Mondays & Wednesdays, 12:30pm to 1:45pm-Cole Field House 3114

Instructor:Jennifer M. Pigza
Coordinator, Community Service Programs

COURSE FRAMEWORK & OBJECTIVES
The components of this course are designed to work together to nourish your current and future commitments to the common good. We'll do this through what Paulo Freire calls praxis-the cyclic relationship between theory and practice-and what service-learning theorists call the PARE Model preparation, action, reflection, and evaluation. Throughout the semester we·ll be reading, discussing, serving, experimenting, researching, reflecting, and writing. Specifically the components of this course include service- learning, writing assignments, discussion, in-class reflection activities, and group projects and activities.

By the end of the semester, students who are fully invested in this course will:
articulate an understanding of community service and service learning;
analyze various models of leadership and apply them to themselves and others;
discuss critical issues of social justice, social change, and civic responsibility;
increase their ability to work in diverse groups;
understand the ethical implications of leadership;
further their understanding of cultural pluralism;
apply theories and models of service and leadership to an issue of their choosing; and,
be encouraged to be life-long learners and advocates for social change.

TEXTS
Coles, R. (1993). "The Call of Service: A Witness to Idealism." New York: Houghton Mifflin.
Gardner, H. (1995) "Leading Minds: The Anatomy of Leadership." New York: Basic Books.
Astin, H., Astin, A. (1996). "A Social Change Model of Leadership Development." Higher Education Research Institute.
Purchase from Diana Puls in the Office of Campus Programs (1135 Stamp) for $10. Please pay by check made out to "University of Maryland."
Reading Packet at BSOS.
Additional handouts distributed in class.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
20% Ongoing Preparation and Participation
10% Due 3/1 Agency Report
15% Due 3/15 Journal at Midterm
20% 4/19-5/1 Presentation
15% Due 5/17 Journal at Final Exam
20% Due 5/17 Final Exam Synthesis
P/F By 3/15 Meet with Instructor
P/F Begin by 2/21, Due 5/10-20 Hours Community Service

Preparation and Participation (20%)
The success of your own learning and that of your colleagues depends on each person·s preparation and participation. Being late and/or not participating detracts from the classroom experience for everyone.

Some guiding thoughts about being prepared: Read all class assignments prior to class and think about the material. Did you enjoy the reading? What resonated with your own experience? What concepts were difficult to grasp? In what ways do you agree and disagree with the author? What might you say to the author if he or she attended our class? How does this relate to your work as a student leader or as a volunteer?

Some guiding thoughts about participating: Do your best to offer your thoughts and questions throughout class while also allowing space for all students to participate. Offer your thoughts and insights about the activities and readings of the course. Pose follow-up questions to your colleagues that ask them to further explain a point, respectfully challenge their points of view, and offer comments that further the conversation. Take risks and be yourself.

Community Service (P/F)
Just as conversation and participation in the classroom are important to your learning, so is your engagement in the local community-a laboratory for leadership and service. All students will invest at least 20 hours of direct community service throughout the semester. This project must begin by February 21 and be completed by May 10. This course packet includes an introductory letter and verification sheet to be used with your on-site supervisor. Community Service Programs has multiple resources to assist you in finding an appropriate match to your service interests. There is no specific grade assigned to completing this course requirement, because students will be graded on the learning gained through the service experience as evidenced in the other aspects of this course. During class we·ll talk further about what to look for when finding a service site and other pertinent details.

Journal (30%)
All students will maintain a journal throughout the semester that contains ongoing reflections on your developing sense of leadership, the "theory in action" of the community service project, and your expanding knowledge of leadership, community service, and social change. All students should bring journals to class each day; the journal will be submitted twice in the semester-March 15 and May 17. The journal may be handwritten (if your handwriting is legible) or may be typed (especially if your handwriting is not legible!). You will be expected to write in the journal at least once per week. Some weeks a journal question is indicated in the weekly schedule of the syllabus; other weeks the journal indicates "Writer·s Choice." Writer·s Choice means directly that: you choose the topic and format for that particular entry. There is a section in this syllabus that offers some possibilities for Writer·s Choice; please feel free to use or disregard them as suits your style and needs. While the journal is not expected to be free of writing blemishes, please he as conscious of grammar, spelling, and syntax as possible without getting so overwhelmed about saying something right that you avoid saying anything at all. Each journal entry should be approximately 800 words long. (This paragraph contains 200 words.)

For those who are interested, there will be an optional journal check-in on February 23. 1 will review the journals and offer comments and feedback. Journals will not be graded at this time. It is purely an opportunity for us both see if you are on the right track and if I need to address any common concerns or questions with the entire class.

Agency Report (10%)
You will prepare a 4-5 page paper about your service-learning site for March 1. This paper should contain an outline of the organization, a discussion of the community needs that it strives to meet, the specific activity that you will do at the agency, and your initial thoughts about the overall management and organization of the agency. Apply course readings, discussions, and activities as appropriate.

Group Presentation (20%) Four small groups will work together to help the class understand a critical issue of justice and equity. Each group will lead one hour of a class period. The class will develop an evaluation strategy for the presentations and participate in the evaluation of fellow group members and other groups. Potential topics include (but are not limited to) education, domestic violence, homelessness, hunger, illiteracy, environmental racism, MV/AIDS, and disabilities. More details about this project will be distributed in class.

Final Exam Synthesis (20%) As a culminating synthesis and application process, a final exam question will be distributed one week prior to its due date. This question will take the form of an extended journal entry and require that you utilize the knowledge and experiences of the entire semester. More details about the exam will be distributed and discussed in class as the date approaches.
Meeting with Instructor (P/F) Please plan to meet with me at least once by the time Spring Break arrives. I will do my best to get to know you in class, but your learning and my teaching will be enhanced if we also meet outside of class.

