Established in 1995, the Atlanta Semester Program is located at Agnes Scott College, a women’s college with over 100 years experience in educating women for social responsibility. The Program combines theory-practice to aid students in developing skills, beliefs, and confidence that will enable them to become committed and compassionate citizens.
The mission of the Atlanta Semester Program is to provide students with a means, through both theoretical and experience based education, for critical and engaged examination of leadership and social change from the perspective of women. Students enrolled in the Program complete an interdisciplinary seminar (4 semester credits) and a service-learning internship (4 semester credits) in a grassroots or non-profit organization with the option to complete an independent research project (4 semester credits). Students examine major social issues affecting communities: issues such as poverty, welfare reform and refugee resettlement. In addition to examining the role of individuals in society, students also examine the structural arrangements that foster systems of inequality such as gender, race and class.
The intent when establishing the Atlanta Semester was to create community partnerships fostering an innovate learning community by nurturing a learning environment in which participants differing views about women, leadership and social change could be made explicit, discussed and assessed while also encouraging re-evaluation of their ideas in light of engaged practice and academic research on the subject.
Students enrolled in the service-learning internship have contributed to the following initiatives:
- ? Legislative lobbying to raise Georgia’s minimum wage
? Domestic violence education
? Literacy programs for homeless children
? After-school programs for refugee children
? Teen pregnancy prevention efforts
? Reproductive health education
? Promotion of corporate volunteer programs
? Corporate community development programs
? Living wage lobbying programs
For more information, contact Dr. Isa Williams: iwilliams {at} agnesscott(.)edu or visit our web site: www.agnescott.edu.
