam, this typed 6-8 page essay will examine how the different class components have shaped the student’s vision of the cultures of resistance in Latin America and the USA Chicano/Latino Community.

This course is service-learning based and provides an immersion opportunity in a real world Spanish-speaking environment. It is in keeping with the mission statement of the university “to educate individuals to think and act as ethical leaders and responsible citizens in the global community.” The student is required to perform hours of service as designated on the course calendar with a community partner. The American Association of Community Colleges defines Service-Learning as a combination of “community service with academic instruction, focusing on critical, reflective thinking and personal and civic responsibility. Service-learning programs involve students in activities that address community-identified needs, while developing their academic skills and commitment to their community.” Required readings focus on various aspects of Service-Learning within the Latino Community. Written journal entries in Spanish are required following each service date. A final written reflection paper in Spanish will be based on journal entries. Class discussions, in Spanish, focus on individual student experiences and readings as well as improvement of vocabulary and grammar.

Course Objectives:

To perfect language skills through practical application and observe cultural norms within the Latino community of Fort Worth, TX, in conjunction with an increased awareness of civic responsibility while developing critical thinking and problem solving skills. Through writing assignments students will demonstrate their improvement in the Spanish written word and through class discussions their improvement in oral communication in Spanish. Through the service-learning component students will build their confidence level in a foreign language and move toward becoming stronger communicators in that foreign language, better informed of the world in which they live, more ethically minded, and more globally oriented.

Service-Learning Component:

Students will work in pairs at the chosen service-learning site. They will select the community partner with whom they wish to work on a first come first served basis. Every attempt will be made to match students with their first choice. A list of community partners from which to choose will be made available the first day of class. A variety of community partners will be provided so that students may select one in their own area of interest. Students will provide service at the selected community partner location during class time on the dates indicated on the attached calendar. Following each service-learning experience the student is required to write in Spanish in a journal observations made at the site and thoughts about the service before and after the visit and compile a vocabulary list of new Spanish words learned at the site and words learned to use at the site.

The Journal:

Bring to each class meeting. The following elements must be included:

1. Name and location of community partner (only in first journal entry)
2. Name and contact information of supervisor at service site. (only in first journal entry, unless person changes)
3. Mission statement of community partner (only in first journal entry)
4. Your expectations before each service date and how were they met or not met
5. Date and length of service, including hours begun and finished
6. What you did at the site.
7. Whom you met at the site.
8. How did the day go? What experiences did you have?
9. What problems/frustrations did you encounter and how did you or someone else deal with them?
10. What can you do now to better prepare yourself for your next visit?
11. List of new vocabulary/expressions heard at site or found in reading for week with their English equivalents. If possible, include the context in which you heard or saw the words.
12. In Spanish answer the questions a) What did I learn? b) How does that compare with what I already knew? and c) How does that make me feel?
13. How have I changed as a result of this service?
14. How has knowing Spanish affected your ability to perform at your service-learning site? Were you able to communicate easily in Spanish? Did your language skills improve? Because of your Spanish skills could you recognize issues that arose as a result of cultural differences and how did you deal with them? Did they make you more aware of your own cultural background?
15. Write down any questions that occur to you as you read and work and reflect on your service.
16. Be thorough in your journal entries, as most of the content of your final paper will be drawn from this information. Ideally, you should write in your journal as close to the end of each site visit as possible so that you do not forget any elements of the experience. The purpose is to get your thoughts on paper as soon as possible.
17. In order to allow you freedom to express yourself, you will not turn in the journal. However, the professor will check to see that you are writing and answering the questions about the site visits.

The Vocabulary Lists:
Bring to each class meeting. The following elements must be included:

1. The lists should be typed and double-spaced. Size 12-font. You will hand in the list each class meeting. No late lists accepted for credit, including by email.
2. Create your own vocabulary lists based on your own service-learning experience. There will be three lists; one for words you hear at the community service site, one for words that you anticipate using that you think may help you better serve your community partner during your next visit but needed to look up in the dictionary before you went to the site, and one of any new words encountered in articles read in Spanish related to your service.
3. You should have at least 10 new words/expressions from the site each week plus words for the other two list categories. Be prepared to share these words with the class at each class meeting.
4. Process: Write down any words/expressions in Spanish that you did not know and look them up in a dictionary or other resource. If you are not sure how to spell what you hear, ask the person who used it to write it down for you. You may want to include sentences using the new words that either you write yourself or are quotes from how you heard them used at the site.
5. You should take a small notebook with you to the site to write your vocabulary in as you hear new words.