Caveat
If you have questions or concerns about any of the course requirements, please contact me! My goal as an instructor is (and your goal as a class should be) to create and sustain a good learning experience. While some requirements cannot change, slight adjustments, further explanation, and extenuating circumstances are always welcome discussion topics.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Please see the attached schedule for a full description of weekly topics, readings, assignments, and activities. Please remember to bring your journal to every class.

CLASSROOM NORMS & THE MORAL CONVERSATION
Much of this course will take place through the act of story telling: yours, mine, those you serve, those who have shaped you, and those we will read and meet. Keeping a journal, reading biographical sketches, and having conversations are important to the story-telling framework. One of my favorite professors, Robert J. Nash at the University of Vermont, has developed what he calls "the moral conversation" as a way to help groups of people talk about important, difficult, contentious, and exciting topics. Dr. Nash's guidelines will also be the framework for our own classroom norms. The moral conversation is described in full on the last page of this syllabus. Are there other classroom norms that you would like to add?

WRITER'S CHOICE
Remember: The use of "Writer·s Choice" suggestions is not required. They are here to help and not hinder your creativity and investment in the journal. If you would like any additional assistance with the journal, please see me.

1.(For early in the semester.) What immediate insights about yourself and those you serve are you gaining through your service experience? What insights are likely to come through sustained service and reflection?
2.(For early in the semester.) Using as much detail as possible, describe the setting where you perform your service: the people, places, things, smells, sights, noises, textures, and overall "aura". What thoughts and feelings do you have in response to this setting? (You could try writing this entry in a two-column format. The first column is descriptive and the second column contains your responses.)
3. Choose a song or poem that reflects your leadership style or your experience of community service. Include the lyrics/words and discuss how this relates to you and your emerging sense of self as a change agent and leader.
4. In your service experience, you will meet many people (clients, agency staff, fellow volunteers, etc.) whose life stories help you find insight into your own. Tell the story of one of these people using the following framework "Once upon a time…." Then discuss why this story is important to you.
5. Write a letter of thanks to a person who has helped you develop your sense of leadership or commitment to public service. Talk specifically about how this person affects or has affected your life.
6. Choose a quote from one of the readings (or from your own supplemental reading) and respond to it. Why is it pertinent to you? How does it challenge or inspire you?


ADDITIONAL POLICIES & INFORMATION

Academic Integrity
All students are expected to adhere to the University of Maryland Code of Academic Integrity. Cheating, plagiarism and other acts of academic dishonesty detract from a positive learning environment and will not be tolerated. Contact the Office of Judicial Programs and Student Ethical Development for more information.

Documented Disabilities
Any student who has a documented disability and requires academic accommodations for this course should notify the instructor in the first week of the class.

Extra Credit
Opportunities for extra credit will emerge throughout the semester and can help tip the scales when a student·s grade is borderline (for example, from a B+ to an A, but not from a B to an A). Possible extra credit options include at least three extra journal entries throughout the semester, a review of an article or book chapter related to the coursework, or coordinating a reflection activity for the class.

Grading
Although University policy mandates that final grades must be given without.+/-, during the semester grades will be given as such. This will help both the student and the instructor have a better sense of each student·s investment, grasp of the material, and progress through the course.

Religious Observances
University policy provides that students should not be penalized because of observances of their religious beliefs; students shall be given an opportunity, whenever feasible, to make up within a reasonable time any academic assignment that is missed due to individual participation in religious observances. It is the student·s responsibility to inform the instructor of any intended absences for religious observances in advance.

Writing Resources
Students are encouraged to engage in writing for the class with gusto, honesty, insight, and feeling. The Writing Center can assist in big picture thinking, outlining a paper, and grammar. Please utilize the services of the campus Writing Center to advance your skills in writing. It·s not just for remediation!

THE MORAL CONVERSATION

Conversation comes from the Latin conversari-to live with, keep company with, to turn around, to oppose. A conversation is therefore a manner of living whereby people keep company with each other and talk together in good faith in order to exchange ideas (sometimes opposing ideas). It is circular in form and continues best when we are not rushed and can spend the time it takes to reach a natural conclusion.

The moral conversation is a way of understanding the individual nature of ourselves, the "otherness" of those around us, and the ways that we grow and change through interactions with each other. At its foundation, the moral conversation affirms the fundamental worth and dignity of each person. Here are a few pithy, overlapping ethical principles that will help guide you in moral conversations.

1. Respect the "otherness" of those around you and recognize the subjectivity of your own filters.
2. First, find the truth in what you oppose and the error in what you espouse. Then and only then can you declare the truth in what you espouse and the error in what you oppose.
3. Read as you would be read. Listen as you would be listened to. Question as you would be questioned. Pontificate only if you would be pontificated to.
4. The paradox is that we discover what we know by listening, as well as by speaking, to others. Benjamin Franklin once said: "God gave us two ears and one mouth so we could listen twice as much as we talked."
5. T.S. Eliot once said that Hell is where nothing connects. The core of the moral conversation is to speak with, not at or separate from each other. Conversational Heaven is where no comment is left unconnected to what immediately precedes it.
6. If you don·t stand for something, you·ll fall for anything. But, know how to stand up for what you believe without standing over or on others.
7. Attribute the best motive to others as you would have the best motive attributed to you.
8. While it is true that you must take some risks in order to find your own voice, it is also true that, at times, you must lower your own voice in order to help others in the conversation find theirs.
9. You must allow for differences and otherness. To attend to the difference as different, and to the other as other, is to acknowledge that otherness and difference can be possible sources for truth.

(From Robert J. Nash, Ph.D., The University of Vermont)