FRESHMAN SEMINAR IN CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND
Eddah Mutua-Kombo, Ph.D.
September 2004
Course Description
In this course we will study
the concept of civic engagement in the context of growing evidence of a
national social movement for civic renewal in higher education. We will
understand the meaning of civic engagement, its benefits, challenges and ways
to promote its practice and knowledge in society.
Case studies of varied social
movements will be used to show the blending of the key elements and conceptual
efforts of civic engagement and social movements such as tolerance of
differences in society, building of common good, social justice, peace and
reconciliation, fairness, civic obligation and in all commitment to take
collective action for the purpose of promoting positive change in society. We
will also learn through service in the community an experience that will allow
us to get outside ourselves and see the world through other people’s eyes.
Additionally, we will
emphasize the importance of diversity education whose goals along with civic
education and service learning work towards the development of a wide range of
skills that prepare first-year students for university work and community responsibility.
Students will become
acquainted with major national initiatives committed to promoting civic renewal
and increasing opportunities for them to learn about citizenship through
service, diversity education, and leadership opportunities.
The course is designed to
introduce first-year students to general education in the best sense of the
term: education for thoughtful and articulate students and in the long-term
responsible citizens.
Course Objectives
The course aims to develop a
greater understanding of civic engagement and critically think about social
problems in terms of understanding and offering alternative solutions to them.
The specific skills development objectives of the course are as follows:
Suggested Course Material
Loeb, P. The Impossible Will
Take a Little While: A Citizen’s Guide to Keeping Hope Alive in a Time of Fear.
Basic Books,
2004.
Loeb, P. Soul of a citizen: Living
with Conviction in a Cynical Time.
Tutu,
Desmond. (2004) God Has a Dream: A Vision of
Hope for Our Time.
Tocqueville,
de Alex. Democracy in
Part 1 Introduction to the
course: entering the conversation
This
segment of the course prepares students to understand why people participate in
movements or community service. They will understand the systematic
inequalities/ injustices evident in society and hence the need to engage
citizens in becoming actors to initiate positive transformation of society.
The learning material to be
used here aims to engage students to explore their own political views as well
as get them to demystify movements’/ activism discourse that “puts off” the
beginning reader. Here the involvement of students in discussions is important
in order to allow them to create a safe space for learning and exploring all
possibilities. The learning material must allow the professor to engage
students into different categories of analysis of social problems, systematic
injustice, and ‘isms’ in the following areas:
The social problems to be
studied include and are not limited to: HIV-AIDS, environmental justice, Gay/Lesbian
movements, civil rights, homelessness, education, health, violence against
women, labor/workers unions etc
Part III: Community Connections
It is assumed that at this
point of the course a lot of the students will already have developed a good
understanding of civic engagement and are ready to be actors. The idea is to
have them prepared to go through the path of realization and imagination that
will raise consciousness to “act on responsibility not guilt”.
Part IV: Reflections on
Civic Engagement Experience
The
focus of this part of the course is to take the university community to the
community and bring the community to university in a partnership to address the
needs of the community. Students will work on final projects that reflect this
theme.
Assignments
Preparation of seminars: The class will divide into
groups of four and each group will take the responsibility to respond to the
assigned reading. This will also involve the collection of other materials
outside the reading that support or oppose the main thesis of the argument
presented. The group will provide other background material that helps the rest
of the class to gain a greater understanding of the topic in question. It will
give a brief introduction to the class sufficient to understand the
topic/theme.
Group Project
The
class will divide into groups of 4-5. Each group will be responsible for
identifying the specific social problem and prepare a project in the following
manner
Interview Assignment
This
is an individual assignment. The students are encouraged to identify an
individual in the community who is a role model to young men and women for
their role in civic engagement/contributions to their community. This may
include renowned volunteers in the community, student mentors, local movement
leaders (e. g NAACP, workers union), recovered drug addicts, founder of a soup
kitchen, church leaders who organize visits to hospitals, etc
Short Writing Exercises: guest
speakers, video and readings responses
Each
student will be required to do a short writing response as instructed by the
professor.
Mid-term Exam
It will be in form of short essay exam covering
materials on the key elements of civic engagement, movements and activism.
_________________________________________________________________________
Definition of Terms
Broadly,
this course is developed within the understanding of civic engagement and community
building as a process that seeks to promote tolerance
of differences in society, building of common good, social justice, peace and
reconciliation, fairness, civic obligation and in all, commitment to take
collective action for the purpose of promoting positive change in society. Below are some definitions that informed this
conceptual framework.
web2.canr.msu.edu/leadnet/order/glossary.cfm
Civic
Engagement
Involves adding one’s voice to community conversations.
Advocacy on behalf of others. Participation in public life. Encouraging other
people to participate in public life. Joining in common work that promotes the
well being of everyone. – Project 540
Individual and collective actions designed to identify and
address issues of public concern. Civic engagement can take many forms, from
individual volunteerism to organizational involvement to electoral participation.
It can include efforts to directly address an issue, work with others in a
community to solve a problem or interact with the institutions of
representative democracy. Civic Engagement encompasses a range of activities
such as working in a soup kitchen, serving on a neighborhood association,
writing a letter to an elected official or voting. – Pew
Charitable Trusts