Class discussions:
Be prepared to participate in the following manner:

1. Have vocabulary lists and definitions ready to share with class members. They must be typed before coming to class. (See # 1 under “Vocabulary”)
2. Bring observations of your site to share with the class. What challenged you each week? How did you meet the challenge? These do not need to be typed but you should have your ideas organized and ready to share.
3. What did you learn that was unexpected? What was frustrating? What worked really well? Essentially, a summary of what you wrote in your journal.
4. How does your own site work compare with the reading for the week?
5. Be prepared to lead a group (large or small) discussion of the readings/topics/site visits each class meeting. Some discussions will be performed in a “rotating chair” format, meaning when you finish speaking you will call on someone else to continue the discussion. Be prepared to speak each class meeting!

Final Paper:

A term paper in Spanish based on your service-learning experience, journal entries for questions 4-14, readings, class discussions, and guest speakers is required to be handed in on the indicated date on the course calendar. The paper will be TYPED, DOUBLE-SPACED, 12 FONT SIZE, one inch left and right, top and bottom margins. Begin your paper on the top line and include the title of your paper, name of your site, and your name on a separate title page. Do not put this information on the first page of your paper. The last page will be a bibliography (MLA style) of sources. No late papers or emailed papers will be accepted. Your paper will be graded on correct use of Spanish language as well as content and your demonstration of understanding of Service-Learning and its impact on you as well as your impact on the community site. This paper is not just a list of what you did.

Grading of final paper:

• Correct use of Spanish grammar—35 points
• Brief (1-2 paragraphs) description of duties at site—10 points
• Questions 4-14 proposed above addressed in body of paper—25 points
• Demonstration of understanding purpose of service-learning—15 points
• Examples from written texts included related to your field—15 points

Power Point Presentation:

The purpose of this presentation is for the student to display his ability to communicate at an advanced level in Spanish and display his/her knowledge about a professional organization in the community in which he/she lives. You will give a power point presentation in Spanish to the class on the date indicated on the course calendar. This will be 10-15 minutes in length. You should plan to include a minimum of 15 slides but may include more as long as the presentation fits within the time limit. A copy of the power point presentation must be handed in on your presentation day. Much of the information for your power point presentation will be found in your final paper and journal entries. You should take a camera to your site each time to gather photographs for this presentation. Do not write paragraphs on your slides; only brief statements. Be sure to ensure that your presentation works on the equipment in the classroom before the presentation day and know how to set it up. We will be working on a very tight schedule. Practice your presentation. It should be memorized and professionally done. Points will be deducted for lack of preparedness.

The following items must be included on the slides:

1. Name of community partner, logo, and address
2. Map showing location of service site
3. Photograph of service site
4. Mission statement of the community partner
5. Purpose of the organization and how it functions
6. Name and photograph of site supervisor (with his/her permission)
7. Outline of your duties at the site
8. Photos and description of any persons you were involved with helping (with his/her permission)
9. In your opinion how does organization fulfill its mission statement or not
10. Highlights of your service (as bullet points)
11. Low points of your service (as bullet points)
12. Most interesting Spanish phrases/words related to your service
13. Briefly how this experience impacted you personally (as bullet points)
14. Current news items about the community partner or related issues either in print or in the television/radio media or brochures
15. Would you consider working/volunteering at this site in the future—why or why not?
16. ???— Other items of interest you would like to share with the class

Grading of Power Point Presentation:

Power point ready on time and working—5 points ________
Required slides and topics—20 points ________
Presentation memorized and natural use of language—15 points ________
Use of correct Spanish grammar on slides and speaking—25 points ________
Creativity in presentation—10 points ________
Demonstration of knowledge of service-learning site—15 points ________
PP Presentation copy turned in on time—5 points ________
Attendance at all PP presentations—5 points ________

Required text: TBA. Required chapter readings will be included in the syllabus upon
selection of text.
Published articles on Service-Learning (TBA)
A good Spanish-English dictionary

Attendance: Attendance is mandatory for all classes and service dates as well as your arrival on time. If you find that you must miss class on a service date (only official university excused absences will be accepted; see the TCU student handbook), you must inform the community partner in advance and arrange an alternate day/time to make up the service. If for some unforeseen reason you will arrive late to your site, please be courteous and phone to let your contact person know when you will arrive. The community partner will keep a log of your time and conduct and that will be factored into your final grade. 3 points deducted from final grade for each unexcused absence.

