Department: Curriculum and Instruction
Course Number: CUAI 4008
Course Title: Honors Service Learning
Semester Hours: 1
Date of Revision
of Syllabus: Spring Semester 2002
Text(s) or Other
Required Reading: Palmer, P.J. (1999). The courage to teach: Exploring the
inner landscape of a teacher’s life. Josey-Bass.
Joseph, James A. (1995). Remaking America: How the
benevolent traditions of many cultures are transforming our national life. Josey-Bass.
Colby, Anne & Damon, William (1994). Some do Care: Contemporary lives of moral commitment. Free Press.
American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (4th Ed.)
Catalog Description: Honors service learning in social/cultural agencies and programs related to education. Admissions to the College of Education’s Honors program, HDAL 2008, and PEXS 3008 are prerequisites.
Information: This course is the third of three service learning courses in the College of Education’s Honors Program. Service learning activities will be in agencies that are related to the student’s areas of interest. The same texts will be used in all three honors service learning courses.
to College and Program
Philosophy and Goals: This course is fundamental to the program’s, college’s and university’s focus on service learning. It will also fit the college’s goals of communication, diversity, and reflective practice. It increases students’ knowledge bases and furthermore, provides examples of the cooperation in the teaching/learning experience.
Course Objectives: The student will gain an understanding of and appreciation of special school functions. The student will provide meaningful service to such functions (Alternative Schools, Remedial Programs, Gifted Programs, as examples) The student will include descriptions of and reactions to this experience in the reflective journal. The student will gain knowledge of the function of agencies and how their function can be used for educational purposes.
Course Topics: Service learning in school situations beyond regular academic experience. Specific topics will vary with the student’s place(s) of service learning.
Requirements: Participation in service-learning activities. Discussion of these activities and reaction to them in honors seminars associated with this class. Maintaining and sharing of a reflective journal about the experience. Demonstrating the acquisition of knowledge of the agency function and the educational implication. Five seminars will be spaced within the semester. The Final seminar will be an open seminar with College of Education faculty, students, and agency personnel invited to attend. Students will accomplish a minimum of twenty hours of service learning activities in selected agencies.
Field Experience: All course work will be related to field placements.
Grading Practice: Grades within the university’s A-F system will be based on the student’s contribution to the field placement(s), the student’s participation in seminars, and the quality of the student’s reflective journal. Field directors will be consulted for suggestions prior to the assignment of grades.
The writing in the reflective journal will be reviewed for content, style, and form and will be a part of each student’s final thesis-quality reflective journal. Because of the variety of service learning activities and agencies in which they are accomplished, exact grading practice will be handled through course information material. However, participation in seminars will account for approximately 25% of the student’s grade, writing in the continuing reflective journal will account for approximately 25% of the grade, and contributions to field placements will account for approximately 50% of the grade.
Grades will be calculated based on earned points on all service-learning evaluations, seminar participation, and thesis quality reflective journal work. If a student is unable to meet a due date for an assignment, the student has the option of contacting the instructor to make arrangements to turn it in/take it on another day. NOTE: There will be a five (5) point per day deduction on all assignments submitted past the due date unless other arrangements have been made with the instructor.
Grade Percentage Grade Percentage
A 94-100 C 73-75
A- 90-93 C- 70-72
B+ 86-89 D+ 66-69
B 83-85 D 63-65
B- 80-82 F Below 63
C+ 76-79