Service-Learning Sites: TBA upon confirmation of community partners. Names,
addresses, phone numbers, contact persons, and description of sites will be included in the syllabus.

Calendar:
This is a tentative calendar and subject to change.

Week 1: Introduction to course and service-learning sites.
Week 2: Selection of class partners and of individual service-learning site, any
required applications filled out. “How to be a Good Service-Learner”: Guest speaker from Center for Civic Engagement and Service-Learning office of TCU.
Week 3: TCU campus.
Week 4: Pairs report to service-learning sites and begin projects. Journals. Readings.
Week 5: Pairs at service-learning sites. Journals. Readings.
Week 6: TCU campus. Bring journals and vocabulary lists to class. Discussions based on journals and new vocabulary. Grammar issues addressed. Articles selected.
(Possible guest speaker from community.)
Week 7: At sites. Write journal entries and vocabulary lists. Read articles/text.
Week 8: At sites. Write journal entries and vocabulary lists. Read articles/text.
Week 9: TCU campus. Bring journals and vocabulary lists to class. Presentations/discussions of site work and relationship of readings to site work. Grammar issues addressed.
Week 10: At sites. Write journal entries and vocabulary lists. Read articles/text.
Week 11: At sites. Write journal entries and vocabulary lists. Read articles/text.
Week 12: TCU campus. Bring journals and vocabulary lists to class. Presentations/discussions of site work and relationship of readings to site work. Grammar issues addressed.
(Possible guest speaker from community/TCU alumni)
Week 13: At sites. Write journal entries and vocabulary lists. Read articles/text.
Week 14: At sites. Write journal entries and vocabulary lists. Read articles/text.
Week 15: TCU campus. Final paper due. Power Point Presentation. Bring journals and vocabulary lists to class.

Grade calculation:

• Journals 15%
• Vocabulary 20%
• Final paper 40%
• Power Point Presentation 25%

This course examines hip hop and HIV/AIDS for the insight each offers into the histories, cultures, and lives of black people. You will learn how to formulate viable research questions about the interrelated discourses of hip hop and HIV/AIDS. You will learn how to conduct research that explores answers to these questions. You will complete required service-learning assignments that provide opportunities for applying ideas and thoughts generated by class discussions to K-12 education. Through the use of instructional tools and resources derived from hip hop culture, and collaboratively designed by ADST 330 students, you will instruct students at the Langston Hughes Academy Charter School (LHA) in the clinical, social, and cultural definitions of HIV and AIDS; modes of transmitting the HIV virus; and best practices for preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS. ADST 330 and LHA students will also collaborate on two culminating projects: a social gala and a community-based project. By the end of the course, you should be able to:

Objectives

• Formulate research questions at the intersection among hip hop, HIV/AIDS, and African & African Diaspora studies;
• Conduct research relevant to answering these questions;
• Apply your findings to work with students at Langston Hughes Academy Charter School; and
• Apply your findings to the completion of a 12-page research paper.

Learning Outcomes will be measured through bi-weekly video blogs that reflect your thoughts and feelings about class discussion and work at LHA; the formulation and implementation of an age-appropriate HIV/AIDS curriculum for instruction at LHA; and a 12-page research paper that investigates any aspect of the theory, content, or pedagogy that organizes this course.

Course Products and Weight

1. Weekly input toward the production and implementation of an age-appropriate HIV/AIDS curriculum 10%
2. Weekly service at LHA 40%
3. 7 video blogs 35%
4. Research paper 15% (5% for oral presentation; 10% for final paper)

TOTAL: 100%

Course Requirements & Rules

1. All assignments must be completed to receive a grade in this course.

2. All written assignments and video blogs must be submitted on or before the due date to avoid late submission penalty. 2% will be deducted from these submissions for up to 5 late days. After 5 days, these submissions will not be accepted.

3. The service-learning component of this course is not optional and the hours of service are non-negotiable. If you currently have standing conflicts on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the assigned service-learning hours, you should drop this course. Because of the nature of the work that we will do with students at LHA, regular completion of service-learning hours, as assigned, is a must. Please Note: You will fail this course, if you fail to meet the requirements of service-learning as described herein and as discussed during our first session of class. Please also note that I expect to offer this course again in Fall 2009 and Spring 2010. Based on the outcome of this course, the service learning requirement may be offered during hours that can better accommodate your schedule in the future, if you have, or anticipate, conflicts this semester and, thus, need to drop the course.

4. You have the option of driving yourself or carpooling to LHA to complete your service learning hours. Otherwise, transportation will be provided by the Center for Public Service. The van will pick students up at Law/Freret at 2:45PM on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It will return to LHA at 4:30PM to drive students back to campus.

5. No woman or man is an island. This course thrives on collaboration, candor, constructive criticism, creativity, and general good-spiritedness. If you do not like working in groups, thinking outside the box, receiving constructive feedback, giving constructive feedback, working with children, or young adults, and dealing with tough, sensitive issues, you should drop this course, because you will not enjoy it.

6. The University Honor Code applies to all activities, communications, and products of this course. If you are unfamiliar with the code, you need to read it, because you will be held to it this semester. The Code can be found at http://www.tulane.edu/~jruscher/dept/Honor.Code.html.

7. I am happy to accommodate students with registered disabilities; please contact me at your earliest convenience for further discussion. For more information on Disability Services at Tulane, please visit http://erc.tulane.edu/disability/.

Adopted Texts

Watkins, Hip Hop Matters (2005)
Asante, It’s Bigger than Hip Hop (2008)
Gilbert, African American Women & HIV/AIDS (2003)
Brown, Black Girlhood Celebration (2008)

Calendar

1/13
Ice Breaker: HIV/AIDS & Hip Hop: Facts and Fiction
Course policies & guidelines; introductions; CPS; intern; IS & assessments

1/20
Class Cancelled
View Historic Events, as they are happening!

1/27
HIV/AIDS 101: The Basic Facts;
Teacher and Mentor: Understanding the Goals & Objectives of the ADST 330-LHA partnership

2/3
“It’s All About the Benjamins”: The Class Factor in Hip Hop and HIV/AIDS

2/10
Tools in the classroom: using the aesthetics of hip hop and videos as PSA for HIV/AIDS awareness-raising, prevention, and treatment

2/17
Hip Hop Matters; Listening Set and analysis

2/24
Mardi Gras/No Class

3/3
It’s Bigger than Hip Hop; Music Video Viewing Set and analysis

3/10
Black Girlhood Celebration
Recreation and Risk

3/17
“Bad Bitches, Lollipops, and Hos”: The Gender Factor in Hip Hop and HIV/AIDS

3/24
Spring Break/No Class

3/31
African American Women & HIV/AIDS

4/7
Review and discussion of video blogs

4/14
Closing remarks; summative observations

4/21*
Oral Presentation of research project

*possible social date: 4/25

Class Location:   Bldg. 66, Room 247

Instructor:   Jose Calderon,     E-mail:   jzcalderon {at} csupomona(.)edu

Office Hours:   2-4 on MW and 1-3 on Tuesday's in   Bldg. 5, Room 119

Description of Course

This course examines how multi-racial communities have become mosaics of competing land interests and demographic transformations.   This will be achieved through the reading of various articles that combine community and multicultural issues with issues of global, local, and regional development and restructuring; through the study of examples of building community (particularly in Los Angeles county); through class discussions; and through participatory community service and action research.   This course will provide students with the opportunity to apply social research to a specific community service site. We will apply the concepts and theories being learned in the classroom to specific sites in the region.  

Readings:

John Horton With Jose Calderon, Mary Pardo, Leland Saito, Linda Shaw, and Yen Fen Tseng The Politics of Diversity

Gilda Ochoa, Becoming Neighbors

Community and Culture Reader (Available at Ask Copy and Printing, 3530 Temple Ave. #D in Pomona )

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

This class will be run in a seminar format.   Assigned readings will be used as a basis for class discussion and dialogue.   Class attendance and participation are expected.   In cases of borderline grades, class participation and attendance will be taken into consideration.   Assignments need to be turned in on time.   Unless there is a crisis emergency, please do not ask for an extension or an incomplete.   I will dock points for papers that are turned in late.   If all the requirements have not been completed by the end of the semester, a final grade will be given based on the work completed.   Papers should be typed, double-spaced, numbered, proofread, and include references.  

Students, in this course, are required to be involved in a neighborhood, city, or specific community site (preferably work that involves service to the community).   The final paper will allow the student to write about what has been learned in the site.   It is also meant to connect what has been learned in the field to the readings and to other literature.  

Materials: Purchase a three ring binder to hold your typed field notes.   You may take down jottings at your site, but these should be used to produce final field notes that are placed in your binder.   At mid-term and the end of the semester, you will turn in your typed filed notes.

Grades Will Be Allocated as Follows:

Participation                                                    20%

Cultural group Presentation on Readings        20%

Field Note Journal                                            30%

Final Paper and presentation                           30%

1.)     Participation   – Weekly attendance in the class and at least two hours per week of field work at a community service or research site are required for the course.   20% of your final grade will be based on your field work at the site, class attendance, completion of the readings for each class, and your participation in weekly discussions.

2. )     Learning Through Creativity, the use of Cultural Mediums,   and Critical Analysis

During the semester, each student will work with a group and facilitate a class presentation and discussion on a section of the assigned readings.    The presentation segment should use a creative medium or combinations of mediums (i. e. video, theater, art, music, collage, dance, rap, poetry, etc.).    The presentation should include : 1.   the primary connecting arguments or themes in the readings   2.   the literature or data used to sustain the arguments (and particularly any problems or holes in the data)   3.   your evaluation of the author's arguments   4.   the meaning or usefulness that the material has for your lived experience or for the particular site that you are involved in   Remember, the class presentation will be carried out collectively in a group.   Data from your particular site will be welcomed for this presentation.

In your presentation, Do not merely summarize the argument of the author/s but develop your own thinking and criticality about what the author/s are saying. (20%).    

4.)   Fieldnote Journal and Site Visit Analyses

B 300 Human Oppression: The African American and Puerto Rican Perspective

Course Description

This course will examine economic, political, social and cultural forces operating at global, national and local levels, which generate and maintain oppression based on race and ethnicity in the United States. The course will focus on the oppression of the Black and Latino populations in the United States, highlighting the African American and Puerto Rican Experiences and perspectives. It will provide a framework for analyzing and understanding oppression. An historical perspective will be utilized to explore past and current oppression related to race and color, culture and ethnicity, social class, gender, sexual/emotional orientation and religion. Intercultural, intracultural, psychosocial, social and political responses to oppression will be addressed throughout the course. The course will help social workers to identify how they can address oppression at a personal and institutional level, and will lay a foundation for further leaming of culturally appropriate ways of working with oppressed groups.

Learning Objectives/Outcomes

A. Students will learn about demographic trends and forces shaping our diverse society.

B. Students will gain knowledge about Black and Latino population groups and diversity within those groups.

C. Students will gain knowledge of forces and theories of oppression and the ability to apply relevant theories.

D. Students will understand dilemmas of culture and values from diverse perspectives.

E. Students will demonstrate growth in personal attitudes and commitment.

F. Students will assess strengths and limitations of selected action strategies to combat oppression.

Teaching/Learning Methodology

This class addresses social work values as related to oppressed groups and provides essential knowledge for social work practitioners with special attention to the AfricanAmerican and Puerto Rican experiences. The course is not a skills building method oriented course, and it is not a sensitivity group. However, the issues discussed in this class can and do create a lot of feelings. It is expected that students and instructor(s) will struggle around feelings, attitudes and new knowledge related to oppressed people.

The course will combine lectures by the instructor and by invited speakers and class discussions. At times, small groups may be used to encourage students to confront and analyze their personal and professional interactions with oppression. The course assigrinent, a required journal, will allow students to process emotional and ethical dilemmas that the course content may evoke.

Course Assignment

Class attendance and participation are expected and will be considered in the overall evaluation. Each student is expected to keep a log tjournal) reacting to classroom presentations and discussions. Incorporating personal and professional material as it relates to field work, employment or past/present experiences is encouraged. The journal must include reactions to the required readings and is to be turned in several times during the semester.

All students must take responsibility for handing in their Journals on time. Please assess early on if you are going to have any difficulties meeting this requirement. Notifying me in advance of the due date. I am aware that emergencies and certain life circumstances may arise. In this case please notify me as soon as possible. I will assess each case individually giving an extension as needed. Those students who do not receive an extension and turn in the returned work late will be marked down accordingly.

Journals should reflect class discussions (2 pages), articles (2 pages), books (4-5 pages). Your journal should not be a summary of what you have read or heard. It should "connect" to the class content and reading and reflect your thoughts, feelings, issues and concerns. (JOURNALS SHOULD BE TYPED DOUBLE SPACED.)

Suggested Guidelines for Journal

• React to all classes and all required readings.
• React to specific content. Do not just summarize material. Do state what inspired the reaction. do not say "the third class helped me to … 11 or "I have problems with the content in this article or book." Be specific about the content.
• At times, class and reading materials reinforce each other. However, let the readings "come through". Do not use class material to react to articles or books.
• Do share your personal and professional experiences as they relate to the content. This is essential.
• Please write clearly. Good sentence structure and accurate speUing are appreciated.
• The following questions might be useful:
  1. How much of the course content is new or.different?
  2. Are you viewing oppression related issues differently? Does the material contradict past knowledge? If so, how?
  3. Is there any information that you have problems with (or appreciate)? Is there anything in particular that irked you during class (or in the readings)? Why?
  4. Have you noticed any changes in your behavior, attitudes, or beliefs?
  5. Are you seeing different "things" on television, newspapers, magazines, etc. that relate to oppression?
  6. How has the content affected your attitudes about racism, ethnocentricism, sexism, heterosexism, etc.?
  7. What are some of the connections between prejudice and attitudes related to oppressed groups?
  8. Has the content helped you to think differently about yourselp. What feelings does the content generate? Why?
  9. What fears, if any, has the course alleviated or raised?
  10. Has the course's content "spilled over" into other parts of your life, e.g., field work, job, or personal relationships? Are you sharing the content? If so, with whom? How have they reacted?

URBAN SEMESTER PROGRAM
Multicultural Issues in Urban Affairs

HE470
Seminars are normally embedded in the site visits.
3 credits

This course uses New York City as a classroom. The landscape, built environment, and people in it are our texts. A great teacher, Paolo Freire, once said that we need to learn how to "read the word and the world." This is what we will do in this course with an emphasis on reading the world.

Two parts direct our attention. The first part focuses us on the formation and development of this multicultural city. We will traverse lower Manhattan and imagine New Amsterdam and then New York City as Europeans came to settle and dominate the landscape and the people. The second part focuses on the contemporary meanings that this multicultural physical and socio cultural environment produces, interpreted through the prisms of social and cultural stratification, division of labor, and historical context.

In the first part of the course we will be led by the Big Onion Tour through the social history of lower Manhattan. In the second part of the course we will visit a number of neighborhoods to speak with local leaders. At this time we learn about multicultural issues in context, in-practice, and in use, how multicultural issues are experienced by people and how they make sense of it.

The questions we address are the following:

• How did New York City become multicultural? How has the nature of multicultural life changed?
• What are the conditions, forces, and processes that generate multicultural issues in any specific point in history, particularly the present?
• How do people experience the multicultural and how do they live it in different parts of New York City?
• What is the impact of multicultural issues in a variety of localities and on the people who live and work there?
• How do multicultural issues influence policy and how does policy impact on the lived experiences of people who deal with multicultural issues?

Readings support site visits. I have selected readings to illuminate conditions and processes in a more general sense to assist you to think about the course trajectory as a whole. This means that many of the readings should be used to clarify site visits through out the semester, not only the site visit for which the reading is assigned. These readings should be understood in relationship to more generalizable phenomena then the specificities to which they refer. The readings complement the course's framework and provide texts for critical study and the interrogation of the assumed, "obvious" or "natural." You should question the reading materials and not assume they present truths or reality.

Service Syllabus

This is a community service learning course through which the Urban Semester Program, a number of schools, and select service organizations, mostly in North Brooklyn, are developing a University Community relationship.

Included in the notion of "service," as an aspect of service learning, is your responsibility to understand the school, the teachers and staff, the children, and the communities they represent from a "cultural relativist" point of view. This is the view that holds the following: values are a produced as a result of historical processes. This means that we should not assume that the values of our own society, socio economic group, ethnic group, status group, political group, religious group, and etc. are more legitimate, superior, or universal than the values of other groups and societies. It is your obligation, your responsibility, to learn how to view situations from another's point of view, as if you were in their shoes, from their perspective by understanding the conditions that contribute to the formation of that point of view.

We must be careful in using "cultural relativism." Cultural relativism can be abused by immobilizing a response to horrible atrocities. For example, we can understand why Nazis wanted to eliminate those people and groups who were not included in the "master race" of the Third Reich. The murder of millions of people, Jews, resistors of Nazism, gays, and political opponents, among others, can be explained relative to the ideology espoused by the Nazi Party. However, most of us would agree that the culture and society that Nazism produced is abhorrent to all of us who believe in the existence of fundamental human rights that apply to all people of the world.

Cultural relativism, as I prescribe it for this course, is used only as a tool to understand the "other" from their point of view. It is not and should not be used to support anti human rights behavior. Once having used cultural relativism to understand other societies and their cultures, we then may make judgments about their points of view from the perspective of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In this course we will support the idea that there are universal standards of behavior, particularly as they concern the behavior of states (countries) toward their people and those of other countries. Moreover, we have a right and obligation to make judgments about their behavior as well as ours. They, of course, have a right to do the same.

Students participate full days in school settings and in community service projects. We focus our attention on building a civil society in which "democracy" is defined as people actively engaged and participating to change society, to improve life chances, to make society more just, and to protect human rights.

Students are in the school for a total of 10 12 weeks, working in an assigned classroom (or organization) with a teacher (or supervisor) from 8:00 AM 3:30 PM (or, under other circumstances and time constraints). Students will also perform service in the afternoon, as assigned. This course enables students to demonstrate their leadership, self direction, and creativity.

In this course, we want students to develop an understanding of those parts of North Brooklyn in which they are involved in school and community settings. We will focus particular attention on Williamsburg. By spending more time in a particular neighborhood or community, students will gain access to a daily round that is not possible by visiting different places at different times. As a community service learning course, we want students to learn from their experiences in context. We want you to use your knowledge, acquired over the course of your schooling and socialization at home, to understand your experiences. Over the course of the semester, we want you to surface your assumptions about your experiences and discuss alternative understandings about children, youth and their families in low income neighborhoods, inter group relations, and urban change. Readings and discussions will complement your experiences and reflections.

In many ways, this is not a course about teaching you. It is about stretching you, taking you to areas that you may not have explored before, and taking you to different levels of understanding, pushing you outside of your comfort zone. We want you to be better prepared to challenge conventional views and dominant cultural representations. In learning how to ask pertinent questions in this context, you should be able to transfer this skill and ask pertinent questions in other contexts. Think about yourself and multicultural issues outside the conventions with which you have been raised.

The readings we have provided are tools for you to think about issues you are confronting in these communities or that are relevant to discussions regarding communities that are similar to those of North Brooklyn. Some reading assignments mean to inform, others mean to challenge. You are not to assume that we wish you to agree with any of these readings; rather, we want you to challenge the ideas and explore meaning based on the experiences you are having.

I stymied the temptation to assign even more readings to give you the background necessary to understand different ethnic groups. I resisted this. This means that when you are reading examples from one particular group, it will be necessary for
you to think about other groups to which the specific issues you are reading about in an article can be generalized, could be applied in other areas and other contexts. For example, much attention has been paid to bilingualism among Spanish speakers in the United States. However, this controversy has implications across all the immigrant populations who have come to the United States with their particular languages. This controversy equally can be applied to the Ebonics discussion as well, with one twist. While Spanish is considered a "bona fide" language, Ebonics (Spanglish, too) is often considered "jargon". Cross cultural comparison, comparing the characteristics of one culture with others, is an important methodology and especially important in multicultural studies. By applying what we learn from contact with one group to other groups, much can be learned about cultural and social diversity and the conditions, processes and forces that have generated difference or similarity.

One important thematic we are introducing into this course is to explore the integration of what is happening in the United States with the movement for Human Rights. We will touch on this only at the start of the semester. However, once we have focused on it, the intention is for students to keep human rights issues in mind as they proceed through the semester. The other important thematic is what we need to do in the communities represented in North Brooklyn to provide children the opportunity to enter that educational stream and provide them with those resources that would bring them to Cornell University.

Our assumption is that you will attend your school or community assignment each week and that you will fulfill all assigned tasks. Failure to do these will result in a lowered grade for each event or task not completed. Make sure that you understand what is expected of you well before the due date and not the day an assignment is due or an activity takes place. We assume that all students will attend all program events and will participate in discussions at appropriate times in an appropriate manner. This means that you will arrive on time and depart when appropriate. Please note that, given the nature of this program, changes will take place rapidly. Be prepared to be flexible and allow yourself enough time to do so. Schedule changes are ubiquitous. Please stay tuned to changes by checking your email and coming into the office. Patricia is the keeper of information. We also try to post information on the door.

Participating Institutions

BEGINNING WITH CHILDREN
11 BARTLETT ST.
(Bet. Harrison & Union Aves.)
BROOKLYN, NY 11206
718 388 8847
718 388 8936 fax
Sonia Ortiz Gulardo Principal
Take the #6 train to 14th St., take the "L" train to Lorimer St. (get on the back of the train), take the 11G train going to Brooklyn to Flushing Ave. Look up Flushing Ave. for Amoco station school is right there.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP CHARTER SCHOOL
171 CLERMONT AVENUE
(Bet. Willoughby & Myrtle Aves.)
BROOKLYN, NY 11205
718 330 0480
718 330 0295 fax
Michael Lupinacci Acting Principal
Take the #6 train to 14th St., take the "L" train to Lorimer St. (get on the back of the train), take the "G" train going to Brooklyn to Clinton Washington Ave. When you get upstairs, exit the Clinton Washington exit. Take Lafayette Ave. (walk against
traffic) to Clermont Ave. Turn right onto Clermont Ave. between Willoughby and Myrtle Aves. Look for the handicap ramp at the front door.

NORTHSIDE CATHOLIC ACADEMY
10 WITHERS STREET
(Bet. N.8" St. & Union Ave.)
BROOKLYN, NY 11211
718 782 1110
718 782 3344
Sister Helen Principal
Take the #6 train to 14th St., take the "L" train to Lorimer St. (get on the back of the train), when you come out of the station you'll be on Union and Metropolitan Aves. walk north to Withers St.

NUESTROS NIÑOS
384 SOUTH 4 1h ST.
(Bet. Hewes & Hooper Sts.)
BROOKLYN, NY 11211
718 963 1555
718 963 0240 fax
Miriam Cruz
Take #6 train downtown to Chambers St., take the back of the J or M trains to Hewes St. Exit to the right to the street. Walk on Hewes St. 2 blocks to South 4th Street, school is on the right side.

THE HETRICK MARTIN INSTITUTE
2 ASTOR PLACE * BROADWAY
New York, NY 10003
212 674 2400
212 674 8650 fax
Debra Smock ext. 257
Take #6 train downtown to Astor Place. Entrance is next to a barber shop. Take the elevator to the 2nd floor.

Southside Mission
More information forthcoming

Journals (every Thursday) minimum one page 10%

Reading annotations

Due: Monday mornings Mid term on Human Rights (5 pages) 30%

Due date: February 27, Thursday @ 5:00 PM Term Paper (no more than 10 pages) 30%

Due date: May 2, Friday @ 5:00 PM 30%

Your Midterm paper is based on your understanding and use of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The question is: What Human Rights of Children, as they are stated in the UN documents, are not being met, based on the observations and experiences you have had in North Brooklyn.

Your Term Paper is based on the following question: What would it take to provide "your kids," those with whom you are involved in your school settings, the opportunities and resources to make it to Cornell University. You should respond in a grounded, realistic manner. This means that you will need to know quite a bit about the lives of your kids, the neighborhoods in which they live, and the communities and families of which they are a part. We want you to structure your essays in the following manner.

I. What did you find out about "your kids." Here you must use the statistical information we handed out at the beginning of the semester and data you have collected that up dates this information( use the Web). You must include information based on the experiences you have had in the schools and in the community.

II. What do you think needs to be changed, or what changes do you think need to take place to create the opportunity for children to make it to Cornell University. Be realistic and not so abstract that it becomes wishful thinking, rather than something that actually can be achieved.

III. How do you implement these changes? What would you have to do to make your suggested changes real? Be very concrete. Do not be overly abstract and general. Mention specific programs, curricular changes, mentoring, and any other changes and additions that you can think of to improve the quality of education for these children (not only schooling).